Passing The (Game) Time

Okay, so you know how when you're watching a show that you like, you spend the commercial time doing something that you need to do? Like use the bathroom, go get something to drink, blog. Well, during the Super Bowl, it's the other way around. I'm using the game time to write this post, but when the commercials come on I stop and watch. I doubt I'm the only one.

I'm taking the opportunity to vent about a recent customer (non)service situation I experienced. Last month I noticed a charge on our Cingular bill (it’s now AT&T, but I have a hard time calling it that – for some reason, I just don’t like that AT&T took over Bellsouth), so I called to correct the error. It was a charge for something called “Dine and Dash 2.” It was under the multi media section of our bill. I called Josh to make sure it wasn’t something he had done before I called. He said, “Actually, now that you mention it, the other day I pulled my phone out of my pocket and it said ‘Thanks for your download.’ I didn’t know what it was and I didn’t know if it would show up or not. That has happened before. There is a button on the outside of my phone that will connect to the internet or whatever.”

I have had that happen to me before too. There is a button on the outside of my phone that will connect you to something, because sometimes I will pull my phone out of my purse and on the screen it says, “Connecting” and has a little ball going around in a circular motion indicating that it is in the process of, well, connecting. To the internet, I assume, but I didn’t even think I had internet on my phone. I’ve always noticed it before it ever got “connected,” but apparently Josh didn’t catch his in time.

Anyway, after finding out that Josh did not intend to download anything, I called (ugh) AT&T. The guy answers the phone, and this is how the conversation goes:

Guy: This is (so & so), how can I be of service to you?

Me: I need to see about getting a charge removed from our bill. There is a “Dine and Dash 2” under the multi media section, and we don’t know what that is.

Guy: Dine and Dash 2 is a game that you can download to your phone.

Me: We did not choose to download that game. My husband said that a few days ago he pulled his phone out of his pocket and on the screen it said, ‘Thanks for your download.’ He did not do anything.

Guy: Ma’am, have you ever downloaded a game to your phone?

Me: No.

Guy: Well, if you had, you would know that there are several steps involved in downloading a game. You have to press several buttons, scroll up and down, and then the download begins. It’s not something that could happen while the phone is in your pocket.

Me: Well, my husband told me that’s what happened, and I don’t think he lied to me.

Guy: I’m not saying he lied to you, I just want you to be aware that it takes several steps to download a game. Did your husband loan his phone to his nephew… a co-worker… was it out of his possession at all?

Me: No.

What I should have said: Well, unless there was someone IN HIS POCKET, then no. Because like I said earlier, it was when he took it out of his pocket that it said 'Thanks for the download.'

Guy: We’ll refund the charge this time, but you should know that we won’t be able to do this if it should happen again, because it is not something that usually happens by mistake.

Me: Well, it won’t be happening again unless it is a mistake, because we don’t ever download games.

Guy: Okay, just give me a second to go ahead and credit your account. ….. It actually looks like it wasn’t the entire game that was downloaded. I know because I frequently download games to my phone and I know that Dine and Dash is (however many) megabytes, and it shows that only (however many) megabytes were transferred.

Me: So, would that not indicate to you that this was a mistake?

Guy: It would indicate to me that it was a failed download.

Me: And we were still charged for the game?

Guy: Well, it is going to be credited back to you.

What I should have said: BECAUSE I CALLED AND ASKED FOR IT TO BE CREDITED!

That’s pretty much the end of the conversation. After hanging up I thought of those things that I should have said, but I didn’t think of them in the moment. It may not have helped my case if I had actually said them, since in that moment, it was up to that guy whether or not our account was credited. It just made me so furious that he would say that to me! I know Josh was not lying!

First of all, neither of us ever, ever download games or anything like to our phones. That guy could have looked back at our account (that we have had for almost 10 years) and seen that not once has there ever been a charge like that. Like Josh said to me, why would we, now that we are approaching 30, decide that it is time to start downloading games to our phones?

Secondly, it happens to me too!

And finally, Josh and I do not lie to each other. If he had downloaded or even started to download something and not finished it, he would have told me. He may not have wanted to tell me, because he knows I would say, “Are you serious? You know we can’t afford to be doing that, and why have you suddenly decided that you need to download games to your phone now that you’re 30 years old?” But he would have told me.

We haven’t gotten our next bill yet, but you better believe I will be checking to make sure that the charge was credited to our account.

Do y’all check your bills when they come to make sure there aren’t charges on them that you didn’t authorize? I always do. Every bill. You should if you don't. Because of stuff like this! There was one other time before we started using text messages that we were charged for 37 text messages. They gave me a hard time about that one, too. This was on my personal phone, before Josh and I shared an account. The lady said, "well, you wouldn’t have been charged for them unless you actually received the messages." I said, "I don’t even know HOW to receive a text message." That was a completely honest statement at the time - like I said, it was before the text message craze, and I had never in my life sent or received one. I know it was only like $3.70 or something, but it was MY $3.70 and I wanted it back!

I understand that people probably do this all the time and really did download the game or receive the messages, but we did not. So just give us our money back and don’t call us liars!

AT&T. Ugh.