4 ms·

I have Century Link fiber in Seattle and the internet experience has been good. They do keep charging me for 2(!) modems, though--one that I mailed back and one

by c22 8y ago

I have Century Link fiber in Seattle and the internet experience has been good. They do keep charging me for 2(!) modems, though--one that I mailed back and one that I never had. Every six months or so I call them up and they credit the erroneous charges back to my account and remove the modems. Invariably the modem charges show back up 1-3 months later. I'm pretty sure this is some sort of procedural dark pattern meant to rip off everyone audacious enough to bring their own modem but not routinely check their bill.

JumpCrisscross 8y ago
Same thing happened with me and Time Warner Cable in New York. Every six months they would mysteriously boost my rate. I would call into cancellations and they’r refund the erroneous charges, only to try again in six months. A letter to my Attorney General stopped that crap.
- paulie_a 8y ago
  "I will be contacting the attorney general's office, consumer fraud division, what was your name again?" is a very powerful way to get results.
  - JumpCrisscross 8y ago
    > is a very powerful way to get results In my experience, nothing happens until you actually make contact. Legal isn’t usually pleasant. But they’re almost always competent.
  - brianwawok 8y ago
    You threatened a lawsuit to a $8 an hour support rep. Do you think they really care? They just want you off the phone for metric reasons so they get a bigger raise.
    - lozaning 8y ago
      Yep, I didnt a stint in one of samsung's global escalation centers and all the reps always rooted for people to threaten shit like this. Once you go legal there's no going back and Im no longer allowed to talk to you, only corporate counsel. We all knew that 95% of all legal mumbo jumbo threats where all bark and no bite, and the other 10% was someone else's problem. So threaten away and know that you're making reps days.
everybodyknows 8y ago
Those ubiquitous "Turn on Auto-pay" buttons, in bright blue, are surely a hook into just such a hustle. How many people would bother to check the charges every month once they've signed up? Only the providers know for sure ...
chrissnell 8y ago
I wish some attorney would initiate a class action over this. Attorneys file class action lawsuits over all sorts of petty charges all of the time and win. Reading these comments, this certainly feels like a pattern. The dollar amounts involved are not small, either.
- justinph 8y ago
  The Minnesota Attorney general did: http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-sues-centurylink-over-billing/434082273/ http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-sues-c...

by c22 8y ago

JumpCrisscross 8y ago

Same thing happened with me and Time Warner Cable in New York. Every six months they would mysteriously boost my rate. I would call into cancellations and they’r refund the erroneous charges, only to try again in six months. A letter to my Attorney General stopped that crap.

paulie_a 8y ago
"I will be contacting the attorney general's office, consumer fraud division, what was your name again?" is a very powerful way to get results.
- JumpCrisscross 8y ago
  > is a very powerful way to get results In my experience, nothing happens until you actually make contact. Legal isn’t usually pleasant. But they’re almost always competent.
- brianwawok 8y ago
  You threatened a lawsuit to a $8 an hour support rep. Do you think they really care? They just want you off the phone for metric reasons so they get a bigger raise.
  - lozaning 8y ago
    Yep, I didnt a stint in one of samsung's global escalation centers and all the reps always rooted for people to threaten shit like this. Once you go legal there's no going back and Im no longer allowed to talk to you, only corporate counsel. We all knew that 95% of all legal mumbo jumbo threats where all bark and no bite, and the other 10% was someone else's problem. So threaten away and know that you're making reps days.

everybodyknows 8y ago

Those ubiquitous "Turn on Auto-pay" buttons, in bright blue, are surely a hook into just such a hustle. How many people would bother to check the charges every month once they've signed up? Only the providers know for sure ...

chrissnell 8y ago

I wish some attorney would initiate a class action over this. Attorneys file class action lawsuits over all sorts of petty charges all of the time and win. Reading these comments, this certainly feels like a pattern. The dollar amounts involved are not small, either.

justinph 8y ago
The Minnesota Attorney general did: http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-sues-centurylink-over-billing/434082273/ http://www.startribune.com/minnesota-attorney-general-sues-c...