Pioneer Press Watchdog: She died, but the T-Mobile phone bills kept coming [Ridiculous!]

Twin Cities.com/Pioneer Press ^ | 8 Feb 2010 | Debra O'Connor

[Titus Quinctius Cincinnatus]

Last week was the final straw for Bruce Bethke and his family. His wife, Karen, answered the phone, and it was a collections call from T-Mobile, demanding payment on the cell phone account of her stepdaughter, Emily Bethke.

She burst into tears and told the agent what the family, in increasing irritation mixed with their sorrow, had been telling T-Mobile for months: Emily is dead.....

[hennie pennie]

Well, it is absolutely unacceptable, and it may be one reason why not only children like to use the PRE-PAID, no contract cellular services.

I will not use companies who cannot figure out how to run a competent billing department.

[oh8eleven]

“Well, usually the family will take care of these bills.”
Two years ago I discovered that my gg-grandfather was buried in 1881 in Calvary Cemetery, just outside NYC.
There were others buried in the same grave and when I received an interment list ($80) of their names, I also received a letter from the Trustees of St. Patrick's requesting I pay $1200 in past due "care" fees.

[sportutegrl]

There is a difference between charging a dead person for an ongoing cellular phone contract (which is ridiculous), and trying to collect from a dead person on a legitimate debt.

If she died in September (2009?), and had a contract that was set to expire in Dec 2010, then she probably had a two year contract, signed in Dec of 2008. Cell phone companies usually give out free phones in exchange for promising to sign a contract for a year or more. Did the family send the phone back to T-Mobile? Did they attempt to pay for the balance of the contract due out of the estate, or did they keep any assets and the phone?

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

I didn’t say it was acceptable. It’s just the state of our world. Incompetence reigns.

[hennie pennie]

I’m sorry - I didn’t mean for my posting to infer that you’d said it was acceptable, my TONE about U.S. companies and their miscellaneous behaviors on the phone probably sounds VERY shrill, SORRY - they really irritate me.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

It’s okay, they irritate me too. I’m just amazed at how hard (impossible) it is to find one who can do it right. It’s a tell-tale sign of how fast our civilization is falling apart (one of many).

[SnakeDoctor]

The cellular company probably doesn’t want a used phone back ... there probably is no clause for repossession of the phone. They don’t want the phone.

The contract would be enforceable against the estate (if she had one, which she likely didn’t) — but it is unlikely to be pursued (looking for full payment on a cellular contract which was intended to last 2 years, but lasted only 9 months because the girl died).

SnakeDoc

[sportutegrl]

I just switched from AT&T Tilt phones to new Droids with Verizon, after fulfilling the terms of my old AT&T contract. I sent my old tilts to Wal mart and got 66 dollars per phone. Somebody wants the old phones. Check out the price difference on phones with and without a contract.

[OrangeHoof]

T-Mobile spokesman Tom Harlin thanked the Watchdog for bringing the problem to the company's attention and issued this statement: "T-Mobile is committed to delivering the best customer experience in wireless, and we regret this unfortunate incident where we did not meet those expectations. We have resolved this issue with the Bethke family and apologize for any additional stress that was caused during this difficult time."

To be honest, I don't think releasing a statement is good enough. They showed willful neglect even after the family rubbed their noses in the inescapable fact that the woman was dead. It's one thing to let bureaucracy catch up, it's another to outright neglect the request.

If I were the family, I would want her charges backdated to the date of death and some sort of financial settlement to cover the cost of the time wasted and pain caused, either as an additional check or perhaps a donation to her memorial fund.

Oh, and I wonder how comfortable her customers were when they learned an epileptic was cutting their hair?

[maica]

That’s good. I had a hard time getting my father’s name removed in Baltimore City. I had to threaten to go to the media, and I was/am an election judge in Baltimore County.

[RikaStrom]

Ahh.. that makes more sense.

My colleague’s mother, unfortunately when she passed, had nothing to pass one. That’s probably where I got my data turned around.

Thanks for the explanation. I appreciate it.

RS