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Thursday, October 30, 2008 10:31 AM Her satellite bill is up, even though a dish isn't Woman charged for satellite she doesn't have; company calls incident 'an exception to the rule' By Antonio Velarde | Times Staff Writer Brenda Lewin is at her wits' end. After Lewin changed her phone number with Embarq last fall, nearly every month after she's been charged for a satellite dish and service with DirecTV she never bought. She has spent countless hours on the phone with company officials trying to get the issue resolved, and has even had Embarq representatives come to her house to see she doesn't have a dish. She has even threatened to cut her service and go to the state attorney general's office with her complaints. But Lewin, who has twice been threatened to have her service cut for not paying the bills, which run between $130 and $199 a month, has had little result. The satellite bill always comes back. "It's like it never ended," said Lewin, 55, a longtime Embarq customer who has now cut all service but her phone. Embarq spokesman Vernon Fraley, who was told of Lewin's situation earlier this week, called her situation "an exception to the rule." "Of all the customers we have had, it never takes this long for a customer to get resolution," said Fraley, who added he is speaking to the company's executive services group about fixing the problem. Lewin said her troubles began about three months after she changed her phone number, when she got her first bill for $199 charging her for satellite dish service from DirecTV through Embarq. The first time she called customer service with the company, she said, she was on hold for 30 minutes and spoke for an hour to representatives who eventually took the charge off her bill. But month after month, she said, the bill for the satellite dish and service has returned, and she has spent more hours on the phone asking for the bill to be removed, though it continues to return. Lewin, who has not paid any of the exorbitant bills she received, said she has even been threatened to have her phone service disconnected for not paying. And even after a company representative came out and saw she had no satellite installed, the bill continued to return. She said she has gone only a few months without actually getting a bill, following promises from representatives and supervisors the fees would not return. After getting a bill on Sept. 26 from DISH Network, which partners with Embarq, she noticed that the bill showed she was being charged for satellite services being provided to an address on Sims School Road in the county. After calling the number, Lewin said, she was told the customers at the address were dealing with similar problems, leading her to believe there was some sort of mix-up in the billing. Fraley said he did not want to speculate about the cause of Lewin's high bills, as he is still learning about the situation. Residents contacted at the address declined to comment for this report, saying only that the issue from their side had been resolved. After pressuring Embarq representatives for months by threatening to cancel her services with the company and make complaints with the state office of the attorney general, she said the company recently credited her $90 for her troubles. Earlier, she said, company representatives and supervisors she spoke with had not followed through on promises to credit her account for various amounts. The $90 is the first apology she feels she has gotten. "This is the first amount of 'I'm sorry, ma'am, I've put you through hell' or anything they've given me for putting me through hell for a year now," she said. Fraley acknowledged her frustration and said that regardless of the cause, the company must take steps toward settling the situation. "So the goal now is to make sure we get this rectified and continue to please her as a customer," he said. avelarde@wilsontimes.com | 265-7868 |
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speculator said...
So, which company is in question? DirectTV or Dishnetwork? Both are listed in this write up. I think someone needs to get this straight before the company that is not at fault takes action for false statements against there name. Personally Ive never had a problem with DirectTV.
Friday, October 31, 2008 at 10:02 AM
Janet said...So, which company is in question? DirectTV or Dishnetwork? Both are listed in this write up. I think someone needs to get this straight before the company that is not at fault takes action for false statements against there name. Personally Ive never had a problem with DirectTV.
Friday, October 31, 2008 at 10:02 AM
we have had similar trouble with a cell phone that was through Sprint that we did not order, did not use, did not activate, and sent back to company in a pre-addressed company box. For 2 years they call about once a month, telling us that we are delizuent in this bill and we keep telling them the same thing. Guess if they make a boo boo, it will haunt you for the rest of YOUR life.
Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 7:06 PM
look at the ad on the bottom right. "get dishnetwork thru embarq" !!!!!!!
Thursday, October 30, 2008 at 4:48 PM
