When you sign up for AT&T U-verse, you get a box that must be returned if you close the account. One woman we spoke to said she did exactly that but was still hounded to pay for the equipment anyway.
Karey Miller still has AT&T's U-verse so she can watch TV in her home. But after a recent move, she needed to return some of the equipment back to AT&T. Miller took the boxes, as instructed by AT&T, to a local ups store for shipping.
"They took them and packed them and he gave me a receipt with everything I needed to know and the tracking number, and the UPS guy said to me, 'Just don't be surprised if you get a bill in couple months for $162 and they charge you and tell you they never got it,'" Miller said.
Miller followed that advice, kept the tracking number handy, and sure enough, months later, a bill came for the U-verse boxes Miller shipped weeks earlier.
"I got a few bills from AT&T," Miller said.
Miller says she called AT&T and a customer service representative was able to confirm, using Miller's tracking number, that the boxes did in fact arrive where they were supposed to, but the problem was not solved.
"Then I started getting more bills and then a collection agency called me and then I got a collection letter," she said.
Miller says even though the boxes were received the collection calls did not stop, until she called us.
"After you contacted them, after about three days later, three or four days, I got a call from the executive resolution department," Miller said.
Miller says AT&T admitted the boxes were in the right place and assured her the calls would stop.
"I said OK, that's fine, but what about my credit report? And he said well, over time it will go away or you can call them or write them letters is what I guess you have to do with all three agencies, and you can dispute it and it will show disputed on your report," Miller said.
While Miller is not completely happy with outcome, an AT&T spokesperson told us: "We're not aware of any other issues related to this matter. We always strive to work with our customers in resolving any issues and we are happy we were able to resolve this situation to the customer's satisfaction."
Miller says she really wants her credit report fixed, but for now it was the tracking number and receipt that allowed her to prove she did ship the equipment back. Keep that in mind if you ever send any equipment to any service provider
