My partner and I decided to switch to a local carrier, Alltel; as soon as our Verizon contract ended. We needed to have 3 phones in our account, so we were advised to have the Family Plan that also had 1000 Text messages included. During the first month of usage I signed up to monitor this new account on their "Official Website". I recognized that this was a fairly brand new account, I gave them time to update customer usage information on the website. Two weeks passed and I used their e-mail feature for customer support. Never got a reply back. I call their 800 number, and after punching numbers to get any type of usage; which at the time my usage totalled "zero" minutes used. I kept pressing button to speak with a live person. When I expressed my concern, that still Zero minutes still shows in my lines. The representative connected back to the automated service. All To my horrible surprise, their website does not monitor any of my usage. All it contains are ways to look at bills and ways to make payments. The only time you are able to see any usage, it's when it;s too late and they want payment. The even sent text messages to notify that the bill is due, they don't even send an alert that the limits to my plan have reached, they just want the customer to be ignorant of the usage, so the bill get higher and higher. The only call I got from them was to inform us and threated us, that the current bill due is over $500 for overages charges, and if it was not paid at that moment the service will be interrupted. I still haven't seen any bill from them and, the website does not have my supposedly current or past usage. How do they expect me to monitor my usage if their system does not allow any customer to monitor any usage whatsover, only after the bill cycle had ended and we are stuck with a huge $$$$ amount bill.

I have been with Alltel for years, but you talk about bad Customer Service they have to be #1 on the list. I bought 4 phones in December, as advertised on tv and Internet buy 1 get 1 free so go to the store to purchase these phones the unprofessional Alltel ediot that waited on us was holding his bottom lip while asking me questions and when I couldn't understand him and asked him to repeat what he said he seemed to get perturbed with ME! Stupid Eliot, then he told me the cost of the buy 1 get 1 free deal... NOT WHAT THEY ADVERTISE!ended up costing over 400.00 for the phones up front, but after mail in rebates the phones would end up costing around 140.00. We muddled thru all the setups, he handed me all the forms that had to be sent for the mail in rebates that could take 6 to 12 weeks to receive you checks. I sent everything off checked my email and there it was all but one was REJECTED! Was I surprised heck no I relished the bait! I called ALLTEL and then they give me the rebate phone number. The rebate guy said that one of the problem was that the wrong form was sent,well I don't work at Alltel it wasn't my fault that Mr.Lip gave me the wrong form that went to that phone! He fixed it and said my rebate will soon be mailed,then on problem #2 didn't send a copy of the bill, well you received the bill that went to the other phone it all came in the same envelope.The problem was that the other two phones are on 1 bill family phones you know you get the same bill stupid people. Okay the nice guy fixed that one! The real problem started on the third phone which by the way was my sons phone which he in on my plan using my minutes there for only need my bill. So I called again and the intelligent ALLTEL EMPLOYEE said I need to fax them the bill I said you already have the bill because the other rebates were approved try as I may she just couldn't get! She told me fax another bill and then call them back and tell the Smart Alltel Employee to go to the fax and get the bill! Nope won't do it I did my part I am not an Alltel Employee, I will not call to make sure that they do their JOB! Anyway when I finally ask to talk to supervisor and when I SAYED THAT she fixed the problem!

I changed my number with Alltel because I moved from VA to NC. They told me I had to open a new account and that the old account was paid in full. Little did I know, as I made my payment on time every month for my new account, that I had been billed $179 on my old account. The bills were going to my old address. I did not receive one phone call from alltel during this time. Five months later, a collection from Alltel shows up on my credit report. I call Alltel and get them to change my old account balance back to zero, but that does not help the fact that my credit score dropped 100 points becuase of their mistake! Now they are telling me there is nothing they can do for me. They won't give me a credit on my bill or waive the early termination fee. Alltel screwed my credit up but they won't do anything for me! Their mistake is going to end up costing me thousands of dollars when I buy a house but they can't even waive my $300 early termination fee! Customer service doesn't care and is not willing to help. Me and my whole immediate family will be switching from Alltel when contracts run out.

I would like to report to you the most unsatisfactory help line experience I have ever had: Today (Sept. 15 2007, 10:30-11:20am, Sat.), I called your customer service line 1800-255-8351, which connected me to someone in India:

1) I waited for more than 20 minutes to get one who answered my phone call;
2) The lady on the line was not knowledgeable and helpful: she told me that the account number was my cell phone number. -- I told her that it was wrong. She said "yes"
3) Then, I said "now please go to www.alltel.com", click on "Register now" link on the home page;
4) then I showed her that on the AllTel website, the account number and cell phone number were different - it was like that I needed to teach her on AllTel website and operation, rather than her to provide help service to me, a Alltel customer;
5) then she said "hold the line" please, and disappeared and held me online for more than 5 minutes;
6) after she came back (maybe asking help from her friends there?), she said "ok, please use your phone number and PIN I give you now to log in". - she gave the PIN: 1279
7) I followed up her instruction to log in using my cell phone number and PIN, and tried 3 times, but rejected by the AllTecl website. So I told her that I tried it according to her instruction 3 times, but failed.
8) She became inpatient and said "Sir, can you keep trying according to my instruction?" (it sounds like "you are so stupid, even cannot key in your cell phone number and PIN number correctly!")
9) I was afraid now, so I asked and tried to get the confirmation from her: "is your given PIN the same as the Password that was asked by the AllTel website?". She replied "of course, it's the same!" (she used her term PIN to replace AllTel's term "Password" to confuse customer, but she put the blame to customer, "are you so stupid not to konw this common knowledge?!").
10) I was so nervous (and also felt in my mind that I was so stupid like many ordinary and kind American customers would think), and carefully followed up her instruction to key in my cell phone number and PIN (must be PIN according to her, AllTel was wrong to call it "password") she gave me, but the website rejected me again - I kept trying it for other 5 times, and again all failed.
11) Then she said "at least I got it through when I tried it" (if I would have the privilege as a system administer as her, I can surely access to any account as well!). Then she said "ok, please hold the online and I'll connect you to our technical help line!"
12) after about 30 minutes, she received my help to teach her the difference between Alltel account number and Alltel cell phone number, and she "successfully put a blame" on me not to know that PIN and password were actually the same thing (only Alltel used password to confuse customer and she used the right one "PIN" to show her rich knowledge to use the right term), and she "forcefully" asked me to try keying in my cell phone number and PIN (or password?) for more than 8 times (my typing sill has been improved substantially as a result, thanks to her, an excellent Alltel Call Center helper!)..., she finally gave up to help me (because a customer like me, so stupid and knowing little about so advanced IT technology like ordinary stupid American customers do - ironically my job is to teach IT for living in US! I felt so shameful that I knew so little when I talked with a young Call center lady who appeared to know so much more!), and wanted to connect me to the technical service line.
12) What a relief to me - at least I have a new chance not to be considered "a stupid customer"! Maybe I could have a chance to report this unusual customer service (or a better name for it to be "customer torturing") experience to AllTel, so other "stupid American customers" like me may not have to experience it again next time.
13) the service line rang for about one minute with beautiful music for me to enjoy (unfortunately, I felt so shamed and guilty myself, no mood to enjoy such superb and high class music provided free by AllTel).
14) Suddenly, the line was cut off and left me with all deadly silence - I was really silenced totally ... I didn't have another chance to talk with another service person of AllTel (maybe she/he will a really good and qualified person providing quality customer service and I could provide feedback to her/him), but no chance was given, unless I wanted to spend another more than 50 minutes to call Alltel customer service helpline again? Will you?... I won't!
15) So I decided to spend time to report this most unusual customer service experience in my while life to the public, so other "stupid American customers" like me may not have to experience it again next time.

Thanks,
an ordinary customer of AllTel.com

Alltel billed my an additional $5.99 each of three phones or total of $17.97 per month. According to the Service Representative, when you look for ring tones possibilities on the Alltel site, you automatically become subject to the text messages of the latest joke and your horoscope read inf for the day. I reviewed my Alltel account and found that I was being billed and deleted the service.

I have filed a complaint with the Federal Communications Commission this was admittedly a scam by the employee. if you have had a similar experience, you go the FCC.com and file a form #1088 and describe the problem.

We will probably pay the bill but will look for another cellular service later.

[email protected]