should i talk to a lawyer on false charge of cell phone purshase?

Question

i am a t-mobile cell phone user and my 1 yr was up so i inquired at sams club about other cell providers booth they have offers 4 different co.i asked the man for different price plans and next thing you know he had written up a contract for me.i asked why he did that when he had not even given me a quote on any plan yet.he said he thought thats what i wanted and said i have to sign the contract so that the phones he had activated for me could be used i refused to sign them then he said my t-mobile phone i had would no longer work so i called my customer service at t-mobile and told them what had happened and i was told not to worry at&t could not do that they would get in trouble.next day no phone service at all it took me 3 days to get my phone service back on t-mobile after explaining what had happened to both companies .well a month latter i get a bill from at&t for 429.00 dollars with no explaining what for so i figured it was a computer error now it went to collections

Answer 1

You don't need a lawyer just yet. You will spend more on the lawyer than the bill is worth. Call the collection agency and tell them that they must provide you with a contract signed by you before you will consider paying it. Of course, if you did not sign anything, they will not be able to comply. They cannot enforce a contract that you did not sign. Also, you may want to keep an eye on your credit report and dispute it if and when they report it to the credit bureau.

Answer 2

You should have called them sooner, but call customer service at AT&T now and stay on the phone until they have solved the problem. Be nice and calm. Yelling, screaming and swearing will get you no-where. Tell them exactly what you want them to do. If the person you are talking to cannot help you, ask for their supervisor. If that person cannot help you ask for their supervisor, but give each person a chance to do what you are asking.

If is best for this kind of thing to call during the weekday.

Be aware that if the bill went to collections, you are going to have a ding on your credit report too.

If you did not sign a contract, they have no reason to charge you.

If you do not get satisfaction, you may have to contact a lawyer. Be aware that the lawyer could cost you more than the bill.

Answer 3

I would try calling AT&T and asking for a supervisor. Explain the situation and see what they come up with. If they will not work with you I would consider engaging an attorney. The only problem is that you may have attorney's fees that are equal to the charges.

If you have been sent to collection already, you may have to try and talk to a supervisor there. The problem is that colleciton agencies "buy" uncollected debt from companies. For example, AT&T may have sold your debt to this company for $250 and when they collect the $429 they get to keep the difference. It's also common for collection agencies to file in small claims court against you to try and collect. If this turns out to be the case, definatley get an attorney and have them help you file a counter claim including courts costs and lost wages for time off to appear in court.