Strange, but true

[Vince the Plumber]

hi everybody. haven't been around much lately. something to do with above freezing temperatures is keeping me outside. :D

Tammy and i subscribe to Bell Express Vu satilite dish TV.

about a year ago we get a "new" smart card in the mail. looked very official. no problem. plug it into the reciever, everything is good togo.

Tammy faithfully paid $90 bucks a month.

so a year goes by. we haven't gotten a single statement in the mail.

Tammy calls the 800 # and askes why we haven't received a statement.

the lady on the other end of the phone says that we've been cut-off for the last year, hence this is the reason for no statements. huh?:confused:

Tammy explained that she have been paying the bill and we still have service.

the lady talked to her supervisor and i guess they all thought this was very strange and had a little chuckle over this one.

they thanked Tammy for calling and told her that they would send a $50 cheque for her troubles.

the cheque came in the mail just yesterday. $250 smackers.:eek:

strange, but true.

i smell a scam.

Vince

[BadgerDave]

Did they ask you to send $200 back? :D

[Gene Bickford]

Try not paying the bill and see what happens?

I once had.....um.., I mean, a friend of mine once had a pirate box but the "smart" card would have to be updated periodically when their cpu figured out the security code.
We,,,,,um,,I mean ...he stopped using the box 4 years ago but was told at the time they were coming out with a new version of "smart" card that once it is hacked will last for 5 years.

Maybe someone sent you a hacked card and are getting you to send the monthly payment to them instead of bell?????

Do you get all Chanel's including pay per view without paying extra??

Do you get a commercial now and then that says "hi, if your watching this commercial then you already Know, you are a dish pirate............."

[darius]

Try not paying the bill and see what happens?
I did quite a while ago.
I canceled my cable TV, paid the final bill.
The cableco not only did not cut off the service but they threw at me all the channels they had, including PPV. It was like that for 8 years. Then I moved.

[Gene Bickford]

Did they ask you to send $200 back? :D


That actually could be the scam!!!
You cash the check, it "clears" the bank and they call back saying sorry we sent you too much, send us $200.

You send the $200 and a few days later the bank says, sorry that was a bad check, you owe us $250.

What I don't understand is these banks "clear" checks even with a 5 day hold but your still liable weeks later when its discovered its a scam.

[plumberscrack]

We upgraded our cell phones to a different carrier but my old one stayed active. It still has full service for 8 years without paying a dime :ignore:

Sprint :withstupid:

I turn it on every few weeks just to see if the service is still active...it is :D

Call me

[ToUtahNow]

We have had the same long distant carrier forever. It frustrates Brenda that they are constantly calling with 3rd party offers so one day she canceled them on all 4-lines. We also have had the same housekeeper for 20-years and one of the things she likes to do is call her family in Mexico while she is at the house. When Brenda got her phone bill yesterday she realized our normal $10 bill for calls to Mexico jumped to $190. While eating crow, she called our old carrier and reactivated our long distance plan.

Mark

[Woussko]

PC

Try calling your Sprint phone from your landline and then try calling your landline from your Sprint phone. I bet you get an error message. Even a NON activated wireless phone will show service and should let you place 9-1-1 calls.

[plumberscrack]

Nope no error messages. I can call (and text) anyone in the country. Out of country service is disabled :(

[darius]

I gave up all the long distance providers I used. I tried them all as I am still in touch with the old country. Bills exceeding $1000 for long distance alone were not unusual.

I switched to calling cards. Yes, it is not as convenient as just hitting a programmed button since now I have to dial 40 digits (including the actual phone numbers), but a call overseas to one of the more expensive zones costs me $10 CDN for 16 hours of talk. That lasts us one to three months.

[wbrooks]

Buy them a computer and set up VOIP, cheaper than $1000/month

[darius]

Oh they have computers, but it's not that easy to convince my parents or my mother in law (all in their 70's) to change the old habits. I consider it a great success that they I can send them family photos via email so they can see them on their laptops.

I'm in touch with my daughter who left for Poland about 3 months ago. We stay in touch via skype mostly but at times we need to call her on her cellphone when she travels. She just came back to Poland from Ukraine and is repacking to go to Lithuania.

Also, sometimes we need a quick answer from her in regards to some things that need her immediate attention (letters from her school, taxes etc). She's young and mobile and not always in front of her laptop.

[HVAC HAWK]

we got rid of our land line phone and got another cell phone with our home # added to our Verizon plan for $10 month more and all 4 phones have unlimited texting .
i dont text i call on the phone

we also use skype with the computers with my daughter in vt