Our previous ISP kept after us for a few years to return their modem/router. Only problem was we were a BYO account - we never had a need for their device, nor was it ever on our account or any invoices. A few years later, and every few months afterward (typically after I’ve had to contact them to solve the hell that was constant dropouts - reconnecting 2-4 times a minute) the missing BUDii would pop up again and they’d demand we return or pay for it.
Each time I got snarkier and snarkier, treading the line of being polite and sounding like I wanted to chew their face off. Then I got Betty (fake name) who asked for a moment while she read the correspondence on our account. She commiserated with the troubles we’d been having, clarified notes on our account and then solved what a dozen others couldn’t figure out, and we never heard about the BUDii ever again.
I told my ISP explicitly not to provide one as I owned my own
I was out of town when they set it up, guess what was installed
It took a year of calls for the rental to be taken off my bill and they never took the hardware back. I have lots of everything they said (recorded calls and told them I was too since 2 party state)
I had something similar, except there was no hardware. They just tried to charge me for using my own router. It was a nightmare to get that removed from my bill, even with the agents going “yeah I see we didn’t leave anything, and your installer verified with our router and took that, but I also see it was shipped to you directly, so there’s nothing I can do”
Like cool, but nothing was actually shipped to me and even if it was that’s not my problem, it’s yours.
With my ISP, it’s not an extra charge but included in the rest of the cost so it doesn’t cost me anything extra to use theirs and if/when it fails, I just have to ask for a replacement.
Hah! I just recently got to switch off Comcast to a newer local fiber company. Comcast emailed and texted me for weeks telling me to return their equipment that I never had, but even their website showed I had nothing to return so I ignored it. Eventually the emails changed to “you’ve been charged”, so I called to complain. They assured me that I wasn’t actually charged, and then realized they owed me a prorated refund since I cancelled in the middle of a billing cycle. They absolutely weren’t going to give that back unless I called.
I had an ISP do the same when I moved out of an apartment in 2016. I still get calls from a collection agency. The number is blocked but if I check my “blocked calls” log it’s been nearly every weekday for 8 years.
Mine WAS hurting, then I filed fraud charges with the bureaus and copied the email that showed Comcast saying I didn’t owe them anything
Now it’s only experian that keeps getting them about every 6 months, after 4 reports they started vanishing off my report within a week automatically lol
Absolutely insane that companies can just say that you owe them money without ever actually contacting you, sell your “debt” to someone, and have that hurt your credit for 7 years
I had an ISP try to bill me for an unreturned modem five years ago.
I kept the receipt because I expected them to be so incompetent. Good luck.
Our previous ISP kept after us for a few years to return their modem/router. Only problem was we were a BYO account - we never had a need for their device, nor was it ever on our account or any invoices. A few years later, and every few months afterward (typically after I’ve had to contact them to solve the hell that was constant dropouts - reconnecting 2-4 times a minute) the missing BUDii would pop up again and they’d demand we return or pay for it.
Each time I got snarkier and snarkier, treading the line of being polite and sounding like I wanted to chew their face off. Then I got Betty (fake name) who asked for a moment while she read the correspondence on our account. She commiserated with the troubles we’d been having, clarified notes on our account and then solved what a dozen others couldn’t figure out, and we never heard about the BUDii ever again.
They ALWAYS try that shit. They never don’t. I keep receipts and photos.
Y’all have to use ISP provided modems?
I told my ISP explicitly not to provide one as I owned my own
I was out of town when they set it up, guess what was installed
It took a year of calls for the rental to be taken off my bill and they never took the hardware back. I have lots of everything they said (recorded calls and told them I was too since 2 party state)
I love having 1 fucking Option!
I had something similar, except there was no hardware. They just tried to charge me for using my own router. It was a nightmare to get that removed from my bill, even with the agents going “yeah I see we didn’t leave anything, and your installer verified with our router and took that, but I also see it was shipped to you directly, so there’s nothing I can do”
Like cool, but nothing was actually shipped to me and even if it was that’s not my problem, it’s yours.
With my ISP, it’s not an extra charge but included in the rest of the cost so it doesn’t cost me anything extra to use theirs and if/when it fails, I just have to ask for a replacement.
Sometimes. I use my own setup whenever possible. But that means I still have the equipment they delivered even though I never asked for it.
Hah! I just recently got to switch off Comcast to a newer local fiber company. Comcast emailed and texted me for weeks telling me to return their equipment that I never had, but even their website showed I had nothing to return so I ignored it. Eventually the emails changed to “you’ve been charged”, so I called to complain. They assured me that I wasn’t actually charged, and then realized they owed me a prorated refund since I cancelled in the middle of a billing cycle. They absolutely weren’t going to give that back unless I called.
They can’t decide whether they’re evil or they just hire the most inept and cheapest people possible.
I had an ISP do the same when I moved out of an apartment in 2016. I still get calls from a collection agency. The number is blocked but if I check my “blocked calls” log it’s been nearly every weekday for 8 years.
Your credit must be completely fucked
Mine WAS hurting, then I filed fraud charges with the bureaus and copied the email that showed Comcast saying I didn’t owe them anything
Now it’s only experian that keeps getting them about every 6 months, after 4 reports they started vanishing off my report within a week automatically lol
Absolutely insane that companies can just say that you owe them money without ever actually contacting you, sell your “debt” to someone, and have that hurt your credit for 7 years
Maybe we can do that to them…
On the bright side two more years and it falls off their report anyway. It would be a mistake to pay it at this point.
Lol I guess so
I pull my credit report yearly. The ISP was never on it. Even if it was, after 7 years accounts are removed from your report.
Nice
Considering the debt is over 7 years old, it certainly shouldn’t be.
Was it Crapcast? I bet it was Crapcast, it sounds like a Crapcast thing to do lol
It was spectrum Internet. Charter communications.
Formerly known as time Warner cable (TWC) changed their name to try and avoid all the bad rep they rightfully had (and still have).
You just reminded me I’ve got to mail my modem back. Thanks!