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How to Dispute Your Cell Phone Bill

Disputing your cell phone bill helps avoid unnecessary charges on your bill. Many times a simple phone call to you mobile phone company can save you a lot of money.

Steps

1. Have a copy of your bill in front of you and know the specific parts of your bill you are disputing.
   
2. Decide up front what the ideal bill reduction would be, and what you would be happy to settle with. Recognize that if the charges are valid, you may not receive a credit.
   
3. Call the cell phone company's customer support number. Often you can short cut the touch tone prompt maze by pressing 0. Read how to actually reach a human when calling a business.
   
4. Start with "I have a question about my bill." If you open with an accusation then they will be on the defensive. Get them to look at your bill and see what you are concerned about. It is possible that after you point it out, they may notice it is a mistake on their own and fix it without you asking - possible, but not likely.
   
5. Write down the name of the agent helping you, and keep specific notes of any commitments they make to you. Legally, a representative does not need to give you their whole name or their ID number due to CPNI regulations. If the rep gives you an "extension number" be sure to obtain the state or region of their call center, so that the extension is actually useful.
   
6. Direct them to the specific problem and explain why you think it is wrong. Focus on one issue at a time to expedite the call. Often if one problem is resolved it automatically fixes others.
   
7. If you are actually at fault then explain that the extra charges are a hardship and you would really appreciate it if they could help you out. They will often reduce charges if you ask nicely, but don't expect the carrier to take responsibility for your usage. Credits such as this are seldom issued more than once in any 12-month period. More likely you will be given "courtesy airtime" as that is less expensive to offer.
   
8. Ask for the ideal bill reduction you want. Negotiate civilly if they don't give you at least the minimum you are willing to settle on.
   
9. Call again at a different time if speaking with a customer service agent doesn't work at first. However "Rep Shopping" as this is called usually doesn't work unless the next representative completely fails to read the notes placed on your account by the previous "rep." Each representative has the same resources, obligations, and guidelines to work within.
   
10. Try speaking with a manager but only if the representative can't provide a satisfactory conclusion after investigating all possibilities. Alternatively, you can ask the representative to ask a manager on your behalf, since many managers have limited time available to talk with customers. Also, if the agent in particular is being courteous, let them know so they won't get defensive that you want to talk to a supervisor.
    
11. Mail a letter to the company and follow up within a few weeks to see if they have received the letter and have processed it. In general with all sorts of companies, this can be a slow, frustrating process. Written replies from companies often are formulaic and do not address an individual problem well. Some people prefer contacting (see below) the BBB and FCC for better, faster action.
    
12. Contact the Better Business Bureau only as a last resort. They will send a complaint letter to the company and ask for a formal explanation. Some companies care about their ratings in the Better Business Bureau and will strive to make the needed changes if you were treated unfairly.
    
13. For action that really gets attention (usually within a month), complain to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). It's easy: http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html. The FCC regulates the companies; therefore, the phone companies hate to have complaints there, especially unresolved ones. Complaining to the FCC helps the agency spot company-wide problems and will help you personally.
    
14. This won't actually help you resolve your dispute, but if you would like to strike back at the offending cell phone carrier, you can also file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission. They do not intervene in these issues, but they use complaints to track how companies are doing. If a company gets enough complaints the FTC will investigate their practices.
    

Tips

• Stay calm. Be nice, courteous and friendly. Say please and thank-you. Offer to give compliments to a manager for a job well-done or an especially good tone and demeanor.
  
• If you are out of contract (not under an X year commitment) then you have more control.
  
• Always write down the resolution, the name of the person you talked to and the date and time you talked to them. If you can, get their extension and/or ID number.
  
• Customer service representatives receive extensive, on-going training working for all major wireless providers and do have the knowledge to help or can readily research it if you provide complete, clear information and can assist with troubleshooting any issues.
  
• The mobile phone companies calculate the profitability of each customer based on tenure, rate plan fees and discounts given for service or equipment. This means that users on higher cost rate plans usually get bigger credits or discounts.
  
• Your service agreement details how credits may apply. For example, all major carriers will credit 100% if the problem is their fault, but may give just 50% (or less) for unintentional misinformation or misunderstanding.
  
• Pay your bill on time so when you call they see you as a valuable customer.
  
• Point out that you have been with them X years and that you always pay your bill on time. That is more effective than threatening to switch.
  
• Maybe you might be willing to commit to a new contract, or extend the one you are on. Let them know if you are.
  
• Sometimes an adjustment to the bill can take weeks to occur. Ask about the expected turnaround time and keep in mind that credits don't always apply to the current balance but may reduce the amount owed on a future bill. Paying less than the amount due results in a "balance forward" that doesn't readily appear to be offset by the credit but the amount is the same in the long run.
  
• Ask the representative to put a note on your account of any price quotes and charge adjustments you are promised. This is your only way of proving what you were verbally told during the call. Notes are standard practice with major providers and the representatives can be penalized for not noting the account. You should separately record the time, date and the person who you spoke with each time that you called, and their extension/ID number. Note any details about what the customer service representative said about your situation and definitely record any case numbers that are associated with your issue.
  
• At Sprint do not ask for a manager. Ask for a Team Lead. They have the ability to override a person's credit and give out 'retention' bonuses to try and keep you a paying customer. Sprint also has 2 different kinds of 'Consumer General' customer support. Some of the agents you may speak to are not Sprint employees but work for a vendor. Those agents do not have all the access that a Sprint employee does. They may say they work for Sprint but ask if they work for a vendor company.
  
• Nextel (now merged with Sprint) also outsources much of their care to outside vendors. These representatives are empowered to credit & adjust as much as an actual Nextel employee, but do not have access to the same research tools. Sometimes the lack of information will work in your favor, but also be prepared to wait longer for certain requests to be processed due to this (changing to a promotional plan, for instance, or adding courtesy minutes).
  
• Ask the representative to review the elements that make up your account so other surprises won't appear on future bills. Sometimes a feature doesn't bill immediately because of a promotional period but may show charges in a couple months.
  
• Ask for the Cancellation Department. Sometimes the customer service department doesn't have enough power to make the corrections you want. The cancellation department representatives usually have more power to keep you as a customer, and can usually cut you a better deal.
  
• Try taking the bill in to the company's store in your city. The sale representatives there can often give the same credits or discounts as the national customer support team and its often easier to explain your problem in person rather then over the phone.
  
• If you are on a GSM based network and all other steps above have failed you can asked the operator to send you not only the itemised bill but the actual call records. In some countries the operator has the legal obligation to provide these call records, and might decide it is cheaper to give you the credit rather than go and search for your call records. Don't get fobbed off by the itemised bill, ask for the MAP (Mobile Application Protocol) call records.
  
• Don´t constantly call your provider every chance you get to receive a credit because you think you can. All mobile phone providers thoroughly note the accounts due to government regulation. any credits that are issued are noted and if you have a pattern of receiving a great deal of credits, that provider is less likely to issue future credits even though the credit may be legit.
  

Warnings

• Avoid making idle threats. Try not to get worked up or resort to begging.
  
• No service provider can be responsible for overages. They provide the service and it is up to you as to how it is used. Be sure you know how to check on your usage during the billing period. This is usually available through the provider's Web site. AT&T Mobility subscribers can dial *646# then press the button on the mobile device to receive a free text message that details usage for that phone. Users on shared plans may need to check individually. For T-mobile you can use #646# and Send for your minute usage and #674# and Send for text messages sent and received during your billing month. No provider promises to have usage updates that are fresher than 24-72 hours if your call take place while using their network though the information is usually current.
  
• For Sprint the check your minutes of use is *4 and Nextel is 612.
  
• Calls while roaming outside your coverage area or internationally can be delayed by as much as 60 days. Disputing these charges is not usually effective.
  
• Asking for a bill reduction via email does not seem to work.
  
• Have a legitimate reason for calling. Most customer service representatives can tell the difference between someone who truly needs a break and someone who is just cheap.