Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Consumer complaints about Nextel

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 19 Apr 2003 05:09:49 -0400

http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cell_phones/nextel.html

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Nextel faces a consumer class action suit charging that it raised rates without proper notification.

Andrew of Highland Mills NY (1/29/03):

After moving from Canada and having no credit history in the USA I had to pay a $500 deposit for phone service in November to local dealer. In December a collections agency contacted me for payment of the $500 I had already paid -- and said that they had cut my phone off. I explained this was not my issue, it was Nextel's to collect from the franchisee. In January, I received a similar call threatening to cut me off again and the $500 had still not been forwarded.

As I was out of town on business, and away from my expectant wife, I had to pay the fee immediately to keep the service on. I tried to get another phone for my wife but was told that I would have to provide another $500 deposit. I had had enough. After the way I had been treated, and with them holding two deposits and cutting me off from my business and family without notice, and through their own errors.

I am now awaiting my refund, have cancelled my service ... I will lose the cost of my phone, a $200 fee for breaking the contract - even though Nextel did not keep up their end of the bargain. Nextel offered some free minutes, but would not waive another $500 deposit if I would have to pay if I wanted to buy my wife a second Nextel phone on the same plan.

We think Andrew should sue Nextel in Small Claims Court.

Angel of Glen Oaks NY (1/27/03):

I signed a 1 year contract with NEXTEL for a plan that like all their plans included calls rounded off to the second rather than the next minute, it also included OFF PEAK calls beginning at 8:00pm. I was told when I signed the contract that if I should break the contract within its period, I would have to pay a $200 fee. A few months ago, NEXTEL changed their OFF PEAK time from 8:00pm to 9:00pm and also began rounding their minutes up to the next Minute. I contacted Customer Service, and all I was told was that NEXTEL has the right to modify their service.

I cannot understand why I have to pay NEXTEL a $200 fee if I break my contract, but NEXTEL can change the contract and not PAY ME a FEE. That is unfair. I agreed to keep my account for 1 year & and they agreed to provide me with to-the-second calls and 8:00 pm off peak start times. They failed to keep their end of the deal!! I believe NEXTEL should pay its customers a fee for breaking their end of the deal. I highly support the court case against NEXTEL.

Michele of Seaford NY writes (1/29/03):

We have been charged the "service fee" for several months without realizing it. We called yesterday to have our most recent charge removed but they told us that we have to show previous charges in order to get them credited properly. We do not keep old statements so we do not know how to go about getting these fees credited properly.

Will of Burtonsville MD (1/28/03):

My company has been a loyal customer of Nextel for a year and a half now. The first year I did not have many problems with the account. However over the last six months we have had problems every month with service, billing and customer service.

August of last year we had two new phone added to this account. I personally ordered the phones from Nextel via telephone and purchased by VISA check card. My check card was charged three times for the new phones. Which depleted the funds in the account and cause other transactions to be insufficient. After talking to Nextel customer service several times (several hours) and finally asking for a manager, the balance charged was credited to my Nextel account. It was not credited back to my check card account.

In the next billing cycle I discover the same two phones were added twice to the hard copy billing statement. Within the same customer service call I discovered all of them were not on the same plan. When the order was placed for the two new phones I asked that they be placed under the same plan as the original phone’s plan. The plan had full coverage for lost, damage and thief and had free incoming calls and 3,000 minutes per month. The customer service representative assured me the plans were the same.

One of the new phones was a market transfer to area code 803. The CSR informed me in the beginning of the order that the market transfer took 15 – 20 business days. Also the CSR inform me the phone would just start working after that time period. Needless to say, I called customer service in 15 days to find out when the market transfer would take place and discover the transfer order had not been placed. Which added an additional 15 business days to be up and running. My sales consultant in the 803 area code would not have cell phone communication for over a month.

The customer service representatives (CSRs) were not helpful at all. The CSRs did not know the information. They could not reference previous notations to the account, nor could they communicate with other departments (such as the department the order had been placed with). The CSRs were telling me there weren’t the same options on the two new phones as the original account. Repeatedly the CSRs constantly disagreed with me. Each time it seems they recommended an investigation through another department in Nextel and that someone would get in touch with me after 7-10 working days. This total disaster customer service nightmare (4 months) was not completed until November of 2002. Customer service completed issues after approx. 8 – 10 calls to customer service each call averaging about one hour in length (10 hours on the phone with customer service).

In November 2002 we opted for the full phone service (free unlimited outgoing calls, free unlimited incoming calls, free national wide long distance, no roaming and full coverage on all phone under this account). The new contact period started in December 2002 for all three phones should have been the same as the original contract (with the exception of the free unlimited outgoing calls). In December 2002, I reported a phone stolen, the CSR said they could not replace it. So, I opted to place the service on hold to see if the phone would turn up. I did this because the CSR told me I could not just replace the phone. I tried to order a new phone and they were going to charge me $80.00. I informed the CSR that I have the full coverage insurance and the CSR said it was going to cost $80.00.

Again in January 2003, I called to report the phone stolen and the CSR told me I had to go through Signal Insurance. I informed the CSR that I did not have to call a three party the last time a phone was stolen. The CSR said I needed to call Signal Insurance. I called Signal Insurance and placed the report and they informed me that I needed to file a police report in order to replace the phone. I did not learn that the full coverage insurance was not on the new contract until the Service Representative in the Nextel office in Bethesda, MD checked the account (January 24, 2003). She told me the account only had Signal Insurance which was not full coverage of all of the phones.

When I agreed to another contract in December 2002 after having opted for the higher priced plan, I personally asked to have the same full coverage as I had previous on the same account with Nextel. The CSR assured me that ready thing was the same on all the account including full insurance coverage. My Sales Consultant has been without a cell phone for 2 months, and sales have decreased because this.

Secondly, I have complained of dropped calls both incoming and outgoing for the last two months and nothing has been done about it. When Clients call on our cell phone the phone rings, but when we answer the call no one is there. After talking to clients that have called right back. They would say the phone did not even ring the first time. On the dropped calls, the call would end in the middle of a conversation and the LCD would read system busy. I called customer service to complain and the CSRs told me they check there network for any problems and there weren’t any. Again after several customer service calls the problem has not been resolved to this date. We have been told to take the phones to an authorized Nextel service centers because Nextel said it was an equipment problem.

We have taken the phones to authorized Nextel service centers and they said the phones were operating correctly (after taking down time out of our work day). Still the problems persisted. Once again I called customer service and told them the authorized service center said the phones were fine. I also told them we have a contract with Nextel and Nextel was not living up to their end of the contact. I said we should be compensated for our lost time due to dropped calls and for the time we have spent away from our workday to service and correct the Nextel phones. The CSR replied she could only give me information and to hold. The CSR returned to the call to tell me to call Motorola directly and they would replace the phone and gave me an 800 number to call.

I called and explain the problem with the phones and they said it was a Nextel service issue. Motorola said they did not exchange or replace the cell phones. Motorola said they would service the phone if I would send the phone to them. It would take 2-3 business days to repair and/or service. I asked if they would provide a loader phone and they replied they did not give out loader phones. We could not be without phone for 3 business days because we all work in the field and the cell phone numbers are on our business cards. I took my phone to the Nextel Corporate service center in Bethesda, MD (Nextel owned and operated). The service person there informed me there was nothing wrong with my phone, but exchanged the phone for me anyway. That was Friday, January 24, 2002 at 3:30pm. By Saturday, January 25, 2002, 4:00pm (24 hours), I dropped over 10 documented calls to the new phone.

In addition, the phone in the 803 area code has had the same experiences and the problem for over a month and is still gone unresolved. Nextel has not lived up to there end of the Service Agreement. Through inconsistencies in Nextel’s Customer Service Representatives, Managers, The CSRs training, CSRs knowledge for there service agreements, CSRs knowledge of their equipment and wiliness to help, complete and resolve the service issues of Office Enhancements, CO., LLC. (OEC), we have lost invaluable time, money and clientele related to complete service problems with our Nextel cellular phones. We have tried to be fair and to resolve these issues and problems stated about on all levels recommended by the Nextel’s customer service representative and managers.

Brenda of Winder GA writes (10/30/02):

I paid my Nextel account in full on Sept 25th. At that time I also canceled our service we had had with them for about 2 and 1/2 years. They gave me a confirmation number for my payment and another confirmation number for my disconnection. Now over a month later I get a bill for $345. I called to find out why and they are telling me the acct was never canceled (they can't find my confirmation number) and that if I cancel there will be a $200 disconnect fee, which we were never informed of or signed anything that said that.

I have been dealing with problems with Nextel for months. I spent over an hour on the phone with them last night and am very upset. I can't pay them any more, I don't owe them anymore. I have proof that I paid my bill and yet they are harrassing me.

Sheila of Mechanicsville MD (10/23/02):

On October 10, 2002, my husband, who calls me every morning on my way to work, could not contact me by cell phone. On the phones we have direct connect, in which we can talk to each other without dailing the phone. My husband contacted me by direct connect and asked what is wrong with the phones. I did not know what he was talking about so I told him that I would try to call him and when I did, I did not get any connection. So I radioed him bach and told him I would contact Nextel today and find out what is wrong with the phones.

When I contacted the phone company and explained what was going on with the phones, he said, "yes the phone numbers have been changed ... they have been changing numbers in the area." I told him we wanted the phone numbers back because I used mine for business and emergency contact. He said not sure what happened but he will put a message that we wanted the same phone numbers back. We had numbers programed to our phones that we did not know what numbers were given to us, so my husband called our son to verify the number listed that was showing from his phone. Our son had given him a completed different phone number then what we had.

These phone numbers were numbers that we contracted when we purchased these phones. They have no right to take these numbers without our request to have them changed. I never called the numbers after they were taken away from us, but my family members and any other contact who we have with these numbers can no longer reach us. We have to try and remember every person who have those number and make them aware of the change.

Regina of Warrensville Hts., OH (8/7/02):

I signed up for Nextel cellular phone service about 14 months ago and was told that I was on a one-year contract for this service. After the year mark, I began to see that my long distance was no longer free, I called the company and they told me that the long distance was only for one year (I was not told this in the beginning.) I realized that the rate plan I had was not financially in my best interest so I got on the on the Nextel web page and found that I could possibly lower my cell bill by choosing a different rate plan.

So about 2 months ago via internet I switched my rate plan to what is called Nextel national shared minute plan. When I got my next bill I began to realize that it had skyrocketed even higher. At this point I had to make a decision to finally get rid of these phones since I obviously couldn't afford them. At the end of July I placed another call to Nextel and spoke to Michael Lee, I explained that I couldn't afford to pay the phone bills and I cancelled the service to my mothers' phone and explained to them that she rarely used it anyway. Michael Lee said that he would cancel this phone, and then stated to me that he could charge me a $200.00 cancellation fee, since I was still under contract with them.

I asked him why was I still under contract, and he told me that whenever you switch rate plans, you are signed up for another year. I told him that this information was nowhere to be found on their web site when I switched plans, he then said "well I believe you didn't know so I'll waive the fee for you." Today I called to cancel my phone and was told by the agent that no fee would be waived for this phone, even after I explained to her that I was never aware that I was signed up for a new contract, this agent sternly told me "no one is going to waive that fee for you ma'am." She then said I would be charged $200.00 per phone for canceling.

I feel Nextel has used deceptive business practices to keep consumers under contract.

Dennis of Salem OR (6/4/02):

Nextel entered into a contractual agreement with a local association that I am part of to provide members with cellular phone services. The plan I signed up for provided 100 cellular minutes per month and 1000 free evening and weekend minutes every week. It also included free voice-mail, text messaging, and caller ID. The cost of this plan was $24.95 per month. I signed up for this plan in January of 2001. At the end of December, 2001, the 1000 minutes per week mysteriously disappeared. On May 24th. of 2002, I received a letter from Nextel (David McNaughton) informing me that older Nextel rate plans were eliminated and that I was being put on a new plan, effective in April!

The new plan provides me with 50 cellular minutes per month for $34.99. This plan was supposedly selected based upon my prior usage. The best part of the letter is the statement "If your current bill does not reflect the new rate plan, wait for your next bill and you'll see your new charges - prorated from the date they took effect." I called to cancel service on May 27, 2002. I was told that I cannot cancel service until the end of the billing period, which is June 14th. No proration here. I'm curious to know how a firm can retroactively increase charges and not allow any "out" for its clients. Reputable firms at least offer a notice of price increase.

This is a nightmare. My bill went from an average of $60-$70 to the latest bill which is $142.01. Nextel did raise my "Direct Connect Minutes" from 150 per month to 500 - not a big deal since this is one feature that I've never used! I've been overcharged since January, 2002, and feel that Nextel has arbitrarily decided to ignore the contractual agreement that they entered into with the association.

Bryan of Yuba City CA (4/29/02):

I agreed to a locked-in 2-year rate plan contract with Nextel. They are now changing my plan without my permission. I want to get out of my contract because they have broken it. They now say I have to pay a fine of some $200 to try to drop my contract. I am going to be stuck with 2 phones I bought that I can't use anymore. They are trying to stick me with all this charges.

Ralph of Statesville NC (4/18/02):

NEXTEL will not send me a copy of my Jan. 2002 statement which they claim I exceeded my "anytime minutes" and charged me an additional $17.00; I have called for over six weeks, each time speaking with a different person, each person promising me a copy of said statement within 7 to 10 working days. Well, more days than those have passed since I started calling on Feb. 28th! I have written the president of NEXTEL and also the Atty. Gen. of NC where I live and of VA. where their headquarters is. I just simply want a copy of my statement.

Michael of St. Louis (4/8/02):

I ordered a new cell phone. They required a deposit of $200 and took it out of my account. They never processed the order or sent me a phone. I was flat-out lied to about the order. They admitted that charging me and not sending me a phone was illegal. I've gotten a complete runaround and have spent countless hours dealing with them and I still don't have a phone.

I ordered the phone on Monday and was promised it on Wednesday. On Friday I went to Las Vegas for a wedding and absolutely needed a phone. Because they stole $200 from me and didn't send my phone, I was unable to use my $200 to get a phone from a legitimate company. It ruined my weekend because I couldn't get in touch with my friends to coordinate wedding events. It also has caused me problems at work not to mention the hours I've wasted being lied to and pushed around by Nextel.

Ricardo of Los Angeles (3/23/03):

I ordered a new cell phone with Nextel on Tuesday March 19, 2002 and I was told that I would be charged $200.00 for a deposit and $239.49 for the phone, I was ok with that. I used my Visa Check Card when I did the transaction and on March 21, 2002 the transaction was complete and I recieved the phone. On Saturday Morning I call my bank to check on my account and I was told that my account was overdrawn in the amount of $439.49, then was told that Nextel charged me again. I called Nextel Saturday morning in reguards to the transaction and no one at nextel wanted or they said could help me in this situation.

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