- T-mobile sucks (Whole 'nuther post there, which I believe I've already posted here).
- I made a one time payment to T-Mobile with my SunTrust bank card and requested to NOT be put on the automatic payments list.
- T-Mobile put me on automatic payments anyway and charged my card some $300 more that was not in my bank account.
- I first let T-Mobile have it. I was on the phone for over four hours trying to figure out why it happened and how to get it back since there was $0 in that bank account. Finally I got to a supervisor who refused to let me speak to anyone else and said there was NO way I was getting my money back but she'd be happy to charge my card again for the $200 cancellation fee. I told her STOP CHARGING THAT CARD THERE IS NO MONEY IN THAT ACCOUNT. And thankfully she listened that time.
- I went down to the little itty bitty SunTrust in Walmart hoping the bank could help me instead. I gave them my account info and they pulled it up on their screen. Before I had a chance to explain the situation and ask for help, they got wide eyes and refused to help me.
"Your account is in the hole by $3xx.xx. Are you here to pay that?"
"No I need to -"
"You need to pay it. You owe us $3xx.xx plus $3x.xx in fees"
"No look, I "
"LISTEN, MA'AM. YOU.NEED.TO.PAY.THIS.OR.WE.CAN.NOT.HELP.Y
After a few more times in THAT circle I gave up and caught the next bus back.
- I went back to the same itty bitty suntrust (Disney Intern buses only go so many places and I couldn't seem to get a ride to the bigger one.) a couple days later and it was the same people there. I asked for help before I gave them my account information and the guy suddenly remembers me.
"Ma'am, I told you the other day. YOU NEED TO PAY US or we will close your account."
"I'm asking you for help. I didn't okay that charge. Isn't there anything I can do so that neither of us is out this money?"
"Ma'am, YOU NEED TO PAY US."
"Can I speak with someone else please."
"I'm the manager."
"I understand. But I would like to speak to someone else."
"I'm the manager."
*GRRRR*
"Please help me. I did not authorize that charge."
"Ma'am, YOU NEED TO PAY US or we will close your account"
Again, I left.
- I decided it's not SunTrust's fault the money is gone (T-Mobile were just douche bags who wouldn't let me file a complaint either)and tried to not be angry at the guy. But even over a year later I still get frustrated remembering that conversation.
This ended up going to collections, and prevents me from having a savings account at any bank. I don't even know how I got a checking account, but I'll keep my mouth shut and be grateful on that one. (I guess I should be grateful my credit report only shows about $400 in debt, since my sister long since passed $500,000 in debt)
I would like to get this off my credit report though. Although I would've liked to have them listen to me and not let T-mobile take this money, I'm hoping that my new job will allow me to just pay it off in full in 2009 if I can't otherwise remove it from my name.
So here are my questions:
- Is it too late to file a complaint against the guy? This happened in about September-October 2007.
- How much of the T-Mobile background should I include in a letter to SunTrust?
- Is there a way I can get the debt wiped from my credit report, and have SunTrust fight T-Mobile for the money back? Or is that wishful thinking, hoping the world will just right it self?
*The T-Mobile short story is, I signed up for plan A. They set me up for B and charged me over $500 in overages. When I called to complain they said there was nothing they could do and wouldn't even put me on the correct plan. After a month of arguing with them I caved and told them I'd pay in pieces. $200 at first, and then the $40/month (or whatever the bills were coming to) plus $20/month until the $500 was paid off. Instead they charged my card for $200 and a few days later charged the balance.