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Frontier’s Goodbye Kiss: A $680 Final Bill for a Departing Customer

Phillip Dampier January 19, 2011 Consumer News, Data Caps, Editorial & Site News, Frontier, HissyFitWatch, Video 12 Comments

Frontier used Time Warner Cable's usage cap experiment against them in this ad to attract new customers in the spring of 2009. Now they're no better.

Stop the Cap! reader Mike in Elk Grove, California reports his departure from Frontier Communications carried a goodbye kiss he’ll not soon forget: a $680 final bill made up primarily of early termination fees:

“I just got my Frontier bill after canceling (they canceled me because I ported my number to another provider),” Mike writes.  “The bill cycle was through 2/14/2011 (my contract ends on March 6, 2011).”

The bill was for $679.72.

More than 22 months into his 24 month contract, Frontier charged him early termination fees at the same rate he would pay if he departed 14 days into his term:

  • High Speed Internet Loyalty Fee: $200
  • Netbook Term Fee: $300
  • California Unlimited Term: $200

The only reason his final bill was not higher is that he received some service credits for the partial month he was not their customer.

Needless to say, Mike is livid.  He is one of several Sacramento-area customers who received letters from Frontier threatening to terminate his Internet service if he did not reduce his usage.  When Mike ultimately decided to reduce his usage to zero and switch providers, Frontier dumped every termination fee it could find on Mike’s final bill.

But before Mike opens his checkbook, he (and any other customer gouged with early termination fees) should remember this:

Frontier cannot bill you early termination fees and expect to be paid when they unilaterally changed the terms of the contract.

From Frontier’s Terms and Conditions for High Speed Internet:

Our Right To Make Changes

UNLESS OTHERWISE PROHIBITED BY LAW, WE MAY CHANGE PRICES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS AT ANY TIME BY GIVING YOU 30 DAYS NOTICE BY BILL MESSAGE, E-MAIL OR OTHER NOTICE, INCLUDING POSTING NOTICE OF SUCH CHANGES ON THIS WEB SITE, UNLESS THE PRICES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS ARE GUARANTEED BY CONTRACT. YOU ACCEPT THE CHANGES IF YOU USE THE SERVICES AFTER NOTICE IS PROVIDED.

When Mike (among others) signed up for Frontier service, their broadband service did not carry any usage limits.  Frontier’s “price protection agreement” claims it will “lock in” your current price.  But Frontier violated their own contract when they sent letters to customers threatening to terminate their broadband service for using Internet service that had no specified usage limit and demanding they pay a higher price of up to $250 a month to continue service.  So much for “price protection.”

You are not obligated to accept Frontier’s unilateral action and can notify the company they have made a “materially adverse” change to your contract by specifying that you exceeded a never-defined usage limit (100GB), and that the company sought a price increase ranging from $99-250 to continue service with them.  If you exceeded 100GB a year ago, you would not have received this letter.  Today you will — and that is a change you need not accept.

Frontier defaulted on their obligations to you as a customer, and your recourse is to cancel the contract, penalty-free.

Frontier Communications’ outrageous term contract fees were precisely what got the company in hot water with the New York State Attorney General in 2009, and the company settled charges with refunds and waivers for those unjustly billed cancellation fees Frontier was not entitled to receive.  Apparently they have not learned their lesson.

Your response:

  1. Send a registered, return receipt requested letter to Frontier notifying them under the terms of their own contract, you do not accept the changes outlined in their letter limiting your broadband service.  Your original contract with Frontier did not include a specified usage limit and now using more than 100GB results in a request to pay more or reduce usage.  That represents a “materially adverse change” in your agreement.
  2. Under these conditions, you are exercising your right to depart, penalty-free, from your term contract with Frontier Communications.
  3. Warn Frontier that any attempt to collect early termination fees or other cancellation fees will result in civil action appropriate to protect your credit rating and will trigger a complaint with the California Attorney General’s office.
  4. Keep copies of all correspondence and record dates, times, and names of any representatives you speak with, as they will be helpful in any official investigations that follow.
  5. Also be sure to proceed with the terms found on the back your Frontier bill to protest erroneous charges, preferably in writing.  You want a paper trail and you want to protect your credit rating from any adverse collection activity.

Mike has already contacted local media about his case, which is a smart idea.  Warning other consumers about the potential costs of doing business with Frontier is likely to only further deteriorate their reputation in the Elk Grove area.  Alienating and overcharging your customers is a great way to get them to share their story with as many people they can find, and that only makes a bad company look worse.

[flv width=”360″ height=”240″]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/WROC Rochester Frontier Flagged for Not Telling Customers About Fees 10-5-09.flv[/flv]

WROC-TV Rochester reported back in October, 2009 that Frontier was on the hook for hundreds of dollars in refunds to some customers. (2 minutes)

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Mike Markov
Mike Markov
13 years ago

Nicely done, I’ve been forwarding the link

Otis
Otis
13 years ago

A lot of legal advice being dispensed here. I would certainly consult real legal counsel before assuming that this opinion holds legal water.

Mike Markov
Mike Markov
13 years ago

A follow up to this. I came home and had a message from Frontier on the machine. I guess the Calif. public utilities commission called them yesterday (I filed a complaint 2 weeks ago) and Frontier waved all early termination fees and issued a $20 credit. I called to verify and sure enough.

It was Phillips initial advice about CPUC that got me here. That $20 credit was just donated. Thanks to StopTheCap.Com !!

fred
fred
13 years ago

This is one more reason we do not want Frontier in South Carolina either.

Paul Dobbins
Paul Dobbins
13 years ago

How could Frontier charge Mike more than the two months service charge on his contract. All he had to do was “buy out” and then proceed to change carriers. I am concerned, because I just changed over to Frontier in WV, and I am already being “throttled”. I am thinking of changing to a cable provider, but I am not sure where I stand. I had connection problems with Verizon, and they continued with Frontier. Frontier convinced me to lower my speed. I was told I would not see much of a difference in my speed or quality. But as… Read more »

Mike Markov
Mike Markov
13 years ago

yeah, that bill was a shock but thanks to Phillip suggesting to go to the California Public Utilities Commision the whole things got squared away without me owing anything. I’m at the point where I would move before having Frontier as my only option. I’ll go back to dialup before that.

Jeremy Bradley
Jeremy Bradley
12 years ago

Well Frontier is a joke. I am unfortunately stuck with them here where I live in West Virginia. I had an issue where they sent me a nasty letter saying I went over my UNLIMITED phone minutes and threatened to d/cmy service etc and charge me all kinds of fees. Wrong move Charlie Brown. I called the company and raised some undoubted you know what with them. I now have a BUSINESS Line Truly unlimited everything and pay LESS than what I had been paying before. I hope more people get smart and make them pony up the best service… Read more »

Jeremy Bradley
Jeremy Bradley
12 years ago

Also Frontier has a Facebook page you can go on and post your rants and complaints, that makes them squirm seeing it all for the public eye to see. In regards to my previous post, about my upgraded service, those idiots wanted me to pay 20$ more for extra minutes, and nothing really unlimited. I demanded commercial accounts and if I hadnt got this deal would have been like 10$ more to upgrade to Business Class. Believe me, it isn’t that great of a service but it is a better deal than listening to their petty whining. I have been… Read more »

sniperboy
sniperboy
12 years ago

I have Frontier in Elk Grove. To add insult to injury, Frontier routinely adds extra charges to my monthly bill. When I complain about it, they remove the charges without an apology or admission. What a bunch of crooks. Thanks to their cat and mouse game of billing practices, I have to go through each month’s billing with a fine tooth comb. I am thinking more and more of moving to Clear Wireless.

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