HELP t-mobile bending me over

I decided to leave T-Mobile after having multiple problems with them. #1problem being no service where their service map says I have service! I had a piece of equipment that they gave me so their service would work in my house. (no other provider has service issues in my house) They sent me a bill for that piece of equipment. I brought that bill and the equipment into the store and gave it to them. A little later I got a bill for the equipment saying if I don’t return it I have to pay for it. I called and was told that they can’t help since I don’t have an account with them. Went to the store and was told the same thing. Told my frustration to a co worker who showed me this AI program she used to do all her school papers. I told it my problem and it wrote up a letter that I sent to T-Mobile along with the bill they sent me. I received a paperwork back saying my balance is $0. The next day I received a letter from a collection agency for $312.48 (the cost of the device). I called the collection company and the only thing they can do is collect the money.
What do I do?

The letter that the IA program wrote:
I am writing to address a serious matter concerning my recent billing statement with your company. I have been wrongfully charged $312.48 for equipment that your records indicate I never returned. However, I have clear evidence, in the form of a photograph, proving that I returned the equipment in question. This discrepancy has caused undue stress and inconvenience on my part.
Enclosed with this letter is a copy of the photograph, clearly showing the returned equipment and the date it was returned. I kindly request that you review your records promptly and rectify this billing error by removing the $312.48 charge from my account. I believe this is a simple misunderstanding that can be resolved amicably and promptly.
If the erroneous charge is not rectified within [a reasonable timeframe, e.g., 14 days] from the date of this letter, I will have no choice but to explore all available legal avenues to protect my rights as a consumer. This may include filing a complaint with the relevant regulatory authorities, pursuing legal action, and seeking damages for any associated costs, such as legal fees and time spent resolving this matter.
I would prefer to resolve this issue amicably and avoid any unnecessary legal actions. Therefore, I urge you to investigate this matter thoroughly and provide a written response outlining the actions you will take to rectify the situation. If you require any additional information or documentation, please do not hesitate to contact me at [your phone number] or [your email address].
I trust that you will handle this matter promptly and in good faith. I appreciate your attention to this matter and look forward to a swift resolution.
Sincerely,

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I assume you got a written receipt from the place you dropped it off that included the serial number of the device. Forward a copy to both T-Mobile and the collection agency. More than likely the problem is with the store where you dropped it off.

When dealing with mega corporations having written documentation plus the name of the person you dealt with is important.

That’s to bad. I have been with them for 20 years. They have always been good to me. I also have Verizon for my work phone. Verizon is awful compared to t mobile.
Any ways sorry I’m no help. Good luck with where ever you go from there. What I found out is the grass hasn’t been any greener, more so less green

If you have paperwork from T-Mobile saying $0 due then I’d say you’re good to go. Letters in the mail take time and the collection agency likely sent out their correspondence to you before T-Mobile realized the error and had a chance to contact them. The collection agency needs to talk to T-Mobile for an update. If the collection agency doesn’t back off you might need to bring all this to small claims court. With your clear documentation and photograph of what happened, you could likely get the $312.48 claim cleared and compensated for your loss of time and court fees.

I have had AT&T for years and other than I wish it was cheaper I have been very happy.

Sharon wrote:

If you have paperwork from T-Mobile saying $0 due then I’d say you’re good to go. Letters in the mail take time and the collection agency likely sent out their correspondence to you before T-Mobile realized the error and had a chance to contact them. The collection agency needs to talk to T-Mobile for an update. If the collection agency doesn’t back off you might need to bring all this to small claims court. With your clear documentation and photograph of what happened, you could likely get the $312.48 claim cleared and compensated for your loss of time and court fees.

I wish this was the case. The date on the bill for $0 is before the date on the collection company bill. I think they 0 out my account since they sent it to collections. I hope I don’t have to take this to court. What a waste of everyone’s time.

I’d tell t mobile to get bent same with the collection

I would call the collection agency within 30 days and ask them for proof of debt. They will have to look into your account and if T Mobile wiped it clean after they turned it over to the collection agency, they will let you know, if not they will send you a detailed breakdown of the charges. If you hold a $0 dollar balance and no charges dated after that… they cant really do anything. KEEP ALL YOUR DOCUMENTS FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS. If after you tell them they still try to collect it, ask them for a court date ASAP… or just pay it and be done with it. $312.78 is what I call tuition. Everybody pays it if they go to college or not.

Rodwork wrote:

I wish this was the case. The date on the bill for $0 is before the date on the collection company bill. I think they 0 out my account since they sent it to collections. I hope I don’t have to take this to court. What a waste of everyone’s time.

Oh bummer. Sounds like a real pain in the . That sucks that T-Mobile was so quick to jump to collections!

Just curious, why did you take the picture of dropping it off? Did you get a receipt or maybe take the picture because they wouldn’t give you one or something?

Reef W wrote:

Just curious, why did you take the picture of dropping it off? Did you get a receipt or maybe take the picture because they wouldn’t give you one or something?

I took the picture because I was there over an hour and my wife texted me asking where I was. I responded with the pic. Good thing I did. They didn’t give me any paperwork. Just said I was good to go.

A few years back I gave up on store providers all together. They aren’t going to give you anything that you wont have to go online for anyways if you have a problem. My dads phone went in a puddle the other day and it stopped working, and they were pissed that the Verizon store wouldn’t fix it. An unlocked phone and pay by month is the way to go. Choose your network as far as CDMA or GSM. Different carriers use different networks. Get a phone off amazon that is unlocked and matches. Get a sim card with pay by month for the carrier you like. I pay about 45$ a month for unlimited everything, and it uses any AT&T tower. Takes a little homework but it puts you back in control.

Rodwork wrote:

I took the picture because I was there over an hour and my wife texted me asking where I was. I responded with the pic. Good thing I did. They didn’t give me any paperwork. Just said I was good to go.

Hmmm, weird. If you look at the location finder on their website it will say either “T-Mobile Store” or “T-Mobile Authorized Retailer” for each location. As far as I know you can only drop off equipment at the stores, not the authorized retailers, and they look exactly the same in person besides a sticker in the window saying who operates the authorized retailer location. If they actually checked it in they would have had to type the SN or IMEI or whatever it has into computer or tablet or something and it will generate a receipt.

If the place wasn’t a store, and they don’t have it anymore, not sure what to do… If you want to try talking to somebody who can actually do something you need to go to a store location though, the retailers have no power for anything.

^ Great information Reef. I will look into that.