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A couple months ago, this company calls to set up a corprate account. They were renting an apt and using it as an office, and we just happened to be the sole provider at that location.
They decide that they want two dvrs, that they will sign a two year contract, and that they will prepay a years worth of service. However, they will need to be billed for all of this (normally, you pay for the install, the equipment, and the prepayment at the time of install). Red flag number one.
So our tech goes out there, and the guy in the "office" decided that they would just use the one dvr. Ok...not a problem, its not activated yet and so we can reuse it. The tech installs the sole dvr, gets programming activated...and somewhere during this the guy leaves. The tech leave the paperwork to be signed and heads out to his next job.
At this point this company has one free receiver, one free install, and free service, since nothing had been paid and no contract signed. Red flag number two.
Five days later, a guy from the company calls and wants to cancel service. He claims that they aren't around enough to use the service. He wants to return the one dvr and get a credit for that. He says that he will leave it in the main office for pick up. So we send out the tech again...he disconnects the unit but no dvr was to be found. As he chatted with the woman at the main office, she told him that unless we had already received payment from the company, we are screwed. Apparently they were moving out of the unit and were cancelling everything left and right, and owed bucket loads of money. The apt complex had yet to see a dime from this company. Red flag number three.
The tech returns, shares the news, and we move on with life. Eventually the account was submitted into collections, and this brings us to today.
Our cast:
Me--
SCO--Sucky Company Owner
ME: Thanks for calling, how can I help you?
SCO: I've been getting calls saying that I owe you guys money, but I have never heard of you.
ME: Ok, can I get your phone number.
***He gives the number and it pulls up the account of the above mentioned company. His name is listed on the account as well***
ME: Well, we do have an account with this phone number listed with it, Suckiness Inc. Does that sound familiar to you?
SCO: Yeah, I own it. I never had service with you people before, though.
ME: Well, it looks like the account was set up for a location at Blankety Blank Apts, and your name is listed on the account as well.
SCO: I've never heard of those apts! Who set up the account?
ME: I don't have access to that information sir, but there is also another name listed on the account as well...a John Sucktastic. Do you know him?
SCO: Yeah....but we never had service with you guys!
ME: ...
SCO: How much is owed on the account?
***I gave him the amount due and broke down the charges for him***
SCO: Well, I never set up this account....who closed it?
ME: I don't have access to that information either, sir.
SCO: Well, I want you to remove my name from the account and to stop calling me about the money owed!
ME: Sir, my supervisor would probably be the best person here to help you with this. She is at lunch, but let me send you to her VM.
And off he went. Knowing the back story on this situation, I knew that this was going to get good. Just incase he didn't leave a message, I emailed my supervisor and let her know what was going on.
Before she called him back, she reviewed the phone logs from that day that service was set up. HE was the one who set up the account!
We did end up removing them from collections, but they still have to pay us back, otherwise into collections they will return.
They decide that they want two dvrs, that they will sign a two year contract, and that they will prepay a years worth of service. However, they will need to be billed for all of this (normally, you pay for the install, the equipment, and the prepayment at the time of install). Red flag number one.
So our tech goes out there, and the guy in the "office" decided that they would just use the one dvr. Ok...not a problem, its not activated yet and so we can reuse it. The tech installs the sole dvr, gets programming activated...and somewhere during this the guy leaves. The tech leave the paperwork to be signed and heads out to his next job.
At this point this company has one free receiver, one free install, and free service, since nothing had been paid and no contract signed. Red flag number two.
Five days later, a guy from the company calls and wants to cancel service. He claims that they aren't around enough to use the service. He wants to return the one dvr and get a credit for that. He says that he will leave it in the main office for pick up. So we send out the tech again...he disconnects the unit but no dvr was to be found. As he chatted with the woman at the main office, she told him that unless we had already received payment from the company, we are screwed. Apparently they were moving out of the unit and were cancelling everything left and right, and owed bucket loads of money. The apt complex had yet to see a dime from this company. Red flag number three.
The tech returns, shares the news, and we move on with life. Eventually the account was submitted into collections, and this brings us to today.
Our cast:
Me--
SCO--Sucky Company Owner
ME: Thanks for calling, how can I help you?
SCO: I've been getting calls saying that I owe you guys money, but I have never heard of you.
ME: Ok, can I get your phone number.
***He gives the number and it pulls up the account of the above mentioned company. His name is listed on the account as well***
ME: Well, we do have an account with this phone number listed with it, Suckiness Inc. Does that sound familiar to you?
SCO: Yeah, I own it. I never had service with you people before, though.
ME: Well, it looks like the account was set up for a location at Blankety Blank Apts, and your name is listed on the account as well.
SCO: I've never heard of those apts! Who set up the account?
ME: I don't have access to that information sir, but there is also another name listed on the account as well...a John Sucktastic. Do you know him?
SCO: Yeah....but we never had service with you guys!
ME: ...
SCO: How much is owed on the account?
***I gave him the amount due and broke down the charges for him***
SCO: Well, I never set up this account....who closed it?
ME: I don't have access to that information either, sir.
SCO: Well, I want you to remove my name from the account and to stop calling me about the money owed!
ME: Sir, my supervisor would probably be the best person here to help you with this. She is at lunch, but let me send you to her VM.
And off he went. Knowing the back story on this situation, I knew that this was going to get good. Just incase he didn't leave a message, I emailed my supervisor and let her know what was going on.
Before she called him back, she reviewed the phone logs from that day that service was set up. HE was the one who set up the account!
We did end up removing them from collections, but they still have to pay us back, otherwise into collections they will return.