ComplaintsforClear Rate Communications, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  01/11/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  ClearRate Communications fraudulently setup an account for telephone services for my 93 year old ************ in December 2023. He has now received two bills, one overdue and his account is bogus and no services have ever been set up or received. Prior communication said his phone line was ported from ATT to Clear Rate. This was done without customers knowledge.

  

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  Dear *****************************, 

  Thank you for mediating on behalf of our customer. Unfortunately, this complaint does not have enough information for me to pull up an account here at ******************** Rate. I need the account holders name, account number, and telephone number. The phone number and address on this complaint are not related to any account that I have on file. If you have any questions, please email me directly. 

  Sincerely,

  *********************
  
  Customer Happiness Advocate
  ********************
  **************************************************************************; 48084
  Toll Free: **************
  Fax: **************
  *****************************************
  

  

  Business response

  01/17/2024

  Hi ********, 

  The phone number on this complaint only has 9 numbers so I can't call the person who filed the complaint to get more information.

  *********************
  
  Customer Happiness Advocate
  ********************
  **************************************************************************; 48084
  Toll Free: **************
  Fax: **************
  *****************************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  10/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Billing Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I have canceled service from clear rate and paid bill in full according to the lady I talked to after my last complaint through bbb. And now got a bill today stating we owe $40 and haven't had service since August. Talked to another lady today that was rude and told me she didn't know why they charged me a reconnect fee and could only remove $25 of the bill. WE DO NOT HAVE CLEAR RATE SERVICE...

  

  Business response

  10/05/2023

  Dear *****************************, 

  Thank you for mediating on behalf of our customer. I contacted ****************** because I show that my supervisor waived the balance on the account on 10/03/2023. I called ****************** and he advised as long as the balance was waived, he has no issues. If there are any other questions, or concerns, please respond directly to me via email. 

  Sincerely, 

  *****
  Complaint Administrator
  Clear Rate Communications, Inc.
  ****************************************************
  **** **  48084
  Toll Free: **************
  Fax: **************
  *****************************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Entered by BBB staff LO Consumer has been trying to contact the business to cancel service. Every time she talks to someone they tell her they are going to cancel service but they have to send her a form first. The consumer never received the form and that was a week ago.

  

  Business response

  09/19/2023

  Dear *****************************, 

  Thank you for mediating on behalf of our customer. ****************** ported her service away on 8/22/2023 and account is closed and has a credit of $18.15 which she should receive in a check within 90 days of account closing. If you have any other questions, please email me directly. 

  Thank you, 

  *****
  Complaint Administrator
  Clear Rate Communications, Inc.
  **************************************************************************; 48084
  Toll Free: **************
  Fax: **************
  *****************************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  05/25/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My 80 year old father says he did not give permission for his phone to be changed from century link to clear rate. This happened without his permission and caused issues. He has medical personnel and family that could not get a hold of him. This was definitely not something he would have done since he lets me take care of all business dealings.

  

  Business response

  05/26/2023

  Dear *****************************, 

  I have sent an email to *********************** at ************************ requesting the name, address, and telephone number of her father as she has not included that information in her complaint. I have no way of pulling up the account to respond to this complaint. I am waiting on her response before I can answer this complaint. 

  Thank you, 

  *********************
  Complaint Administrator
  Clear Rate Communications
  ************************************** Suite 450
  ****,******** 48084 
  ************

• Initial Complaint

  11/29/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Sept 16, 2022 I was contacted by phone by an individual who claimed to from my current phone service provider. The caller said they were calling us because we are a valuable customer of Frontier **********************, so they would like to offer us a "carrier rate discount". I confirmed that they were with my current provider and they said yes and also stated this discount would not change our services in any way. This was just an offer Frontier was offering to valuable customers. During this call they asked me to be recorded for this discount. Of course, I was surprised that a current vendor was offering a discount, but the caller assured me this was a legit discount offer through Frontier. On 10/13/22 I received a credit from my current provider, Frontier Communications. This sparked me to call them to ensure everything was okay with our service. I was then informed that our phone service had been switched to Clear Rate Communications on Sept 16th. I shared with the Frontier rep that the caller had misrepresented themselves as being with Frontier. The Frontier rep assured me that the caller was NOT with Frontier and this had happened to several other Frontier customers. I requested to be switched back to Frontier, since I never intended to switch in the first place. I also contacted Clear Rate on this day to cancel service with them and be switched back to Frontier. This rep assured me this was taken care of. On 10/20/22 - I contacted Frontier to ensure our service had been switched back. They confirmed it was switched back on 10/13/22. I also called Clear Rate to protest the bill they had sent us. I shared that their rep had misrepresented themselves as being with ************ did not authorize a provider change. The rep said someone would call me back to resolve this issue.I have made multiple calls to Clear Rate since this, with no resolution. No one has called me back to discuss this ongoing issue. I can provide details for each call if this will help.

  

  Business response

  12/01/2022

  I have reviewed the submitted complaint regarding the telephone service for ************************** concerning their recent conversion or service. On 9/13 a sales representative received an order to convert 3 lines of service at the location which completed on 9/16. we recieved no contact from the customer until the service had ported away as of 10/20. It was at this time we advised the customer that the order was placed and authorized and a *** was completed which clearly states that customer is agreeing to and authorizing a change of carrier which was followed by a subsequent quality assurance call to once again verify order details and authorization. The customer was advised that ********************** is a CLEC which provides wholesale service over LEC equipment which appears to be what caused the customer confusion surrounding the change of carrier. The customer called back on 11/23 regarding the final bill. The customer was advised again of the 12 month contract and the early termination fees it carries which they agreed to on the initial *** call. 

• Initial Complaint

  11/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Clear Rate Communications apparently called & spoke to my father who has dementia about changing phone companies and then took our phone service from our current provider. We were unaware of this and so was my father since he can't remember things. Within a month, Clear Rate sent us an enormous phone bill and we realized what had happened. We then called Clear Rate & told them we did not want to switch companies and explained my father has dementia and wanted to switch back. They said we had a two year contract with them, though nothing was signed. Clear Rate then closed our account and put a BLOCK on our number so our prior phone company would be unable to port the number back. When I call Clear Rate they simply say our account has been closed and won't help with unblocking the number. I want the number UNBLOCKED so we can get our phone back. With an elderly father, we need to have access to a working phone and it has been 4 months that the phone hasn't worked properly.

  

  Business response

  12/01/2022

  I have reviewed the submitted complaint regarding the service for the telephone number **********. On 7/8/2022 a sales representative received an order to convert the above listed number to Clear Rate Communication for their local and long distance telephone provider. The customer contacted us on 8/22/2022 stating that they did not want Clear ************ and they did not place an order to convert. The customer was advised of the *** on file providing authorization and advised the process to port their services to their preferred provider. Time of the call the customer made a payment of ***** for their first 2 months of service. We then received no contact from the customer until 11/28 when they called concerning a local suspend due to no payment. It was at this time that they made the payment on their past due balance and an order was placed to restore service. At no time was a block placed on the customer's number, the issue they have encountered porting the number were due to the suspension of service. 

  Customer response

  12/07/2022

  [A default letter is provided here which indicates your rejection of the business's response. 
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of why I am rejecting this response appear below:
  
  The TPV on file providing authorization that you are referencing would have been made by my father who has dementia and if he did approve anything, he did not know what he was saying or doing as I explained in my prior email. When I called in August to have the number ported back and we paid the $90.00, I was awaiting my prior phone company to finalize the port, however after multiple attempts by them over the next two months, my prior phone provider found they were unable to port the number because they stated the IT personnel could physically SEE the block on the number and were unable to port the number back out.  Since the phone had not been working for weeks, we assumed no bills were being mailed!!!!!  So after I called Clear Rate multiple times, and even got HUNG UP ON by a rep, I finally found there was an over due balance which I paid on November 28.  Again, we were not aware bills were being mailed because my father has dementia and was throwing all his mail away.    Now since paying the bills, I was told in 3 to 10 days, the phone would be turned back on.  Today is day 10 and so far, the phone is still not working.  Every time we call Clear Rate they state it will be fixed "tomorrow", but so far it has not been.  My father is like I stated, elderly and has dementia and NEEDS to have a working phone!!!  Waiting 10 days to simply "turn on" a phone number is totally unacceptable.    And if you want to provide quality service to people, you should do your best to meet their needs and having to wait 10 days for a phone is not a quality service.  I am continuing to call daily until the number is restored so I can have my prior company port the number out. 
  

   

   
  Regards,
  
  *************************

• Initial Complaint

  10/26/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Terrible customer service since the day I agreed to hire their company. They never returned to convert the internet service over to their wiring. The fax machine has not worked since the install. One of the 4 lines is not functioning. Forwarding in house from extension to extension isnt working properly. **** has been in touch with the company to port the numbers back to their service which I previously had and they will not return ****s call. The list goes on and on.

  

  Business response

  11/15/2022

  Clear Rate Communications recently installed a 100Mb Symmetrical Fiber Connection and a Hosted PBX Phone System for **Dry System of Southeastern *******.
  
  We waived the Installation cost of $298 and the Inside Wiring cost of $738.80 as a courtesy to ***************The work included running new drops to each desk which is required in order for the new Hosted PBX phone system to work.
  
  Clear Rate will release the telephone numbers over to AT&T once the *** request is received. It appears that 3 of the 9 active numbers on the account are included in an *** Request that Clear Rate received from AT&T on 11/11/2022. That is the only *** Request that Clear Rate has received from AT&T regarding the port out of any numbers on the **Dry System of Southeastern *******. account.
  
  When a customer is experiencing trouble with one of their services it is the customers responsibility to call in and report the service concern, once a ticket is opened our Network Operations Team will review/troubleshoot  the service concern. Although ******* states that there has been trouble with the fax line and the internet connection, ******* did not contact our customer service or business support teams to open a repair ticket related to an internet concern.******* did call in on 9/12 & 9/13/2022  with a service concern of calls going straight to Voicemail and the Caller ID not showing up on the phones. A ticket was opened up for each of those concerns and both were resolved in a timely manner.
  
  Clear Rate Communications followed our standard protocol as it relates to complex service installation.******* has been belligerent and unresponsive at times while the service was being installed and made it difficult for both the service delivery team and field teams to work with him.
  
  
  Thank you,
  
  *********************************
  Enterprise Account Manager II
  2600 ****************. Suite 450
  ****, ******** 48084 
  Office/mobile: ************
  Fax:  ************
  
  Tell ** why here...

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