Deploy Frustration Maneuvers!

I still had nearly a year left on my contract with [Cell Phone Company] when I was deployed, so I got a copy of my deployment orders and took them in so they could suspend my service until I got back. This was allowed for deploying soldiers, so I figured there’d be no problem. I took it in, got the suspension instated, got a copy of the paperwork, and left.

Flash forward a year. I get home, start settling in, and call to get my phone turned back on.

Representative: “I’m sorry, but we can’t give you service until you pay the bill you owe.”

Me: “Bill?”

Representative: “Yes. You currently owe $3,700.”

Apparently, they put the suspension of my service on paper but never entered it into the computer.

Me: “I was in Iraq. I didn’t even have my phone. No one did.”

They proceed to argue with me, threatening to send the bill to collections if I don’t make a minimum payment.

Me: “I have a copy of the paperwork from the suspension. Can I fax it to you?”

Representative: “No. You’ll need to bring it to us in person.”

I am in Texas; they are in Colorado.

They also have usage charges on my bill. My phone was locked in storage with my things while I was gone. I keep trying to explain that no one had or used my phone.

Representative: “Maybe you turned it on in Iraq and got charged?”

I lose my temper.

Me: “The stupid phone doesn’t work next to a [Cell Phone Company] tower, the reception is so terrible, so how in the f*** do you expect it to work overseas?!”

The back and forth escalated.

Three hours, three representatives, and a supervisor later, I FINALLY got them to correct their mistake without having to show up. I also got the charges dropped, and they gave me free service for six months. I still dropped them as soon as I was able.