We have phone service through a company that contracts for Sprint. Last Wednesday I started getting emails saying, "I've been trying to call you but it says your number is disconnected."
So I call myself from my cell phone and sure enough it's disconnected.
So, I call the company and they said it was disconnected by mistake and they will do their best to get my number back but there is no guarantee.
So then when you call my number there is a message stating the number has changed and gives a new number.
I have been calling them multiple times everyday for the last week. They say it's Sprint. Sprint won't talk to us because we use the outside company. This company is supposed to be having people call us with answers and they never do. I think they are totally yanking our chain. I threatened to call an investigative reporter and an attorney and still nothing.
In the last week my phone has practically stopped ringing. I don't know how much business I've lost not to mention all of my advertising media (biz cards, flyers, letterheads, website, phone book, etc.) for 2 1/2 years. Plus, we look really stupid having people call and it looks like the phone is disconnected and we don't pay our bills!!!
I think I should call a lawyer but I don't even know what type to call. I also don't have $$ for a lawyer. Or would getting an investigative reporter from the local new help?
So what should I do? What would you do?
I have used them for 3 yrs. and never had a problem before.
Damn the luck I have...
[ July 16, 2003, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: Amy Brown ]
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Amy, I'd make sure you document everything. Who you talked to (insist on their last name & if they don't give it to you, ask for their supervisor)& exactly what they said. If you haven't already done this, call them again & document everything this time.
If you look in your phone book, there should be a lawyer referral service. Call that. They should be able to tell you a lawyer near you that can handle this. Usually when you call the lawyer they refer you to, they'll give you a few free minutes of their time. Explain the situation, mention that you were thinking of calling the news & ask their opinion.
Then, I'd call the local news that has one of those snotty investigative reporters.. you know, the ones you don't ever want showing up at your door because they are so relentless.
Edit: They told you they can't guarantee getting your number back. Do they really think you're stupid enough to believe that or are they that stupid? When a number is disconnected for any reason, it's suppost to sit dormant for so long so when the number is re-issued the new owner doesn't get a zillion calls for the old owner. Thus, your number should still be available. This is THEIR mistake, they can either fix it yesterday or they can pony up the $ you've wasted on advertising.
On a strange side note, if you can't get your number back, it gives you an excuse to call your clients, telling them of your situation & new number & while you're on the phone, ask if they need anything done.
[ July 16, 2003, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: Kissymatina ]
Posted by Terry Whynott (Member # 1622) on :
You're brilliant Chris! That's a great reply about using it to her advantage as an excuse to call old customers.
Sorry Amy, I don't have any other advise to add. Hope it all works out for you. What a mess.
Posted by TransLab (Member # 470) on :
Let me guess Amy ... You decided to eat this week and didn't pay the phone bill ...
Seriously, I would be contacting a lawyer, hopefully even the threat of legal action will speed those b*stards in the phone company up, maybe a letter is all it will take. Persue legal costs as well.
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Amy, all it will take is a letter from a lawyer. They'll charge you $25 to $50 to make the phone company flunkees wake up. The threat of a "lost business" suit from an attorney should take care of it in short order. Funny how Kissy and Rosemary seem to think alike, but I can tell you that my Pooh is nowhere NEAR as nice as Kissy.
heh............
k31
Posted by Amy Brown (Member # 1963) on :
Well apparently they finally got scared of a pending lawsuit and the corporate office called a short time ago. We are supposed to be back up and running with our original number on Friday. They want to know what they need to do to compensate us.
I have no way of knowing what I may have lost in the last week. I am thinking at least 5 business days with at least $300 in sales per day. Is that asking too much or should I really go after them for more. I'm not greedy but it was (still is until fixed) a major inconvenience for not only us but customers, suppliers, freight companies etc.
What do ya think?
[ July 16, 2003, 05:34 PM: Message edited by: Amy Brown ]
Posted by Robert Thomas (Member # 1356) on :
Hi Amy, One way to figure how much you may have lost, is average the sales for the last month or two, then divide it into days, then muliply by how many days you were without phone sevice, then add on an appropriate amount for your time & aggravation.
Cheers and good luck.
Posted by pierre (Member # 1462) on :
Nope. Just claim real estimated losses based on usual weekly income.
k31
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Up that figure Amy. If they complain, ask them if they can tell you how many customers have called elsewhere & are now some other shop's customers. Tell them there are ripple effects of this.
Now, once your phone is back to normal, give your customers a courtesy call. Explain that your phone # was disconnected & changed without your knowledge & u were wondering if they had tried calling u during the fiasco.
And Pierre, I get plenty mean & nasty. I just got into it with UPS. It is 5:40 & I still don't have my package that was suppost to be delivered yesterday. I only used the firetruck word about 5 times before I hung up on her. hehe
Posted by Bob Rochon (Member # 30) on :
Amy,
Boy you might have been handed the golden goose egg here.
Not only will you be compensated for your lost business but what an awesome oppurtunity to get in touch with old customers and you just might get a bunch of work.
This might just be a blessing after all!
Posted by David Harding (Member # 108) on :
Keep in mind not only the business you know you lost but those that called, got the message: "...disconnected or no longer in service" and figured you guys bit the dust, thereby taking you off their radar screen for good. They owe you for that, too. It is intangible but real.
Even if you get your number back, it would be good to call everyone in your records. You can explain the phone company messed up and you wanted to contact them to make sure you didn't miss anything they may have called about. It would be a good time to reacquaint them with your services.
I’m going through a similar thing with MCI right now. They mistakenly dropped my 800 number and released it to another phone company, who, shortly thereafter, released it to another telecommunications outfit. I’m in the middle of it with three phone companies trying to get back my number I have had for years. No one else has picked up the number but it has taken weeks so far to regain it. I found out from the people at these companies that this is a fairly common occurrence. A manager at MCI calls me every few days to brief me on the progress (or, more correctly, lack thereof) of the retrieval process. We just sent out a couple of hundred brochures and do not have a working toll free number.
Posted by J & N Signs (Member # 901) on :
$500.00 a day guaranteed lost sales plus $350.00 potential lost sales. $4250.00 Round it out to $5000.00. Settle for $8000.00 without lawyers and reporters and they'll go for it! $15000.00 with reporters and $25,000.00 with lawyers. Tell them to take their pick!
[ July 16, 2003, 06:25 PM: Message edited by: J & N Signs ]
Posted by Jeff Ogden (Member # 3184) on :
How would you like to get left out of the yellow pages entirely. That happened to me three years ago. Never got any satisfaction out of them....
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
Calling your clients is a great idea, but take it one step further. Contact the paper about running a good sized & noticable ad to apologize for the phone companies errors & notify even the new customers that may have called, but are not on any list for you to call back. Get a quote for an ad like this & include that in your claim. Even add another $100 for the ad design/layout. We know who will be doing that work, but hey, time is money. Charge them for the time posting here too Posted by Curtis hammond (Member # 2170) on :
Contact your public service commision. Thats whatthey do. They love to go after the phone co's. And all other utils for that matter.
Threats dont usually work. IT may or may not get their attention. But here in my state teh utils listen..
Posted by Laura Butler (Member # 1830) on :
I am with Doug on taking out a full page ad in your local paper, explaining your dilema. Like people have said, you don't know what the ripple effects would be but it can also would the opposite way. Think of the effects that a full page ad can do. That is if you can always use more work.
I know there was a time back in Sept 2000 that I didn't want the phone to ring or anyone to walk in. We literally put the both phone lines on whole and had people lined up almost out the door.
Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Doug, what a great idea.
Posted by Ray Rheaume (Member # 3794) on :
Amy,
I'd take Robert's suggestion on computing compensation, get the lines fixed Friday, and be done with it. You're covered for the down time on the phone lines and are keeping the original number.
I for one would be quite happy with that. No sense in milking it further. That's greed.
My 2 cents... Rapid
Posted by old paint (Member # 549) on :
i opted to go with additional listings in the yellow pages last year since i got 2 company names. i told the lady i wanted SIGNS HERE&NOW listed under BOAT LETTERING and TRUCK LETTERING. they have no listing under truck lettering...so they stuck me UNDER TRUCK PAINTING!!!!! they have a boat lettering listing BUT STUCK ME UNDER BOAT PAINTING!!!!!! now i get all this body shop/paint booth juck mail!!!!
[ July 17, 2003, 01:57 AM: Message edited by: old paint ]
Posted by Doug Allan (Member # 2247) on :
for the 2nd year in a row I asked to have a second ad under "STICKERS" they told me (again) that that was not a choice, so I took out an ad under "LABELS" & "DECALS" instead. Well, turns out some new guy came along & asked to be under "STICKERS" but I guess he was the magical 100th request or something, because they opened up a new catagory & he's the only guy in it. I was livid, & am now the proud owner of 2 full-year FREE ads! & to sweeten the deal, Mr. newbie sticker-man went out of busines already!
I've run my business for 7 years & I am careful what promises I make, but I honor the committments I do make, & I will pay for my mistakes if neccessary. I expect the same from those with whom I do business & that has no bearing on greed.
Posted by Marty Engel (Member # 3483) on :
Hi Amy,
Let me suggest that before you hire outside help... file a complaint with the Florida Attorney General- http://myfloridalegal.com/ and the BBB- http://www.bbb.org/. The BBB has an online form you can fill out and I am sure the Florida Attorney General has one as well. I have done it in the past, and had good results.
Best of all, these folks are already on your payroll!
Good luck,
Marty
Posted by Chris Elliott (Member # 1262) on :
Hi Amy,
I'm glad you're getting things worked out. I can sure understand what you're going through. We've seen both sides of this coin. Our yellow pages display ads & listings were published with our competiton's phone number! A few years later, their ads & listngs came out with OUR phone number!
In the funeral business, many families decide which place to call about once per generation, so it's a little tough to determine the cost of lost business. We've served many families for several generations and our competitors are in the same situation. So, in both cases, each of us relied on the other to help explain the situation if a caller seemed confused about getting us when they were calling someone else.
Everything worked out pretty well which didn't suprise me. The golden rule (treat others like you want to be treated) worked once again but I was a little surprised at how fast that ol' wheel turns around.
Kissy,
You may wear your hat backwards, but you've sure got your head goin' in the right direction!! Posted by Cam Bortz (Member # 55) on :
Pierre, Kissy just SEEMS nicer than Rosemary because everyone knows Rosemary is armed. Knowing that a pretty woman has the ability to drill you for a third eye always gets respect. (Isn't that why you taught her?) Posted by Kissymatina (Member # 2028) on :
Cam, Rosemary isn't the only one. Posted by Glenn S. Harris (Member # 2190) on :
The newspaper where I work is having a full page sale right now. These papers all kind of do things in a similar schedule so maybe your paper is too.
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A few years later, their ads & listngs came out with OUR phone number!