Expert: DebiN - 11/7/2011

Question
QUESTION: A couple of months back I was given an offer to switch to there new "Belief Plan". After going over the ends and outs of the new plan(total price etc.)I agreed to switch due to the savings I would receive. That savings was supposed to be roughly $10-$15/mnth. Over this two month period I spoke with several cust. serv. reps. After going over my new plan all three gave me the exact price of my new plan (give or take $3). When I went in to pay my bill, after the prorated month for the change(higher bill), I was told my payment was higher than originally discussed. And that my payment was higher than it was on the old plan I was on. I then left and called cust. serv.(611). I told them about the price I was qouted. Then I was told that there was no way & that I was given the price prior to tax. If this was the case I would have no reason to switch because it wouldn't benefit me is what I told her. After being on the phone for about an hour I was offered a three month $15 discount. I denied her offer. She then told me to "sleep on it" & that she would call the next day for my answer. Which she did. She didn't admit wrong doing but offered this solution to me. If you've done nothing wrong why offer me anything? Each time I called is noted on my account. What should be my next course of action at this point to receive the price I was quoted?

ANSWER: Hi Brandon -

What it sound like to me is that the people who provided you with the quote each time likely did not take taxes (which are huge in the wireless world) into account or didn't realize what you were already paying. You haven't told me what the cost of your original plan or the new plan are/were. If you can do that, I may be able to figure some of this out, but in a nutshell, you are in a situation where you may want to just go back to your old plan, if possible. If you were not with US Cellular and were with a different carrier and switched, that's a whole different ballgame. Someone at US Cellular would likely not understand what you were paying with another carrier and that could be the problem. But if you were with US Cellular and switched to a different US Cellular plan, then just ask if you can go back. Have you signed a contract? If so, you are locked in. If you haven't, then you can get out. It's not really about someone doing something wrong, it sound like to me that you were not given full information or there was miscommunication on their part. In either case, if you aren't happy, that's the issue. Can you give me some more details on what you had previously (and if it was with a different carrier) and what US Cellular offered you? Thanks so much.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: U.S. Cellular was/is my carrier. I switched to the new plan and must finish out my two year contract. But I can earn reward points while finishing the two year. In my earlier question the only offer on table at the time was a $5 per month discount for a total of three months. I've also been offered six months at the rate I was supposedly mistakenly given. So not giving me full information in order to get me to switch to a new more expensive plan is a legal practice?  I would like to stay on the new plan. But at the price I was quoted. My new plan and old plan is roughly less than a ten dollar difference. I was told about the whole "didn't add tax" by two cust. reps & two supervisors. Not really sure why the price of the plan I am currently on is relevent. Regardless  as customer service professionals their job is to be correct in what they communicate to me as a customers. If I did receive false/misleading information that's not my fault. I know that these types of companies don't negotiate contracts. But I received false information in order to switch. They can't offer me gold in order to draw me in! When in all actuality it's silver! How is that a fair business practice? Switching back to my old plan would be the easiest solution. But in my opinion they weren't truthful in their practices. I don't understand how it's right for me to have to pay for there miscommunication/mistake. The question is, would it be easier for them to not honor the price I was quoted or for me to switch back to my old plan? I am prepared to take this as far as I have to in order to get the price I was told! Your expert advice would help me a great deal in regards to what I should do next (contact their headquarters in Chicago etc.).

Answer
I totally understand your frustration and completely emphathize with what you are going through. So here's basically how it works - what a customer service or other representative "tells" you is not a legal offer and therefore the company is not bound to what a sales person or service person quotes you or offers you. Even if they offer it in the form of an email or in writing. The only thing that is legally binding is a contract and rate plans are not in the contract since they are subject to change. I know that's not what you want to hear and I also know that this doesn't solve your problem. What you were offered was what I consider to be a ridiculous marketing ploy to try to retain subscribers, which is this "reward points" program. In reviewing this program, I can tell you that it doesn't save most customers money, it basically costs them money, as it did you, or at least didn't save you what they told you it would save you. I'm not aware of sales or service people quoting prices with taxes and they always quote without tax. That shouldnt' make any difference.

The reason that I asked what plan you were on and what plan that they quoted you was so that I could figure out where things went wrong. US Cellular's billing system likely doesn't have a way to give you a plan for less than what the plan price is, so what the company is trying to do is to give you a credit to make up the difference since the price of plan is the price of the plan and that part isn't negotiable. I have a bad feeling that the folks they employed to sell this new rewards program probably didn't know how to market to existing customers and/or to figure out what they had today to see if really would save them money. Shame on US Cellular for doing this but I can tellyou that your best bet is to write to the President of US Cellular and give him the details of your situation with the names of the people who sold you on this plan and see if he would be willing to give you a monthly credit for your 2 year term to make up for the mistaken pricing. I hope this helps and I wish you the very best with this.