[citation][nom]simple_inhibition[/nom]I had the same thing happen to me when i was deployed in 06-07. had att before i had left and they said that the international plan was $4.95 a month. they never mentioned the $3.50 a minute charge to me. so after 1 month, i was hit with a $3000 phone bill and cancelled phone service. not a problem as back then i was a single soldier who lived in the barracks. i would eat that bill and switch over to using skype to call home. my plan was to pay $500 on the 1st and the 15th through their online payment system. the first rolled around, paid the $500 and waited for the 15th. 15th rolls around and paid them another $500. by the time that the 1st of the month rolled around again, att had locked me out of the online payment system. they had cut me off from my only way to pay so i called home (from one of the 6 MWR phones my location had, also after waiting 45 minutes for my allotted 15 minutes of phone time) and explained the situation to my parents. 1 irate mother and a couple of phone calls from her to att later, the situation was resolved. admittedly i should have done my research beforehand, however in light of atts continuation of their shady business practices, i feel that all phone service providers should be required by law to fully disclose any and all fees and ensure that said fees are fully understood by the potential customer before the contract is signed. having said all that, its a pretty sh*tty feeling to be on the receiving end of something like this and even more so to learn that att is still doing it 3-4 years after my experience[/citation]
Sounds like prime material for a complaint to the FTC, especially since it sounds like they tell you the plan is $4.95/mo but deliberately neglect to tell you "+ $5.00/min" in the case of the soldier in the article.
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