<p>We just got a cell phone bill of $419+ for our 4 new phone lines. This is JUST for phone service and is MUCH higher than we were promised. I had an on-line chat for quite a while with a rep from the company, Sprint. By the time we finished, she agreed that the bill was reduced and would only be slightly over $236. She said they’d send me a complete transcript in a few hours, but to be safe, I printed two copies of the complete transcript.</p>
<p>An hour later, I got an email from the phone company that they only adjusted the phone bill by reducing it $10.01! I’m very upset, but of course they’re all closed at this time! I plan to go down to the Sprint office and talk with them first thing tomorrow. I’m VERY unhappy with them and disappointed that they don’t follow through with what their representative wrote in the chat and NO EXPLANATION as to why they are balking. VERY UPSETTING.</p>
<p>I’m hoping this is not a sign of problems that I’ll be having with Sprint. <sigh></sigh></p>
<p>They charged the activation fees which they said they were waiving, as well as taxes for those fees. They also charged us for activating phones that were NOT activated for several days AFTER they were purchased because of glitches with BestBuy. I do understand partial payment for the days we used service as well as advance payment for future service. The thing is that I “chatted” with their rep who promised us to reduce the bill from $419+ down to $236+ and then that did NOT happen. I printed the transcript and will have to go to Sprint tomorrow to get it straightened out. Am VERY disappointed at this waste of time and energy.</p>
<p>So very frustrating, HImom.
Your story is one of the reasons our family is stuck in Verizon/Directv land for phone/internet/TV. ONLINE everything looks good, chat with rep looks good and then you get whammed with the actual bill.</p>
<p>I know it’s time consuming but wish you the best. Maybe a ‘real’ person will see the light?</p>
<p>We no longer use Sprint, for some of the reasons you describe. But we found that we were able to get further, faster with billing snafoos when we spoke to/selected the TECHNICAL SUPPORT people (pick that phone option) rather than the billing/customer sevice option when calling in. Sounds like you did an on-line chat, which frequently means you will be speaking to an offshore representative. Sounds like its time for a domestin/onshore peson (even though you are calling from Hawaii). Good luck!</p>
<p>We have AT&T for 4 people with data service and unlimited texting. Our regular monthly bill is over $300. If you activated 4 phones ($30 each) then I am not surprised that the first bill is over $400. I assumed the rep was trying to help you out, but then was told that he didn’t have the authority to do that. I have a feeling that they are going to tell you that the rep made a mistake, unless you have documentation to say they would waive the activation feee.</p>
<p>Oldfort,
Check out Verizon. We have had it for years ( 4 phones and unlimited data and text) and monthly it comes out to about $240. That includes insurance as the kids’ phones have gone through the washing machine multiple times ( not the same phone) when it got left in a sweat shirt…and parents tried to be helpful…oops…
In addition, the service is much better and it was one of the few carriers still working after Sandy hit…</p>
<p>Verizon does not offer unlimited anything anymore, you have to buy a bundle of data share everything plans. From what I was told, even the grandfathered unlimited phones will be losing unlimited plans this Spring.</p>
<p>Our regular monthly bill (confirmed AGAIN this morning) will be $225, unlimited text and data, up to 1500 minutes talking and unlimited cell to cell calling. The nice rep on the phone confirmed that we only owe the amount that the rep & I agreed upon last night. I paid the amount and asked him to confirm that I am paid in full and also asked for his complete ID #. He confirmed that I will have a zero balance on my account within 24-48 hours and also gave me his complete ID #. He says that the folks at the brick & mortar stores have the same authority that he does regarding discounts and billing (though I’m not sure I believe it). He says we will have the 10% discount on our bill from now on.</p>
<p>The monthly bill from now on with the 10% discount off the primary line will be $225+, which is not bad with the unlimited data that S & D do plan to make good use of. New subscribers to unlimited data can only get unlimited data from either a pre-paid or Sprint at this point, from the research S & our family has done. Since S travels A LOT, he does want the unlimited data & D thinks it will also be helpful and useful to her.</p>
<p>Folks who have nice low rates generally are grandfathered in because they got their plans many years back–was never offered data or other enticements when I left Verizon, after being with them since 2008 or so.</p>
<p>Anyway, I have high hopes that all will be sorted out within 48 hours as promised by Sprint. There is a store near our Costco that I can visit if I need to see someone in person.</p>
<p>Cell phones just continue to increase in cost. I have the grandfathered Verizon unlimited plan. We have 3 smart phones (2 with unlimited, 1 with 4gb) and two basic phones. We can keep the plan as long as we pay full price for new phones (arghhh). If we switch to their new share everything plan, with the exact same number of phones, my bill will increase by at least $40 a month and I lose all that unlimited data (based on 6gb of data for 3 phones). </p>
<p>I was hoping the competition would allow prices to come down, but that isn’t the case. I don’t know what the answer is, other than getting rid of them, but they are sure great to have. You can’t even switch to basic phones, because it’s still expensive. Based on Verizon’s calculator if I switched all 5 to basic phones with unlimited text and voice, I will be paying only about $20 less than I do with my grandfathered plan–what the heck???</p>
<p>I believe they are phasing out basic phones–my guess is they will make basic phones only for prepaid plans sometime in the future and if you want smart phones, then you have the 2 year plan. I don’t think they want the basic phones anymore.</p>
<p>Good luck with getting your bill ironed out. The squeaky wheel gets the grease. I’m glad you saved and printed the online chat–very smart!!!</p>
<p>Yes, I do believe it was very helpful in our conversation that I mentioned that I had the three page transcript of our online “chat” that I offered to fax or email to them if they needed it. I believe that helped him “find” the discounts and information from last night. In any case, I could use it as needed in the future. Next time, in addition to paper copies, I should have also saved it as a PDF but am glad I printed before it disappeared into cyberspace.</p>
<p>It is confusing to me why you have to call numerous times to finally be connected to a really great knowledgeable person who can actually help you. I hope these people get paid the big bucks to deal with the customers their coworkers have enraged.</p>
<p>I wish Congress would get involved to regulate the cell phone companies.</p>
<p>Whyohwhy do we have to buy a certain number of minutes? If we use more, we pay more. If we use less, we get nothing back.</p>
<p>Whyohwhy is it that everytime I buy a new phone or make a change to my plan, I’m stuck with yet another two-year contract? No other service I use requires that.</p>
<p>I have been with Verizon since my first cell phone, in around 1999. I just don’t have the mental energy to study everyone’s specific plan and buy the best. So, I stay.</p>
<p>Yes it certainly makes no sense the way things are but for now I feel working within the system is best. Think this may work ok now but we shall see. S and D both begged for unlimited data with Sprint and wanted the iPhone 5 so we splurged and are ok with us and Sprint being lo med into two years of unlimited data.</p>
<p>I agree! I’m beyond frustrated with the whole cell phone package system. Doing research before Christmas made me realize how very complicated the systems and plans are and whenever I get the bills I’m astonished by all the add on fees and taxes that slip in there. When I inquired about changing from unlimited texting I was informed that I’d also lose free calls to any mobile which apparently is my modal calling pattern. I have a non smart flip phone still and am getting ready to cancel the AT&T family plan I’ve had for years. Considering moving to prepaid service for my phone though I’ll have to figure out the international calling logistics before I do so. Congrats HImom, sounds as though you’ve done some great negotiating.</p>
<p>You think cellphone bills are bad, try deciphering the gazillion fees and weird charges on the credit card processing bills. They take unbelievable fees for all sorts of stuff and its impossible to understand. Pages and pages of “fees” of all shapes and sizes.</p>
<p>I was very pleased with the T-Mobile $30/month pre-paid plan which provides 1500 minutes/texts/month and 250 mb of data. I use it for business and know how much it will cost and don’t have trouble justifying it.</p>
<p>Am very happy that they reduced the initial bill down from $419+ to $236+ which is more reasonable to me. The monthly bill for our family has doubled from $110+ to $225+ but we’ve added one more line, unlimited data for all of us, unlimited messages and 1500/month voice + unlimited cell to cell calling, any carrier. I am hoping that Sprint will work out OK for our family.</p>
<p>Am grateful I have never had to try to understand how credit cards charge merchants who allow customers to use charge cards. Understand they really gouge for the convenience.</p>
<p>YIPPEE! The recording that I accessed by dialing *3 on my new cell phone says I have a $.20 credit, so that means that all the credits promised were processsed, as was our payment! Hopefully our remaining interactions with Sprint will be equally or more pleasant.</p>
<p>My oldest daughter moved to AK in August, and Verizon does not work in her village. I have to pay for her cell phone line until April because the fee to drop it would cost even more.</p>