T-Mobile phone bill dispute!

sam82_2

Hi,

Im looking for guidance on ways to deal with a situation regarding my recent phone bill.
I had used my phone in Australia and on average made and received one call each day. I have come home to a bill of over £450! It accuses me of making/receiving 168 calls whilst abroad! Impossible!(The charge is 75p per min outgoing and 35p per min incoming.)
I had started an investigation 6 weeks ago and was told that an itemized bill was unobtainable, I flatly refused to pay the bill without one! 'We will look into it and get back to you'. 3 weeks later I had heard nothing until someone called me to kindly remind me that I had an outstanding amount on my account. This advisor said they would escalate this to a manager as they had no record of my original complaint. I cancelled my direct debit with them and my bank subsequently spoken to several people from T-Mobile who have shown a complete lack of consistency to say the very least however was assure on the 27th Dec that the amounts were now being investigated. 12 hours later I found that I had been cut off! I spoke to someone else who, as a goodwill gesture, increased my credit limit to activate my line again, I then find on the 28th Dec my phone has been cut off again as 'the investigation has been cancelled and that I am liable for the charges, without making a payment the account will remain suspended'.
I called T-Mobile yesterday and spoke to the most unhelpful young man I have ever had the misfortune of speaking to, I asked to speak to the manager who was suprisingly unable to take the call and would call me within 2 hours, at 21:50 1.5 hrs later than agreed a manager calls me, 'there is nothing more T-Mobile can do for you other than send you an itemizes bill, thereafter you must contact the Australian network you used whilst there to dispute the number of call you had made'! I had requested an itemized bill 6 weeks ago and was told it was impossible to get one, why on earth has it taken 6 weeks to come to this conclusion?
I am now waiting for this 'itemized bill' before I can take this matter any further. Right now however I am concerned of the implications of not paying this bill, will I be black listed? How can I prove that I never made these calls?
Any help/advise would be very much appreciated.
Thank you
Sam

Steve_xx

You may well be blacklisted. But you can act to redce that risk by making an interim payment.

I suggest that you send them a payment which would be the amount that you think the bill should realistically be. You should send a letter with the partial bill payment, telling them why you are proposing to withold the remainder, ie until verification can be received of the calls you have supposedly made. You should also detail the telephone conversations that you have had with their staff to date, give names and dates if you can. This will then produce some written dialogue and they will be reluctant to pass the debt on for collection where they feel they may be able to recover it or come to an agreement regarding it.

I would try to avoid further verbal communication with them for the moment, as you are obviously being pushed from pillar to post and there seems to be a lack of notation on your account regarding conversations you have had with their staff. In this instance it is far better to detail things in writing.

seaniboy

T-mobile have the roaming contract with the Oz company, it is up to them to obtain a copy from them not you as you only have access to the network via T-mobile,

in all respects I have found this mobile company horrendous