Clearwire Story – User Submission by Diane M.

Dear Clearwiresucks,

Thanks, a friend sent me a link to your blog and it was invaluable resource to help navigate the Clearwire world. I just wish I had seen it before selecting Clearwire in the first place. Attached is my story, it actually ends in success but only because someone at Clearwire was committing fraud.

Thanks,
Diane

Background:

The options for internet service where I live are almost all tied to cable or telephone service. Being a mobile person who hasn’t had television access in years I had no interest in paying the $100+ for services I wouldn’t use just so I could get internet. So I found Clearwire, the one company I had heard of that didn’t tie internet to anything else.

I went into the store and signed up, came home and hooked it up. I had a bit of panic but was able to find a window with service. Moments later I was online. It wasn’t the service I was used to be it was cheap and for the basic things I needed it worked. Then I noticed that if I downloaded anything over 5mb the connection would drop before it finished. I started doing speed tests and had connection speeds that were often as low as dial up (56k) but several times it peaked out at the maximum 1.5mbs. I figured I could do what I needed to do, the price was right, and canceling the contract would be a nightmare.

Today:
Several months after signing up for the service I received a phone call from a Clearwire sales representative.

It begins.

He me to verify my account by providing an email address and physical address. This is basically public information so I give it to him. He says that most communities have been receiving phone service with their Clearwire Internet at no additional charge and that this service would be added to all accounts in my area absolutely free. I respond with an “Oh Really?” waiting for him to sell me something. He says its absolutely free, the only thing I may notice is that I’ll be taxed for the phone service (to pay for the Spanish-American war). Not wanting this service at all I ask if I can just get the Internet and he says I cannot and there won’t be any additional charges.

The next day I receive an email disclosing that I have be charged over $40 for adding phone service. WTF I think. I didn’t authorize this service, I was told its free anyways, I didn’t give my account information away. I realize that if they are changing everyones accounts and this adds charges I have a clear way out of my contract.

WRONG!

I called the billing department (I think, it may have been customer service). Well I explained my problem to Sabrina 2147 and she was unaware of any sort of promotions in my area like the one I was told about. I told her that I received emails coming from the Clearwire domain (I checked and was certain of this) and that I hadn’t given away information that would allow someone access to my account, remember I just gave him my email and address. She told me to hold while she talked to a supervisor. She came back on the line and told me to call account services during their business hours 6am-8pm pacific time. I ask for her supervisors name and she confessed she didn’t actually talk to one. I told her this was a serious matter and that I wanted to talk to a supervisor now and I want to cancel my account. I’m placed on hold.

I’m then put on the phone with Amanda Juliano. She explains that I couldn’t have been charged unless I approved it. I tell her again that I did not authorize the charges. She says her records show “I” placed a call to Clearwire to request this service. I emphasis that I DID NOT call Clearwire. I tell her my story again and she says releasing my address was authorization. I explain I gave this away prior to being told ANYTHING. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she lectures me about how I asked to speak to a supervisor and that I was speaking to her and there was no one else to talk to and that I need to call the now infamous “account services” between 6am-8pm.

I call about 8am and account services are closed, the machines says the hours are 9am-10pm. This is incredibly odd since I did try to call them at 9pm the night before. I’m really freaking out now, and decide to call sales (because Clearwire is always ready to make a sale). Right away I get through, I say I want to be connected to account service and Jesus connects me right away. TA-DA account services answers my call!

I talked to Cheryl and explained my situation. She said she would cancel the charges, cancel delivery on the package, and try to track down the sales representative. I said that I was uncomfortable that this was allowed to happen and I would like to cancel my account. She told me I would have to pay the early termination fee since the phone service was a separate service. I asked to speak to her supervisor and she said they were all out and that she would have one give me a call when he got in.

An hour or so later a manager, calls me back, I explain what is going on AGAIN and he takes it very seriously. He explains that whoever made the sale is in very serious trouble, but it wasn’t justification for waiving the ETF. I told him it made me very uncomfortable this able to happen in the first place and he assured me that it wasn’t allowed and it couldn’t have happened like I said. I told him I considered it to be fraud and he agreed, and he would do more investigating and would get back to me in a day or two.

A couple more hours later he calls back, he asks me to give him all the details about what happened and I did. He said that he was wrong, and that sales reps are allowed to make charges to my account and that he would wave the early termination fee and send me a shipping label immediately and that the charges on my account would be refunded.

Success!