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MCI Long-Distance

MCI • Billing Non-Customers • Long-Distance • The Neighborhood • DSL • Wireless --- News • MCI Chairman Gets "Scrooge" Award • MCI Stockholders Approve Purchase By Verizon • Calif. Investigating MCI's Billing Non-Customers • MCI Reloaded

Thomas of Las Vegas (4/19/04):
In January 2001, our company switched our dedicated and switched long distance carrier from MCI to Sprint. We have several 1B lines located throughout the Las Vegas Valley for voice and data services. After receiving several individual bills for long distance carrier services to these 1B lines, I had our local company, Sprint, remove long distance services from the lines and place carrier blocks on the numbers to avoid carrier service additions. I also contacted many customer service representatives over the course of several months to clear up incorrect billing for services that had not been approved. Every month,

I am still receiving monthly bills from MCI for some of these numbers for carrier services which have not been agreed to, nor reflected on the local billing statement.

Several of the disputed accounts were submitted for collection. I have submitted written disputes to both collection agency and MCI/Worldcom. It is ridiculous for a company of MCI's magnitude to resort to invisible carrier services to generate revenue without consumer consent. Although the recent billing have been less than substantial, usually consisting of $0.28 per month for carrier services, I am still receiveing past due bills and recurring charges on a monthly basis for numbers that have been expressly forbidden from alternate carriers by Sprint.

This behavior needs to be stopped imeddiately. I should not have to waste the valuable resources of the company to protest illegal billing procedures for matters that have already been addressed.

Jim of Auburn Hills MI (3/15/04):
On 3-12-2004 I received a letter from NCO Financial Systems INC. stating I was late for payment totaling $78. I have never received a bill from MCI nor have I ever had an account with MCI so how can it be possible for a collection agency to threaten my credit rating unless I pay? When I called NCO Financial Systems Inc they rudely informed me that they were unable to assist me and I would have to contact MCI. When I called MCI to question the bill they told me that account did not exist and they can not help me.

I have filed FCC Consumer Complaint Form 475. I do not want my credit rating ruined due to NCO Financial Systems and MCI's poor operation. I also have contacted my company’s prepaid legal attorney to see what type of legal action that I can take towards both companies mentioned above.

Marlene of San Pablo CA (3/3/04):
Payment sent to the company via internet was applied to an account that was closed for more than a year. Previous online payments were processed correctly. Called the company and spoke to 3 reps who gave 3 different answers. The last one was sometime in January when the rep gave the assurance that the matter will be resolved.

Madeleine of Evergreen Park IL (2/1/04):
Last year, I cancelled my MCI and switched to SBC. Since my cancellation I was billed for 3 more months. I called them up and they said that I would get a credit, but I told them I did not want to use them anymore so how can I use my credit? They told me to talk to someone there on the next workday, which I did. I was promised $120+ back but it was never sent. This was a year ago. I contacted FCC, I will also contact my states attorney's office next.

Shalom of San Diego (1/15/04):
My son is in school at Baltimore and for a month and a half (till we got the bills) called home (San Diego) daily with our MCI calling card. Before accepting the card, I called customer service at MCI and they quoted me an interstate rate $0.05 per minute and $0.30 for the first minute when calling from pay phone. This was in-line with an existing pre-paid card I have from MCI. We preferentially used the card because we felt it was economical.

My son made many calls ranging from 1 minute to 30 minutes. We received 2 phone bills from MCI, each for over $600. MCI is demanding almost $1400 for a handful of calls. They charged rates as high as almost $3/minute for most of the calls (some were charged a lower rate, unexplainably). I called them and they argued that I was billed according to the calling plan. This is bullshit. No one in their right mind would expect a seemingly reputable company to gouge an unsuspecting consumer, charging them over 100 times advertised rates. This is criminal.

If you went to a doctor to have a minor procedure performed that most doctors charge $250 and the doctor charged you $25,000, it would not be a valid excuse to charge this much because you didn't ask ahead of time. This is outright deceptive, criminal practices of MCI and their attitude.

Hugh of Manassas VA (12/26/03):
At the end of Oct 2003, I decided to change my long-distance provider from MCI to Verizon. I established the serice with Verizon and called MCI to cancel my service. I received a bill that should have closed the account. I continued to be billed for the MCI plan "MCI Everyday Plus" the periond of 15 Nov thru 14 Dec, well after I had canceled.

When I called MCI I was told that I had not followed the proper procedure and had my new provider send a cancelation notice. According to Verizon the received an order from MCI on 6 Nov 03 to change my local toll/regional toll provder to MCI. I did not authorize this change. MCI also said that the service had not been canceled, which is not correct. I have suffered serveral sales calls from MCI over the last month, which would not have occured if I had still been a customer. When I called this morning I still got the line about MY failure to do something.

Harold of Lancaster OH (12/16/03):
I was promised 10,000 frequent flyer miles when I signed up with MCI. That was almost a year ago. I was supposed to receive them on signing. Several months later I called and they told me that I would receive them 2000 per month after six months. Guess what, today they said they didn't have the promotion when they offered them to me and would give me 1000 per month starting in a month or two. What liars! I can't believe how deceitful they are.

I could have flown business class on my trip to Europe next March if I had the miles. It's a vacation and I am very disappointed.

Catherine of Yonkers NY (12/1/03):
I was moving and had contacted MCI at the beginning of October 2003 to cancel all my service (incl. long distance and regional) effective 10/10 since I will no longer reside at that residence. They told me I needed to contact my local carrier (Verizon) for them to send MCI the disconnect notice. On 10/8 Verizon said they sent the notice to cancel my service. Unfortunately, MCI only cancelled my long distance but kept the regional service active.

Since I had the unlimited evening plan, it didn't matter because it was still one rate. I didn't realize it wasn't cancelled correctly until I received my 10/17 bill with a charge of $29.22. I called both companies again and requested my service to be cancelled because it wasn't done correctly the first time. So I just received my 11/17 bill with a charge of $22.71 from MCI. They claimed that they only received the notification to disconnect on 10/28 and processed it 10/31, but because my statement begins on 17th of the month, I was still responsible for the monthly charge. I told them that my service wasn't disconnected correctly from my first request and it's unfair that I should have to pay another whole month's service because of their error.

All the MCI reps I spoke with didn't care about my story and just claimed that they didn't receive Verizon's notice and that they can't do anything. Meanwhile I can call them directly and set up my service and they can send the bill directly to me, but they can't disconnect without Verizon's advisement. I hope everyone is made aware of MCI's horrible customer service and lousy business practices.

The customer service rep at Verizon, Ms. Shand, tried her best to resolve my issue with MCI with no avail. They dismissed anything she said and continued to claim it was not their error. Verizon provided a courtesy credit for the $22.71 that I had to pay MCI.