Help! $42 vague surcharge in addition to gov and other fees!

[Bionichugo]

Help!... I just got my first bill and in addition to all the plan fees, government fees, taxes and other surcharges, is a vague Verizon surcharge that raised by bill by 33%. My bill went from an outrageous 112.00 to an outrageously egregious 154.00! 154.00 a month for limited talk and limited data! How could I have comparison shopped if they slip a vague charge like that in? Of course, there is no customer service link anywhere to contest this.

A - How do I contest this?

B - How do I early terminate this contract before it bankrupts me?

Please help, my wife and I may have to eat cat food to pay for this plan... and my wife hates fish.

[Ann154]

Can you please provide a list of the individual charges you have questions about here? This is a peer to peer forum so we don't have access to user's accounts.

If this is your first bill, then there could be the activation fee of $35 plus partial month charges.

[CharmingPhlsphr]

This is actually a common misconception. Cat food is not always made from fish, but can also include lamb, beef, chicken, and grains! The dried food comes from a processing method called extrusion, where the ingredients are forces through a perforated plate or dye and the wet versions meet a lot of water consumption needs.

On a side note, the charge isn't really vague, but might be hard to find. The surcharges are going to show under the respective phone number. I personally use the website to view printable bill to see anything because it gives the full detail. Run through and check. Based on the amount, I would be inclined to believe it was an upgrade fee or reconnection charge on 2 lines of service.

[tikibar1]

And if you still can't determine what's going on, you can contact Verizon using the Contact Us button at the very top of the page (or dial *611 from your cell phone).

[Tidbits]

You got  your first bill...  You bill is pro-rated, and you pay a month in advanced.  So your charges are going to be a bit high.  It should go back down later.

[tikibar1]

Ann154 had mentioned the partial month charges, so hopefully the OP has gone through their bill and determined that that is the case.  I'd posted what I did because the OP had said:  "Of course, there is no customer service link anywhere to contest this."  Hopefully they won't have to eat cat food, although some months it's cheaper for me to pay my phone bill than to pay for the dogs' food.

[#7]

Tidbits wrote:

You got  your first bill...  You bill is pro-rated, and you pay a month in advanced.  So your charges are going to be a bit high.  It should go back down later.

Didn't you know? Verizon is supposed to give you free service the first month so you're bill isn't higher.

[Bionichugo]

Bill Period: September 09, 2012 - October 08, 2012

Need-to-Know Information | Explanation of Charges

Previous Balance

$0.00

No Payment Received

$0.00

Balance Forward

$0.00

Monthly Access Charges     Important   Monthly access charges for new accounts or existing accounts with recent plan changes may reflect a prorated (partial) month's access in addition to charges for your next month of service. Your next month's bill should be closer to what you were expecting provided there are no changes to your account. For more information, Go to Charges by Line.

$101.99

Usage Charges     Important   

In some cases, changes made to your account during a billing period may result in prorated (partial) charges and prorated allowances. You will receive a full month's allowance next month, if you don't make any additional service changes to your account. Usage charges can occur if you exceed a full or prorated allowance(s) during the billing period. Go to Charges by Line page.

Voice  The "Voice" section of your bill Includes charges for voice calls, including calls that exceed your Plan's minute allowances, 411 Search, Long Distance and other calls.	$0.00

Verizon Wireless'              Surcharges and Other Charges & Credits  Verizon Wireless Surcharges - Includes charges to recover or help defray costs of taxes and of governmental charges and fees imposed on us by the government. Other Charges and Credits - includes charges for products and services, and credits owing. More Information

$42.63

Taxes, Governmental Surcharges & Fees  Includes sales, excise and other taxes and governmental surcharges and fees that we are required by law to bill customers. More Information

$9.40

Total Current Charges  Includes all charges for your current billing period. It does not include past due charges.

$154.02

Total Charges Due by November 03, 2012

$154.02

[Bionichugo]

Now here is the interesting part...

MY SERVICE DID NOT BEGIN UNTIL OCTOBER 11 !!!!!!!!

It is not a reconnection or upgrade, and it for a single line.

I have sent emails via the "Billing" link in "Contact Us", the first two said "This service is unavailable" and the third one successfully sent has gone unanswered so far.

Thank you to everyone who responded so quickly. (except Brian68 who is a smart--- )

And especially thanks to CharmingPhilosopher for the interesting information on catfood. My wife and cat will rest easier tonight.

This is the dated Customer Agreement email copied from my hotmail box. Obviously I did not even have service during the contested billing period.

The Customer Agreement must be accepted by 10/10/2012 or you may need to place a new order.

Thank you again for choosing Verizon Wireless.

If you have received this email in error, please disregard along with any future emails you may receive on this subject.

*Choosing decline will result in cancellation of the entire order.

Editing: This was not a good example... But the "Welcome To Verizon" message is dated 10-11-12. I know for a fact I have only had this phone little more than a week, which is why I was so surprised I have to pay for a month I did not have service, not to mention the 42.00 charge.

[B33]

After Looking at a Few Bills Past our's never peaked up to that Much the highest ours got was $9.75 ) the only thing i can think of is they may have prorated it some wear.)  My suggestion is call 1-800-922-0204 and have a Rep go through it with you it might not even hurt to even Go to Financial Services..  Good Luck b33