2 years later and Distributel still sucks.

So today my wife and I finally got thru to Distributel's customer service.  We've been trying every day for the past 2 weeks, hanging up after every 2 hour wait.  Now I realize that there needs to be some back story so here goes:  I cancelled my Distributel Internet in May 2011 because I lost about $1000 in NSF fees due to the nature of their billing and President Choice Financial's No Fee Bank Account.  In other words: I got paid on the 1st, PC held the government cheque for 7 days, so when Distributel tried to take out $40 on the 4th, it bounced and PC charged me a $45 NSF fee, so Distributel would try again on the 15th of the month, but because I need to pay rent and buy food and pay the ridiculous NSF fee there wouldn't be enough in the account.  Every month for almost a year Distributel would cost me $90.  Neither side would claim ownership, neither side would help me.  I'd call every month over the same damned problem, just to get the cold shoulder and the response "Just pay it."  So when I sent back the modem I only had about $20 cash with me, and that was really all the money in the world I had.  I went to the Post Office downtown with Distributel's Modem, in a plain brown box, and the $20, put them on the counter and asked them to send it to Distributel's address, with my address as the return.  The post office told me that $20 is not enough money to get a tracking number, and I just did not have any more money, and no one was answering their phones, and I wasn't about to go pan handling for $18 more, so I told the Post Office to just mail it.  I called Distributel and told them to note on the account that I posted the modem.  When Distributel asked for the tracking number I had to tell them that I simply didn't have enough money (what with all the billing problems I had), and so didn't have a tracking number.  Little did I know that Distributel would NEVER believe I sent the modem.  Bunch of lying thieves........

Now jump forward to a couple weeks ago... I'm on my Honeymoon with my new wife and Gatestone Collections calls me.  Of course we answer since we're only in Niagara Falls.  Gatestone says we STILL OWE $236 FOR DISTRIBUTEL, FROM TWO YEARS AGO.  RIDICULOUS!  So since then we've tried every day to get thru and today was the day.  When we talked to the first CSR she told my wife and I that the modem HAD been returned, but hadn't been credited off the account, but there were administration fees on the account that are the reason for the high price.  When Christina asked what those were, the CSR said "I don't know but I'll transfer you to a senior representative".  The senior rep Bryan said that the modem really hadn't been returned, and without a tracking number there's no way to prove that we even sent it (sounds like he's trying to get my money to me).  I've now asked him for a copy of my entire account including any notes, so that I can see EXACTLY what they see.  It's my thinking that this whole problem is because someone has put a note on my account that I should be screwed over for every cent I have because I'm on ODSP or just happened to be rather upset (or irate if you rather) when they started costing me $90 a month in NSF fees.

Now this has been the MOST painful experience with a company I've ever had.  If you ever think "Hmmm... maybe Distributel is a good idea." just remember that they don't really want to HELP you, they'd really rather see you poor.

Life Update

So this is the 4th day of being married.  Every day I get up early, and every day my wife sleeps in.  It's not really a big problem, and it's only me that has to get over it.

Married Life

It's awesome!