Does anyone remember the Davis Case with Bellsouth?

[greensinestro]

I'm glad I was not working for Bellsouth when this little incident occured, yet I have heard the horror stories that came along with it. What happened was service reps in customer service were under extreme pressure to sell, that they were actually told by their supervisors to just add services to a customer's account whenever they call in. So, you had a number of these reps who were making out of this world sales numbers and lots of money for the company, which went on for months, if not a year or more.

Shortly after, the Public Service Commission, FCC, and other government agencies got involved, and found out about this crooked, twisted sales process. In the end, the PSC and FCC ordered Bellsouth to repay all of the money that was charged to these customers for services that were added without their knowledge or consent. In addition, Bellsouth was also ordered to credit any accounts that had customers calling claiming this, even if it was found these services had been there legitimately and legally. This is where the headaches began.

Customers left and right were calling in, claiming they had services on their accounts for years and had not known, and would demand credit. Because of the PSC and FCC order, reps were to credit the accounts and backdate them no matter what. One of my friends remembers what a bad time this was, and one day she decided to test of one her customers. This lady claimed that call waiting had been added to her account and had been there since the beginning of when the service was invented. She further claimed she had no idea what it was and had no idea how call waiting works. So, this friend had to credit the account, which was hundreds of dollars, but before she did so, she put the customer on hold. While on hold, my friend called the woman's number on another line being she was on it already. That woman nonchalantly answered the call waiting and advised my friend that she would have to call back because she was on another call! For a woman who denied anything about call waiting, its usage, and its function, she certainly knew how to answer it.

This crap went on for months. In another case, my grandfather's neighbor came over bragging how he had received a $300 refund for the repair plan and how he had pulled one over on the company. This neighbor forgot that my grandfather had been a manager for Bellsouth, and the words he called this guy for that!

I have a conscience as do many of my friends. Is there anyone out there like these two customers described who live with themselves every day, and steal on a regular basis? Please post your reply now! LOL

[chainedbarista]

there are many who steal and lose no sleep over it; it's not just a lack of concience but a lack of a moral compass.

if it benefits them, they don't care who gets hurt in the process; these are the ultimate form of sucky customer.

[captainvegetable02]

Obviously what those customers did was wrong, but quite frankly I think the company had it coming to them. They were the ones stealing from their customers in the first place and they finally got a taste of their own medicine.

[wagegoth]

Some people really do claim that the "company" is so big, that what little they steal doesn't matter. Of course, they don't believe that about 10% of the population are sucky thieves, just like them. And they don't care that it's the honest 90% of us carrying their lazy a**es.

[Cia]

Yep, the company owed the customers that they had actually ripped off their money back. The assholes who had the services legitimately and called up to score money should be slapped up one side and down the other. What they did is theft. Two wrongs don't make it right.

[myswtghst]

Yeesh. I can understand taking advantage of getting paid back for things you were scammed into paying for, but taking advantage of a bad situation to make some money because you're lazy and greedy? Yikes.

I'm with Cia, two wrongs do not make a right.

[Jester]

Yes, but three lefts do.

[greensinestro]

Obviously what those customers did was wrong, but quite frankly I think the company had it coming to them. They were the ones stealing from their customers in the first place and they finally got a taste of their own medicine.

That is so true, but it's almost like outrageous court cases. I recently served on a jury with this woman who had been in a car accident. Her life was not drastically changed by the events, yet she was suing for millions from the insurance company and the man's estate (being he was killed in the wreck). She was awarded $80,000 and appealed it. Many of us were turned off by this woman's fancy, dressy, expensive looking appearance, plus the fact that she was a seasonal resident, as was her rich mother. She had something coming to her, I guess, if you look at hospital bills, loss of pay from work, what have you. If your total losses are $80,000 and a jury awards you this to cover that, why should you be awarded $10 million if the losses were not in that amount?

The same scenario applies to this situation. If you were ripped off on something or billed for something you did not want, and it cost you, say, $100, why would you be entitled to $10,000 or some outrageous figure?

[Auto]

Obviously what those customers did was wrong, but quite frankly I think the company had it coming to them. They were the ones stealing from their customers in the first place and they finally got a taste of their own medicine.

my feeling too. a case of scammers getting scammed. regulators did the right thing because many folks who got scammed by bellsouth probably would never call in to ask for their refund. so the regulators required bellsouth to honor the BS claims of scammers as a way to inflict some pain on bellsouth.

serves bellsouth right. i have no sympathy for them.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I'm with Cia, two wrongs do not make a right.

"Two wrongs make a right, Lisa"

--Homer Simpson

[Barefootgirl]

I remember that case very well indeed. I also remember the audits we did on our customer accounts as a result of it, for months and months and fecking months !

[Andara Bledin]

I used to have a friend who was embroiled with Bellsouth over something. Not this issue, however, as it related to Internet service.

I just floors me at how few people actually pay attention to what they're paying for. I know how much my monthly phone bill is, and if it's different, I take a look to find out why. Although my bill is really easy, since nobody uses the darned thing.

But still, they give you an itemized listing for a reason. While what Bellsouth did was reprehensable, there should have been some responsibility of the customers to protect themselves. They shouldn't have to, but they still should anyway.

^-.-^

[Calud]

Yah, well. I would steal from [evil company](thats a french phone/internet company) anytime.

I had my internet set up with them for some time. I told them to cash in the money each month, so I wouldn't have to worry about. Everything was fine. Then five months into using their internet, bam. They cut it off. Me, being the smart guy I am, call them to find out whats wrong. After some very long and difficult calls (my frenchs terrible.... poor guys having to talk to me) I find out, I haven't paid them... at all, the last few months.

Well, how did that go wrong? It's some weird french stuff, I still don't understand it.

Ok, so I get my credit card out and pay my bill of course. They tell me, well, we can reconnect you, but this will take one month. I was without internet about 1 and a half months already, so whatever. The day comes and... no internet. I call them and they tell me: "Well, you haven't paid your bills, we don't want you as a customer anymore."

What?

So, because they screwed up, I have to wait for my internet about 2 an a half months and then, they just tell me "they don't want me, because "I'M" a bad customer and if I want to have my internet back, I would need to sign up again".

The hell no. I got a different provider and everything is fine. You think.

About 2 months later, my internet stopped working again. I check it out, seems I have ordered internet from some other company... well... duh, I haven't reconnect me. The nice guy from my new provider does and everything works fine again.

A few days later. I get a package from [evil company].

In there. Modem, Decoder and a shitload of stuff no one would ever need. Okay... what...?
Two days later, I get my bank letterthingy (I can't be bothered right now to look up the word ) and it says.

[evil company] 80€.

Woot?

They have signed me up, without me knowing, for the most expensive package they had. Phone, TV, Internet Anti-spam, Anti-virus, Anti-Idon'tevenknowwhatthatis and everything.

I write them and they tell me: Well, we can terminate the contract, just send in all of the stuff we sent you... unopened. What?

Bad luck for them, I've not opened any of that stuff. They got it right back... Hope I don't have to hear from them ever again.

[Delphae]

We have customers who buy items that are free after rebate. They don't even know what these items are for. We suspect that they are returning them. So, one of the other women has started writing "Free after rebate" on the reciepts. Lets see what happens know.

[Andara Bledin]

Most rebates require that you send in the UPC from the package so that there can only be one rebate per item, and you can't return it once you've got the rebate.

^-.-^