AT&T Bills Non-Customers

March 11, 2004
Consumers in New York and Massachusetts are complaining that AT&T sent them bogus bills, then tried to sell them AT&T service when they called to complain.

AT&T Billing • AT&T Settles Minnesota Suit • AT&T to Pay Missouri $50,000 for Improper Billing • AT&T Will Pay FCC $500,000 • Judge Allows Florida Case to Proceed • Florida Orders Refunds • AT&T Agrees to Pay Refunds to New Yorkers • Class Action Charges AT&T Slammed Non-Customers • MA, NY Complaints • Minnesota Sues AT&T

The Massachusetts Department of Telecommunications and Energy says it has received more than 30 complaints since January from Bay State residents who said they got bills from AT&T although they have never had AT&T service or had canceled it months or years earlier.

There've been similar complaints from consumers in upstate New York.

AT&T denies the phony bills were sent intentionally and blames it on "a billing error caused by some system issues." Critics suggested AT&T was trying to get around the Do-Not-Call rule by forcing customers to call them. The tactic also avoids penalties for "slamming," since the customer's service is not actually switched to AT&T.

Verizon, an AT&T competitor, reported that it has hsa been receiving calls from customers trying to straighten out the billing issue. The number of calls to Verizon would indicate that thousands of consumers in the Northeast have been affected.

Massachusetts regulators say they're concerned because many consumers appear to be paying the bills, which are typically from $4 to $7. A frequently-seen amount is $6.01.

"We need to find out exactly how many customers have been affected by this," said April Mulqueen, assistant director of the Department of Telecommunications and Energy's consumer division.

Teresa A. Santiago, chairwoman of the New York State Consumer Protection Board, said there's no indication the erroneous bills were sent on purpose. But she said it was "a poor decision" for AT&T to try to sell its service to customers who called to complain.

Back to the top |

Terms of Use Your use of this site constitutes acceptance of the Terms of Use

Advertisements on this site are placed and controlled by outside advertising networks. ConsumerAffairs.com does not evaluate or endorse the products and services advertised. See the FAQ for more information.

Company Response Welcome If complaints about your company appear on our site, we welcome your response. Please see the Response Form for more information.

For more information, see the FAQ and privacy policy. The information on this Web site is general in nature and is not intended as a substitute for competent legal advice.  ConsumerAffairs.com Inc. makes no representation as to the accuracy of the information herein provided and assumes no liability for any damages or loss arising from the use thereof. 

Copyright © 2010 ConsumerAffairs.com Inc.  All Rights Reserved.    The contents of this site may not be republished, reprinted, rewritten or recirculated without written permission.