Cingular ATT Wireless ripoff requesting money for already paid and nonexistent, already paid charges without sending an actual bill Wichita Falls Texas

I closed my account with Cingular in late December. My company offered to give me free phone service through Verizon and handled the payment of the $180 early cancellation fee. I paid the final monthly bill in early January 05 and never recieved a bill since then.

Suddenly a couple of weeks ago I recieved a "payment request" from Cingular telling me I have $285 due immediately. I called them and they agreed to send me a detailed billing summary.

The summary arrived in a large envelope. All it showed was my final monthly bill of approximately $39, which I paid (have proof on my credit card statement). A few days later I recieved a letter from a collection agency telling me I have to pay them $335!

To sum it up:
1. Closed account, paid all fees required at the time
2. Recieved no bill since the final payment early January 04
3. Suddenly I owe $335?!

A similar incident has happened to my mother who cancelled her AT&T account and paid in full almost a year ago. Around the same time I got the "money request" from Cingular, she got a letter from a collection agency demanding nearly $300! Seems like these people are out to squeeze every last time from dissatisfied customers who have decided to switch to other services.

Kyle
Carlstadt, New Jersey
U.S.A.