I need a little help and opinions on this.
My son returned from Iraq at the end of March. Prior to his return I had rented him a duplex, furnished it and had all his utilities turned on for him including cable TV using my power as his legal Power of Attorney. After 3 months home and a very poor job market in our area he decided to re-enlist and go back to the Army. His landlord was very nice and refunded his deposit with no problem. No problem also with his other utilities except the Cable TV. They jerked a $400.00 "early cancellation fee" out of my bank account without my knowledge. ( I was initially told that the only way I could set up his account was with a debit card and since his only debit card was in Iraq with him I had to set it up from my personal bank account).
When I first called to cancel his Cable TV , I was told that since it was due to him returning to the military that there would be no cancellation fee. I was thanked for his service to our country! I am very upset that I was lied to. Also very upset that someone would treat our military servicemen this way.
After learning what had happened I again called the cable company. This time I was given the run-around. Hung up on 3 times. After many attempts I was finally allowed to speak to a rude "management " specialist. I was then told that the reason that the cancellation fee was not waived was because the account was in my name instead of my son's name.
I really don't know how far I should take this matter. What would you do?
So far, I have sent a letter to the "Billing Disputes " department and enclosed a copy of his assignment orders in Iraq, my Power of Attorney papers, and his request to return to military service orders. I am still waiting for a reply.
Needless to say, I am one ticked off mother of an American Soldier!
I cried all day Friday when I had to call my son and tell him the news. I had no choice but to remove the $400 from his bank account and put it back in my account to keep my car payment that I had mailed off from bouncing. He also was understandably upset about this whole situation. (although I think he took it better than I did).
To make matters worse I have this same Cable company providing service in 4 rooms in my personal residence. My own contract isn't up til October!