ComplaintsforAnswering Service Care, LLC

• Initial Complaint

  03/30/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  While I usually avoid giving negative feedback, I need to share my recent frustration with this service.Right from the start, the phone number they provided me kept getting "robo calls" and calls that hung up right away, the problem is that they would charge me for 1 minute every single time that a someone/a robot would hang up instantly. This might not seem like a lot, but after the first month, I had 30 minutes worth of instant hangups. When I talked to them about it, they said I could pay $12 extra each month for a robo call blocker. But when I checked my phone logs, most of the calls weren't even coming from my business phone line. It seemed like the calls were being made to the number they gave me, and they were charging me for all the calls that weren't routed from my business number. It felt like they created a problem just to sell me a solution.When I spoke with ***** over the phone regarding this issue, she did suggest trying out another phone number to potentially resolve the problem. However, I declined the offer since they didn't propose refunding the money spent on the spam calls. And I didn't want to continue using the service for another month only to be charged for calls that aren't coming from my business phone number once again.When I tried to cancel the service, they told me "Per our Terms and Conditions, we do require a billing calendar's month notice so your account will be canceled and terminated 04/30/2024. The final invoice will be dated 03/15/2024 unless you incur overages during the Service Period of 04/01-04/30/2024." I had to give a full month's notice or they'd charge me for another montheven though I wouldn't be using their service. This practice reeks of deception and undermines trust in their business ethics.Overall, I'd suggest staying away from this company. The low starting price might seem appealing, but they find other ways to make money from you, and it's not worth the hassle.

  Business response

  04/08/2024

  Hello,
  
  We can definitely understand and appreciate these concerns. As we activate a phone line we do know that spam and robo calls have been a growing problem for years, impacting phone lines worldwide. We do have a spam blocker feature to prevent these types of calls from being able to get through to our service and ensure our clients are not billed for those minutes. This feature and its effectiveness is highlighted during the initial onboarding process. As an alternate solution, a new telephone number was offered that *** not have been getting impacted with spam calls like the first one did.
  
  On signup a prorated rate for March was paid, along with the service period for ****** So upon request of cancellation on March 26th, our calendar month notice would leave the line active through April without generating any additional invoices. We have also waived billing for any minutes accrued during these periods. Attached is a statement of the account showing that there is no pending balance.
  
  We are, of course, disappointed to hear this feedback and frustration and would always be open to providing an incentive to give us a second chance to work together and provide a better experience in the future. We respect the decision made and we hope we were able to provide clarity and assurance that additional invoices will not be generated.

  Customer response

  04/08/2024

   
  Complaint: 21506990
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  
  I understand that spam and robo calls are widespread problems, and I acknowledge that you offer a spam blocker feature to mitigate these issues. However, during the initial onboarding process, the effectiveness of this feature wasn't adequately emphasized to me, and the extra cost didn't make sense for my situation as my business number rarely got spam calls. The problem is that all the spam calls where calls that where done directly to the phone number provided to me, meaning it did not come from my phone business number. Additionally, while I appreciate the offer of a new telephone number, my hesitation stemmed from the lack of assurance regarding refunding the charges incurred due to the spam calls.
  
  Regarding the billing, I'm relieved to hear that no additional invoices will be generated, and I appreciate the gesture of waiving the charges for the accrued minutes during the periods in question. The clarity provided regarding the billing process is reassuring, and I'm grateful for the attached statement confirming the absence of a pending balance.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  Sebastien

• Initial Complaint

  01/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  This business continues to try to bill me for a closed account that has been paid in full. I canceled the answering service in writing on 9/26/2022 and received an email back from them on 10/5/2022 acknowledging the cancellation request. The email from Answering Service Care states that the final invoice will be dated 9/30/2022 unless I incur overage during the service period of 10/01-10/31 and I did not. The final invoice in the amount of $48.77 was paid by epay. After I emailed this information to them for the second time today they increased the amount of money they claim I owe them from $378.00 to $579.00.

  Business response

  02/07/2023

  Hi ****,

   

  Please allow me to extend apologies for this inconvenience. Our team researched your concerns and identified an incorrect setting on your account profile within our billing systems. This setting triggered monthly invoices to be generated on your account even after your cancellation in October of 2022. We corrected that issue, confirmed the account was fully terminated and wiped away all open balances. You can see from the following statement that the account is at a zero balance presently: **************************************************************

   

  Again I personally would like to apologize for this incident and the confusion it created. Unfortunately an anomaly occurred and the timeline to address was slower than anyone would like. I will be engaged in coaching with.our teams as well as dialogue with vendors to highlight and address this type of anomaly. 

   

  We wish you the very best. Please feel free to contact me with any additional questions or requests. It would be my pleasure to assist.

   

  Regards, 

   

  *********************

  COO

  Answering Service Care

  ************

  Customer response

  02/18/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******************

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