Internet phone company signs up woman without computer

Internet phone company signs up woman without computer

By DON DARE
6 On Your Side Reporter

PIGEON FORGE (WATE) -- Vonage is a discount phone service that works through the Internet. But the company signed up a Pigeon Forge woman, even though she doesn't have a computer, much less the Internet.  

Satellite TV is one of the few luxuries for Charlotte McCarter, a widow living on a fixed income. For several years, she's had Dish Network. It's the only high tech convenience in her home.

Charlotte watches her budget so she was disappointed when her phone bill jumped to over $30 a month recently.

She contacted Vonage after seeing an offer for an unlimited monthly fee of $24.99.

"She asked me if I have cable. I said, No, I have Dish Network. She said, 'Do you have Internet?' I said, No, I do not. She said, 'Well, we'll send you a box out,'" Charlotte explains. 

The box the Vonage operator mentioned was sent to Charlotte by UPS. "She didn't tell me what it was for. She just said it would hook to my phone," Charlotte says.

"Did she tell you how much the box was going to cost?" 6 On Your Side asks. "No," Charlotte says.

When her bill from Vonage arrived, it had a fee of $48.79 and another fee of $97.54. "I have no idea what that was for. That was my grocery money and my gas money. I can't even go no where. My account is broke now," Charlotte says. 

Some small print on the Vonage Web site says your rate excludes broadband service, regulatory fees, activation fees and certain other charges including equipment.

"They didn't mention any of this to me. They should have told me about the different prices and different things I have to have to hook up. And you know when you call someone, they should mention all of this to you if they're going to sell something to you," Charlotte says.

6 On Your Side called Vonage. The customer care department said without a computer, Charlotte should not have been signed up and Vonage made a mistake.

Charlotte has canceled her order but the fine print says she'll have to pay a $40 cancellation fee.

"I want my money back. I have been sick over this because when I went to the doctor, my blood pressure was way out of sight," Charlotte says. 

Vonage tells 6 On Your Side the company will eventually refund Charlotte's cancellation fee.

But she shouldn't hold her breath. The Better Business Bureau reports the New Jersey based company has an unsatisfactory record, with 6,666 complaints nationwide.

Many of those complaints have been resolved. But still, 6,000 plus adds up to a lot of unhappy customers.

If you have a consumer problem, call the 6 On Your Side hotline at (865)-633-5974.