Helio LLC Helio failed to disconnect phone they knew had been stolen Los Angeles California

On June 27 of this year, I had a squatter arrested from my father's house for vandalism, malicious mischief, animal cruelty, and grand theft embezzlement. Among the items stolen from my father's home was a phone from Helio, which he never even requested.

I called Helio on June 28 to tell them about the theft. I requested that the service be disconnected. I let them know that the phone had been stolen. I also provided the file number from the Carson City Sheriff. The customer service representative I spoke with assured me that the phone will would disconnected.

The next statement Helio sent me included a $125 disconnection fee. It also included over one hundred dollars in additional charges made after the phone was supposed to have been disconnected.

My father and brother called Helio in July 2007 to see why additional charges had been allowed after the phone was supposed to have been disconnected. Their response? Someone was still using it. This is hardly a shock as the phone had been stolen; a fact they had been informed of when I disconnected the phone in June 2007.

Helio said they would mail fraud documents to my address (I have power of attorney for my father). Over a month later, the documents arrived. I completed the forms in mid-September and included a long letter detailing what had happened.

I received a response from Helio last week (November 2007) in the form of a huge bill for charges they say my father owes; this would include the charges made by the thief after the phone was supposed to have been disconnected. Helio has not communicated with me in any other manner.

The phone has been disconnected, but Helio still expects payment for the bogus charges. I think not. It is outrageous to expect me to pay $125 disconnection fee for a phone that was never requested let alone hundreds of dollars for charges made after Helio was informed the phone had been stolen!

Disgusted daughter
Inglewood, California
U.S.A.