SPRINT rips off widower

[southpennrailroad]

Let me begin by thanking all who sent their condolances to me when my wife passed away the day after Valentines day this year.

Second I would like to clearly mention that SPRINT didn't want me to be on the contract that was signed in December of 2005 because I am self employed and a risk. I however always made the most income except for the months of Jan-March. They only wanted my wife on the contract because of this.

Now to February 2007. Wife passes away and Sprint said for me to keep the phone number with their service that I needed to pay $75.00 to get the service in my name. However I am self employed as b-4.

I paid using a bank credit card as I plan to get rid of all credit cards in my name. All cards in my wifes name were cleared as the credit cards rule goes. Death superceeds contracts.

Now after they sent me home for a death certificate, they began to put the account in my name. I returned with DC they copied and sent it in. They then again sent me home to see if the account was put in my name using my home phone, I called the Sprint by home phone where upon they then said I was to go back to the store. STOP/No more thats it!!!! No more of this BS. $800.00 was now gone with my wife gone as she had this as a job income. Gas is needed for me to continue my job and I was barely making $150.00 per week during that period of time and wasting fuel for a phone contract was beginning to look useless.

Now my son suggested I should go to Cingular and be on the same service as his. I took my old number and fled SPRINT.
SPRINT is now not my service but two months later I spot on my bank account via on line, that SPRINT has now taken without permission $285.00 as an early termination fee. REMEMBER wife died contract voided. The kicker they took money from my account without my authorization. That card was to be a one time payment at the store.

I tried twice giving two weeks waiting time to credit my account which they said I was entitled to. Now they say I can't get the money.

I am now calling our local TV station news rooms to maybe see what they can do as well as the attorney generals office. This is outright thieft by Sprint.




.

[Miriam C.]

NOt! CAll your card carrier and report a fraud. It is that simple. Then Call the FCC and your State Attorney Generals office.

That is how you really get their attention. Oh and then call them and tell them you did it.

[Sonetpro]

Yes go to the bank and sign a fraud claim. If you did not authorize it you don't have to pay it. The bank should give the money back in a few days.

[asianflava]

When my mother-in-law passed away, we tried to cancel her electric. They wanted this and that and all kinds of paperwork. They kept billing us for an apartment that was vacated for 3 months. I just didn't pay it, what are they going to do, turn off the power? If my wife had simply posed as her mother and told them to turn it off, all the hassle would have been avoided.

We kept her cell phone active for a while in case any collectors tried to contact her. After a year, we figured that that was long enough. This time my wife posed as her mother and had the phone turned off, no muss no fuss. We kept her info on hand so that we could answer it when they asked, all the info we needed was on the death certificate.

[Sierrajack]

Federal Law: If contract was in wife's name only - you are not responsible for her debts and it is illegal for anyone to collect from you.
There are some scum suckers out there that may call and scare you into believing that you are responsible for your wife's debts. You are not!!!
Get the name and address of any company who attempts this and send them a letter to cease all communications with you. Write Sprint a letter (and keep copy) asking them to refund the money, tell them it is a Federal Law that you are NOT responsible for any debts or contracts that your deceased wife incurred and forward a copy to the FTC and FCC.
I went through the same things you are going through and got information on this subject and shrugged off many thousands of dollars in debts that were incurred without my knowledge.
If you need further help on this subject, I can give you the name of an attorney in Texas who lives for these bastards.
Go to: www.ftc.gov/speeches/azcuenaga/cac94.shtm it addresses the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
As long as you were not a co-signer on any debt, you can not be held responsible!!

[southpennrailroad]

Federal Law: If contract was in wife's name only - you are not responsible for her debts and it is illegal for anyone to collect from you.
There are some scum suckers out there that may call and scare you into believing that you are responsible for your wife's debts. You are not!!!
Get the name and address of any company who attempts this and send them a letter to cease all communications with you. Write Sprint a letter (and keep copy) asking them to refund the money, tell them it is a Federal Law that you are NOT responsible for any debts or contracts that your deceased wife incurred and forward a copy to the FTC and FCC.
I went through the same things you are going through and got information on this subject and shrugged off many thousands of dollars in debts that were incurred without my knowledge.
If you need further help on this subject, I can give you the name of an attorney in Texas who lives for these bastards.
Go to: www.ftc.gov/speeches/azcuenaga/cac94.shtm it addresses the Fair Debt Collections Practices Act.
As long as you were not a co-signer on any debt, you can not be held responsible!!

Thanks

I am well aware of this as I was able to start the same day of her death to get calling people and closing out accounts. It helped slightly to take my mind off the death and focus on life. I just was in a desperate relapsed sad mood that day and let that one slip by. The cell phone was a part of my business, a needed tool that I didn't catch this account. And quit honestly I liked their plan. It never occoured that they would do this type of act.

I was able to get $45,00 school loans dropped, $1,500 credit card dropped, $600.00 gas bill dumped this way. Everything else was actually in both names. This is a great place to inform people of this debt relefe loophole. Businesses should not be doing this type of practice. I already sent off the State Attorney General letter this morning. I talked to another person who did this and it worked the AG helped them. Sprint needs a kick in the ass.

One other thing, and being fair on mentioning good companies , Where good is worth telling, is that the BP credit card was in my name only but they were willing to work with me and dropped for a period of one year the interest rate from 23% to 8% and the payment was lowered from $40.00 to $21.00 so I just continued paying the$40.00 because it still wasn't worth it. I paid the $21.00 and got a reciept and saw $9.00 was service charge. The bill will never get down at that price and charge.

I plan on paying off but keeping the largest CC but to use it only for campgrounds and items I want to purchase over the net but don't get deivered properly as I am just going though in an item lost in delivery. I could have the item removed from the credit card. But I will be paying that type of bill off instantly as credit cards should be used.

People if your in this situation then by all mens call and ask for assistance. It could only be a No answer you may get but if you don't ask you won't get help. I asked and got some help but in the case of Sprint I got screwed. Many people pay for things not belonging to them because they feel guilty. Sprint clearly wanted only my wife on this bill. They should never have asked e for the payment on another persons bill.

Thanks for listening. It helps to vent off and help others on this matter.

[Ira]

Man, things will calm down and get smoother for you--we're all pushing for you!

And WHEN you get that money back, you may want to consider doing what I do:

I use prepaid cell service with no contracts--Tracfone. I don't use my cell a lot, but it's like MANDATORY to have one these days (which is ridiculous when you think about). So I paid like 30 bucks for the phone (Walmart) and a $20 card can last me two months. You just go home with the phone, call them with the card in hand, and they activate you.

AND NO JOKES ABOUT ME BEING A CHEAP JEW!!! (But okay--if the jokes are funny, bring 'em on.)

Yeah, you pay a lot more per minute, none of that unlimted minutes stuff, but if you're not gabbing on the thing all day like a salesman or contractor who needs it for his business, you save a LOT. Plus, you can say that it's for your business, and you can easily retain all of your cards to write off the expense come tax time. (I'm like you--bad with the paperwork stuff. But I CAN stick something in an envelope and not LOSE that envelope.)

Heck, if it wasn't for the damn internet, I would totally cancel my home phone service and just use the cell phone. So I AM thinking about switching over to the internet via my cable company, and paying just for that--no more phone bill!!!

Anyway, just trying to help you out with a savings option that may or may not apply to you.

[Laredo]

Be careful about Tracfone. They have a really bad rep for boosting up your bill -- and your minutes may, if you don't read the fine print, expire by date rather than by use.

Just my experience with those $%#&@, who ripped off my (then 17 year old) son for nearly $500. It's been more than five years, but he got a letter in the mail the other day saying if he still had copies of his contract or card receipts, he should submit copies -- he's part of the class of customers who won a class-action suit against these jerks.

[Joseph]

Be careful about Tracfone. They have a really bad rep for boosting up your bill -- and your minutes may, if you don't read the fine print, expire by date rather than by use.

Kate has one and they do in fact expire by date so we tend to yak a lot to make sure she uses them all. Never heard about the rate hikes though - thought it was pay as you go. What's the story - they up the ante if you exceed your allotment of minutes? So far hers has just said "Sorry, you're out of time," or something to that effect.

Joseph

[southpennrailroad]

Well I finally got them but that is not the end as I want to see the money credited to my account first. But they said because even though I paid the $285.00 early termination fee which i didn't because they just took it out of MY account it still is paid but that Yes I should not have had it paid from me. Thy said they would issue me a check or credit in THREE WEEKS (WHAT THE HELL IS THIS THREE WEEKS THINGY?) So I sent off the letter to the State Attorney Generals Office yesterday anyway. With todays technology it should be instant.

Oh! IRA! Thanks but I can never do the Trac Phone thingy as I need lots of min. for work as I am a contractor (You did allow for this I know,) in the window customer business. I take this off my taxes.

[Laredo]

When he first got the TracFone it allowed him to receive calls and only spend the minutes the same as though he had dialed out (i.e. if he received a call it was a minute-by-minute charge to receive it same as to make it). Somewhere along the line, in about the third month, they started charging him incoming minutes and outgoing minutes for the same call (as in, charging two minutes: a receiving minute and a sending minute, for each minute on a call he received) and they refused to explain or adjust this, or to replace a phone when the handset simply stopped working, within 90 days of the original purchase (yeah, we sent in all the warranty paperwork, and it was supposed to be covered for six months). I dunno what AG finally bopped 'em (maybe Illinois, maybe Pennsylvania, maybe NY State, heck, maybe Florida -- I dunno) but there was a ruling in the suit recently. Apparently a lot of the people who used these phones were "intermittent" or "novice" cell phone users....

[asianflava]

I've used prepaid for several years now. I don't carry my phone except when traveling. I don't even know what my cell number is.

I used ATT prepaid but if you didn't add time before it expired, POOF everything vanished. Now I'm using Virgin Mobile prepaid, it's a much better deal. Your minutes are active for 90 days if you don't add time after the 90 days, your account goes "On Ice" your phone doesn't work. If you add minutes within another 90 days, all the time you had is put back on your account. In other words, you have 6 months before your time dissapears.

Yes I know it is more expensive per minute but in the long run, I pay less. On one phone, I go the full 90 days before adding time ($20) on the other phone, we probably add $40 every 2 months or so. It is less than $30 a month: no taxes, no universal service fees, etc.

This works fine for us but we are not heavy cell phone users. BTW: Virgin Mobile uses the Sprint Network. Sorry for the big advertisement.

[Ira]

Earl...Rocky...Tracfone is totally different now.

And Earl--you're talking about the stone age with them. There are absolutely no contracts or bills. That's why they're the preferred cell phone service of terrorists.

The time you get when activating your card has been good for SIX MONTHS since before I can remember--and i think it was just upped to NINE months--a new program they started.

I'm looking at my phone now, and my minutes have an expiration date of 4/20/08.

And if you never use the thing...but add another 20 bucks before that time is up…your unused minutes are rolled over anyway.

I'm telling you--it's the cheapest deal in town if you're not a heavy cell user. And as a matter of fact, after I posted the above, I saw one of their new commercials--and that's how they're promoting it:

The cell phone service for cheap bastards. (Like me.)

[Arne]

First, as most of you are aware, Shirley passed away a couple of weeks ago. I am at a much better place now than I was a week ago, and am improving with each day. thank you.... I'm even starting to look at my teardrop frame and considering getting back to work on it.... she would want me to get busy and stop sitting on my butt, anyway.

She paid the bills, ATT and Cinqular were in her name. Took 45 minutes on the phone to switch the ATT home phone to my name and cancel the cinqular cell phone she had. I guess I should be happy they did not charge a cell phone termination fee.

I personally have used a tracfone for 5 years. I get an annual card for under 100 dollars, or about 8 dollars per month. I have not missed a renewal and now have accumulated about 750 minutes. They give 150 minutes and one year of service. One year, there was a bonus of 100 minutes... I too, do not know my cell phone number... it is just a portable pay phone for me...

Last year, I still had over 600 minutes, and they had a special... 60 minutes and one year of service for 50 bucks or something like that... since I wanted the service but did not need the minutes, I just took that plan and am good till sept of this year.

I'm not sure how much longer the battery in my phone will last. I paid about 60 for the phone years ago.. now they sometimes have special where the phone is free or 19 dollar along with a 30 or 60 day card.

I buy my cards at walmart, or over the net, whichever is more convenient... never had a problem.... long distance is double the usual 1 unit per minute local fee.... bottom line, tracfone has been great for my type of use.

Also, my phone is only on when I use it. I don't need to be at anyone's disposal because it happens to be convenient for them... they can email me, or call me at home and leave a message.. I will get back to them... when it is at my convenience...

Some people, especially women, think they have to talk when some one calls... if it is for me, even close friends, and I'm eating my supper, I just ask them if they can call back in a half hour because I'm eating... Shirley would never do that.... she would rather eat cold food than hang up... hey, you gotta love 'em though.. they keep the families together.

[southpennrailroad]

SPRINT this morning finally credited my account. I suppose they felt I was correct or they would not have done so. It however still proves they are thieves and ruthless in their practices. I will never use their services again. It's strange as I still mailed off the letter to the AG yesterday. Let them deal with the illegal side of the issue. How many other un-suspecting people went through this and gave up? to