Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  05/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I received a letter, dated 4/20/2023, File Number *****, from a collection agency supposedly representing ***** They said I owe $441.31 for damages to a Fiber cable on my property. They enclosed a letter from ******************* dated 4/6/2023, Re: Demand and Claim for Damages, Claim Number BLST-62-******-44-****. The letter was addressed to me using my mispelled middle name. I never received this letter directly from ***** The letter mentions a Fiber wire that was damaged while placing irrigation on my property on or about October 18, 2022. The Fiber wire was damaged as mentioned and **** was called to repair the wire. The wire was only a few inches below the ground surface which is why it was damaged. There was no mention of a charge for the repair. When I received the letter from Schifrin, ********************************************* (***), I called **** Billing at ************ and spoke to representative ***** on 4/26/2023. **** had no record of a claim for damages. ***** said **** does not use a third party collection agency and if I had owed them money, I would have received a bill directly from ***** ***** said it is probably a scam. I feel the same. The incident occurred six months ago, the *** letter is the first I have heard about the claim, I was never told there would be a charge or how much it would cost, there was no reference to my **** account number, I never received the **** letter directly, and *** is willing to negotiate a lesser amount. I am attaching copies of the two letters. I would like to see this matter go away, as I do not believe it is a legitimate claim. There is an online **** forum where there are numerous similar complaints, but no official guidance from **** on how to handle the situation. I am looking forward to your response. Thank you.

  Business response

  05/08/2023

  We are sorry this AT&T customer received incorrect information from the AT&T call center. Our firm is contracted with the ************************** at AT&T to subrogate for damages AT&T has incurred as a result of physical damage to their equipment. The customer admits in his complaint that the AT&T line was damaged. I don't know why the customer would think there would be no cost to repair the damaged line. Nevertheless, we were hired by AT&T to collect for the damages from the person that damaged the line and when we received the assignment to subrogate from AT&T a letter was sent out to the person thought responsible for the damage.

  ***********************, Partner - SGD

  Customer response

  05/09/2023

  Dear BBB,

  I'm sorry, but I don't see how this exchange has helped resolve the issue.  I have stated my case for why I feel this is not a legitimate claim.  The business responded by saying I still owe the money.  At the very least, this business and AT&T are engaging in unethical business practices.  The following is a list of reasons why I'm not response for this claim for damages:

  1.  The cable was cut because it was installed just a few inches below the ground surface and not according to code for unprotected cables. 

  2.  I was provided a copy of a letter from AT&T, addressed to me, but I never received the letter directly from AT&T.  I only received the letter second hand from this business.  This raises a high amount of suspicion as to the legitimacy of the letter.

  3.  I was never told that I was responsible for the repair of the cable and I was never provided an up front estimate of the charges.  Then six months after the fact, I'm being told that I owe $441.31.  This is an unethical practice in my book.

  4.  Damaged cables on private property are an everyday occurrence and should be covered by AT&T as the cost of doing business.

  5.  The AT&T that I have an account with has no record of this claim, therefore, I feel that I have no obligation to pay the claim for damages.

  Sincerely,

  *************************
  

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩