I am having billing problems with my cellular phone provider since
December 2001..  The service is AT&T, but the billing is thru
WORLDCOM.  My efforts have been fruitless in dealing with WORLDCOM at
their customer service 800 phone number.  Is there some other higher
level management customer service individual, I can contact to resolve
problems with my contract and service?

Hello asdb-ga.

If there is a silver lining to the problems with Worldcom, it has not
been detected by consumers, investors, the government regulatory
agencies or even Worldcom itself.

You are not alone in your billing frustrations with Worldcom. In fact,
you might consider yourself a droplet of water in the ocean of misery
of Worldcom consumers.

My grandkids watch this odd cartoon on TV.  The main character is
called Catdog. You might have seen it.  The cartoon animal consists of
the front part of a dog merged with the front part of a cat. This
should be the logo of the merged MCI-Worldcom company. One does not
know where the other is going or what it is doing. If cat moves
forward, dog is dragged.  Likewise for forward movement by the dog.

In the hope that you might start to understand this national
nightmare, I begin by offering a few articles on the billing problems.

1. Online update: Can the telecom giant unsnarl its byzantine billing
system to soothe customers and the
SEC?http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,3959,10543,00.asp

2. "the two systems(within Worldcom) have never been integrated. So
customers may receive separate bills for existing data and voice
services from each of the main systems. In addition, they may get
separate bills from any of nine additional minor legacy billing
systems left over from earlier business acquisitions. All told,
WorldCom can't yet promise a single, unified bill to customers."
""We do our best to give them a consolidated view if they have bills
on the old account," says Michael Marcellin, WorldCom's director of
eCRM product marketing.

Dzubeck says WorldCom's best isn't enough. He says the company needs
to invest in one billing system."They need to bite the bullet," he
says. And soon. "

http://www.baselinemag.com/article2/0,3959,13398,00.asp

3.
"Too many computer systems from so many companies likely led to an
excessive number of billing errors, employees and customers say. Sales
teams overlapped and fought each other for the same business. WorldCom
business customers wondered which part of WorldCom it was to do
business with."
 http://www.newbusinessnews.com/story/04160201.html

4. "To: MCI WorldCom Long Distance 

The world thrives on communication today, which is why I'm so upset
with the billing or payment at MCI WorldCom Long Distance. Quite
honestly, I'm furious about this issue"
http://www.planetfeedback.com/sharedLetters/viewLetter/0,2936,102400-9-0-0-20-0-fb_date-desc-189217-0,00.html

"I asked to be let out of my contract due to breach of contract and
she said oh I'll let you out of it when you pay the 200 dollar charge
per phone( I have 2 phones with these people). No wonder the company
is in trouble with the SEC for fraud. If I ran my business like they
do I would have had to file for bankruptcy years
ago"http://www.planetfeedback.com/sharedLetters/viewLetter/0,2936,102400-9-0-0-20-20-fb_date-desc-186065-0,00.html

RATHER THAN CONTINUE WITH THESE TRAGIC STORIES OF DISSATISFIED
CUSTOMERS,  I think you would enjoy reading the many many complaints
filed at this site.
There is some comfort in knowing that your billing miseries is shared
with an enormous number of unhappy Worldcom customers.

http://www.planetfeedback.com/sharedLettersList/0,2941,102400-9-0-0-20-0-fb_date-desc,00.html

5. "WORLDCOM WIRELESS: MY DAUGHTER SET UP A CELL PHONE FOR HERSELF
UNDER MY NAME. AFTER I FOUND OUT AND CALLED THE COMPANY, THEY
EXPLANINED THE PHONE BILL WOULD ONLY BE $42.97 per month........ NOW
THE 3 MONTHS HAVE LASPED AND NOW THE BILLS ARE 320.00 PER MONTH I
IMMEDIATLY CANCELLED THE ACCOUNT BUT I AM SUPPOSE TO PAY 1,758.00 IN
PHONE BILLS FOR THOSE 3 MONTHS THAT WE WERE NOT GETTING ANY BILLS.
THIS WAY YOU COULD NOT SEE YOUR BILL WAS SO EXUBERANT AND CANCEL ANY
SOONER"
http://www.complaints.com/february2002/complaintoftheday.february13.1.htm

6. LOVELY SITE.
  I think you will really enjoy this site as it has recorded
conversations of a customer's attempt to deal with Worldcom's billing
problems:

"Correcting the Problem 
Apparently my posting of my recorded conversations with WCOM has
gotten noticed. I've already gotten a call from middle management who
informed me that higher ups are listing to the recordings.
So, message to WCOM. In the spirit of being fair and reasonable, I
will post and letters you send me as to what WCOM is doing to ensure
that this never happens again to business customers. In particular,


I will post if and when you get my billing straightened out. 
How the transition back to Bell goes at the end of the month. 
If you are willing to compensate me for my time, effort, my down time,
and pay me a consulting fee for solving this problem. "
http://www.ctyme.com/mci/

7.

"here's a tip for billing problems 

by wisy77 | May 24 '02 (Updated May 24 '02) 

Pros: decent coverage (that's not a really a pro, but i'm trying to be
generous

Cons: billing, customer service, phone (may or may not be Worldcom's
fault)

The Bottom Line: When they do bother to send you the bill, it takes an
accountant to understand it.

Recommended: No 

As of now, among people who have experience w/ different carriers,
MCI/Worldcom's billing issues have hit legendary status. They send you
a bill about once every 4 months and by then, you have NO idea what
the different charges are for & if they're valid or not. It's also
tough coming up w/ $150 for each phone bill all of a sudden. If you're
a little late, which may be understandable considering that their lack
of promptness confuses your budget, they'll let loose the collection
agents on you. Hey, their bills were MONTHS late, do they have a right
getting so mad when we're a little late paying? If you call customer
service, they will just give you different variations on "We don't
care, where's our money?" I guess MCI's "merger" w/ Worldcom is
causing them difficulties.

On the radio on the Tom Moreno show (the name of the show escapes me,
but I think that's it), they said if you threaten MCI w/ breach of
contract for their non-compliance w/ billing, customer service will
start giving you leeway. I supposed someone actually read the fine
print & learned something."

http://www.epinions.com/content_65008799364

8. Another nightmare:

"MCI Billing Hell
Source: The Providence Journal 
Publication date: 2001-02-13
Arrival time: 2001-02-14

I got a phone bill from a phone company that is not my phone company.
It was for around $50. I studied it and realized I was being conned.
Someone had baldly set up a fraudulent account in my name.
This was early last summer. The company was MCI-WorldCom. Dutifully, I
called to report it. It took a while to get through. A recording gave
me six options, and when I punched one, I got another six options. I
kept reaching reps who didn't understand anything except whether I was
paying by check or credit card. Finally, I reached one who said she
would pass it on to the fraud department. "

OF THE MANY WEBSITES I'VE MENTIONED YOU SHOULD READ THIS ONE.  IT IS
TRAGIC COMEDY.
http://www.thedigest.com/more/125/125-040.html

9. "Still, Vandeventer said, when he found an error in a client's
favor and recommended a reimbursement or the erasure of an incorrect
billing, his superiors often failed to respond. He said no one
apparently wanted to take responsibility for an error.

He worked for WorldCom from November 1998 until March, when he
resigned. "I just got so frustrated," he said. "
http://www.naplesnews.com/02/07/business/d801682a.htm

10. Right about now, asdb-ga, you might have realized that your query:

"Is there some other higher level management customer service
individual, I can contact to resolve problems with my contract and
service?"

has been answered for you by innumerable frenzied Worldcom customers
in the sample websites I provided here.

There just doesn't seem to be any light at the end of those Worldcom
optic fibers!
Worldcom exists, but nobody seems to be home especially when it comes
to professional customer support.

In your situation, I would go to the top. I would email Mr. Bush at
President@whitehouse.gov as well as cc's to your congressman, your
senator, the FCC.  When Goliath ignores and abuses David, then the
rock of government agencies should be tossed at him.

President@whitehouse.com
http://www.senate.gov/senators/index.cfm
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW.html
http://www.ftc.gov/(File a complaint online)

Contacting your government servants for help is not a waste of time.

In the past, I have filed a complaint with the FTC. They responded
with an email contact by a real person within 48 hours.  Very nice.

In the past, I have emailed president@whitehouse.gov to complain about
abusive behavior at my kid's bootcamp facility on a Georgia military
base. Slow, but within 5 months, the military commander sent me a
formal letter to the effect that an investigation was being started as
ordered by the White House.


Brad-ga

Asdb,

A Presidential edict would certainly get WorldCom's attention, but as
Brad points out, it may take a while for this to happen and filter
down to you.

In the meantime, you might look in your local Yellow Pages for a
regional WorldCom office in your area. Give them a call (talk to the
operator) and ask them what living, breathing person you should talk
to. Try to get more than one name.

Try to be patient and pleasant through all of this. Given WorldCom's
present troubles and personnel layoffs, there will probably be even
fewer Customer Service personnel available. Those "fortunate" enough
to remain are under even greater job pressure, but they are still the
primary individuals that will be able help you.

Work with them as much as possible to resolve your billing problems.

Hope this helps,
Huntsman

Some very good suggestions here, asdb, many of which would be
worthwhile pursuing.

One other thing you may try is to write a detailed letter about your
situation and mail it return receipt requested to both Worldcom's and
AT&T's offices in your area or to their resident agents, if available,
and CC: their headquarters as well. (A return receipt is about $2. You
could send the receipt versions to the local offices/resident agents,
and send the copies to HQ via regular mail, if you don't want to spend
the money.) Do save the receipts and a copy of the letter, and keep
detailed records of everything that happens in the event that you
decide you have cause to take them to small claims court.

In your letter, describe your situation in detail, and tell them what,
within reason, you'd like them to do to resolve the situation. It
might work, it might not, but it will likely get the attention of
someone in a slightly better position to do something about it.

Good luck.

If you would like to keep up on WorldCom news and developments, check
out this third-party Web site:

WorldCom News
http://www.worldcomnews.com/