A South Florida man suspended his cell phone account while deployed overseas for the Coast Guard. While he was gone, he started getting calls from a collection agency.
When you are overseas fighting to protect America, the last thing you should be worried about is a phone bill. But one serviceman says when he was in the Middle East, he got sent to a collection agency for not paying a phone bill he didn’t have to pay. When he couldn’t straighten it out he did what everyone should do with a problem: Call Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser
To say Christopher Wallace’s family believes in serving their country, would easily be the understatement of the day.
Christopher Wallace: “My father was in the Air Force. My brother was in the Army. I had a couple of cousins that were in the Navy. I have an uncle; all three of his sons were in the Marines.”
Christopher wanted to do something different, so he joined the Coast Guard.
Christopher Wallace: “I’ve been everywhere, pretty much, from five different countries in the Caribbean and over to the Middle East.”
Before he is deployed Christopher always does what servicemen and women do: Call companies they have contracts with, like the phone company.
Christopher Wallace: “And what they usually do is they will take our accounts and put them in deployment status, military status and that pretty much covers us and protects us.”
While he was overseas Christopher’s cell phone was turned off and the bill frozen. Then he returned and called the phone company.
Christopher Wallace: “Turned my phone on, same thing. Is everything OK? Is there something I need to know about my account, my plan? Anything? ‘No, everything is good, sir.'”
That was in February. In April, he started getting calls from a collection agency.
Christopher Wallace: “What is it exactly that you are calling about? ‘Ok T-mobile sent the account to us for collection.’ Collections? Why would they do that?”
Christopher immediately called T-Mobile.
Christopher Wallace: “‘We don’t see nothing, sir. All we see is a balance due. That’s it,’ which was my regular monthly balance. Are you positive? Are you sure? ‘Yes sir, we don’t see anything.'”
But the collection agency kept calling about a phone bill and T-Mobile kept telling Christopher he didn’t owe the phone company anything.
Christopher Wallace: “And nobody can figure out where the charge came from. And the end result of every phone call I made was ‘Well, there is nothing we can do.'”
Then he checked his credit scores and found he had been reported for not paying a bill that the phone company said didn’t exist.
Christopher Wallace: “And that is going to sit there for up to seven years and that is not something I can afford to have in my credit right now.”
With Christopher’s credit damaged over a phone bill they can’t find, Christopher put down the phone and emailed Help Me Howard.
Howard Finkelstein: “This is illegal. The Service Members Civil Relief Act Insures that when our men and women are deployed they have several rights. Among them: the right to suspend a cell phone contract while they are overseas. After being asked, if the company does not comply, they are liable for any costs or damages to the enlisted man or woman. And if the attorney general sees a pattern could face stiff fines.”
We contacted T-Mobile. They wouldn’t discuss what caused the problem in Christopher’s case, but told us it was resolved.
They also contacted the collection agency and told them to stop trying to collect. Howard says Christopher now needs a guarantee that his good credit will be restored.
Howard Finkelstein: “T-Mobile needs to write a letter to all the credit bureaus explaining how they made a mistake. They then need to insure it cleans up the mess they created and restores Christopher’s credit rating. Christopher also has a right to put a letter describing what happened to him in his files.”
T-Mobile is sending the letter. He is back at sea, serving his country with one less headache when he returns from doing what he loves.
Christopher Wallace: “Next month it will be nine years of service that I’ve had in the Coast Guard.”
Service men and women know their rights. It’s the general public that may not know. For example, a servicemember can break a rental agreement with a landlord. They can turn in a leased car before the contract expires. And they can’t be penalized at all.
At war with a problem you cant defeat? Self-service not working and need some re-enforcement? Deploy with us.
We won’t head overseas, but we will oversee a solution.
With this Help Me Howard, I’m Patrick Fraser 7News.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act
http://wpadmin.sunbeamtv.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/03/scratext.pdf
Servicemembers Civil Relief Act Overview
http://www.military.com/benefits/military-legal-matters/scra/servicemembers-civil-relief-act-overview.html
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
E-mail: helpmeHoward@wsvn.com (please include your contact phone number when e-mailing)
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN