A Silicon Valley woman said the tech company sent her to a debt collection agency after she didn't pay about $200 in cancellation fees.
Maria said she was having problems with her laptop and needed a computer technician's help to fix the issue. “I thought maybe it was infected with malware or something,” she explained.
She said a family member found Carl's Technology online and sent her the information so she could inquire online and then received a call from a representative.
“I had a bad feeling before the call ended, so I called back within 10 minutes and cancelled the appointment,” Maria said.
Maria thought that was the end of it until she received an invoice from the company stating that her reservation had been cancelled and she owed $187.50.
“This is ridiculous!” Maria claims she made a reservation on the same day she called, but then immediately called back to cancel within 10 minutes of booking.
Maria said she received multiple emails, phone texts and messages informing her that her payment was late, and two weeks after receiving the bill, she received a letter in the mail from an Arizona-based debt collection company.
The letter said she owed money to the tech company. “I was kind of shocked when I saw that letter in the mail,” Maria explained. “I was really angry that they were trying to charge me this money when I'd cancelled an appointment and there was no paperwork.”
Not knowing what to do, Maria reached out to Let ABC15 Know for help. The tech company didn't return the team's calls and emails, so we contacted a debt collection agency.
The store manager quickly cancelled Maria's debt and said that if she had disputed the amount of the debt, the debt would have been forgiven. According to federal law, debt collectors are not allowed to argue or harass consumers about debts.
They must also provide information showing that the consumer owes a debt.
The debt collection company manager also said that in Arizona, there is no specific amount of time the company must wait before sending a consumer to a debt collection agency. “I was really relieved that I was able to cancel and that it didn't negatively impact my credit,” Maria said.
We contacted Karl's Technology again to get an answer, and we spoke with a customer service representative who explained the cancellation policy and said they make all customers aware of the cancellation policy via phone.
Customers can choose to cancel and pay or reschedule, which includes the company's hourly service fee of $125 per hour plus $62.50 for gas and cancellation fees.
The spokesperson also said that they have seen a number of issues with customers cancelling and that the company has the right to charge a fee.
Yes, as a business they have the right to charge whatever amount they want, but is it fair? Is it good customer service? What do you think?
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