Cancelled Assurance Wireless and They Continued to charge me for service through California Lifeline Program
I ordered Assurance Wireless with a California Lifeline discount, and service was begun July 31, when I programmed the cell phone they sent.
I decided the sound quality was too bad, and my bill for landline with AT&T went up by more than ATT had stated (when I had called to find out how much it would be without the Lifeline discount.)
The situation:
I cancelled the Assurance Wireless service on Aug. 10th, 2015, by calling customer service with that company.
The same day I called ATT to request that they get the Lifeline discount for me on my account with them for my landline, which I had not cancelled. They said they would send the Lifeline application form, and that the Lifeline discount would be retroactively applied to the date I first called for it, Aug. 10.
Neither company did as they said they would. I called ATT many times to request the form for the Lifeline since Aug. 10. It never came.
I had been told by Assurance Wireless that they would send an envelope to send back the cell phone they had provided.
What did the utility company say?
I called ATT today, Oct. 19, to again request the Lifeline application and to confirm that the Lifeline discount would be applied retroactively to the first date I had called to request it. They refused to confirm that, and stated that they would send the application for Lifeline now.
The ATT representative put me on the line to the Lifeline representative, who said that Assurance Wireless was still receiving the Lifeline subsidy, and that I had an account with them still.
I called Assurance Wireless to tell them that I had cancelled with them more than 2 months ago, and to say that they needed to refund to me the money they had received from the Lifeline fraudulently after I had cancelled. They refused, and asked me 20 or so times if I wanted to cancel my service with them, to which I said yes every time, adding that I had already cancelled it more than 2 months ago.
What I asked the California Public Utilities Commission and the FCC to do:
Make Assurance Wireless admit that I cancelled my service with them on Aug. 10th, and order them to send me a refund check for all the Lifeline subsidies they fraudulently received for my account after I cancelled it. Fine them whatever the fine is for slamming, because that is what it is.
Fine ATT whatever the fine is for neglecting to send the Lifeline forms and for lying about the discount being retroactively applied to the time I asked for it, if that is a lie. Make them give me the Lifeline discount from Aug. 10 forward.
Reason of review: Poor customer service.
Monetary Loss: $100.
Preferred solution: Full refund.
Assurance Wireless Pros: Nada.
Assurance Wireless Cons: Fraudulent billing after cancelling service.
Location: Santa Cruz, California
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Comments
Please avoid publishing any personal information and promotional content
Good luck with the agencies responding. I tried that recently.
No response. No one is minding the store and no one cares.