Grande Communications Took Collection Action Before Final Bill Was Sent San Marcos Texas

My husband and I decided to switch from Grande Communications to another cable company, since we were dissatisfied with our cable tv/internet service from Grande. I received a bill from Grande on 7/7/13 which stated that I owed over $700 to Grande, which was inaccurate, as they were charging me for equipment that I had already returned. I tried to go online to see if my final bill was accurately reflected on their website, so I could pay it, but found out that I no longer had access to my account online. So, I waited for them to send my final bill in the mail.

I just received a notice in the mail from a COLLECTION agency, which is actually connected with Grande but is in a different department. They have tacked on an additional $40 to my final bill of $191. I haven't even received my final bill, and already I'm being charged a collection fee !

I called Grande to resolve this matter with them, stating that I would gladly pay the amount that I owe if they would simply waive the $40 fee. I explained that I had never received a final bill, and was not going to pay over $700, which is what the most recent bill stated I owed.

I was told several different things by three different people at Grande. The first person I spoke with told me that I was charged a collection fee because my account was 90 days past due. That simply is not true. This woman also told me that, if I called the collection agency, perhaps they could waive the $40 fee.

I called the collection agency. They stated that they were not the ones who added the collection fee, and therefore they could not waive it.

I called Grande back and asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor told me that the collection fee was added because the cable service had been disconnected for 30 days, and that it was "standard practice" to refer an account to collections after that time. I explained to him that I had yet to receive an accurate final bill, and he stated that the bill that I received in July WAS my final bill, and that I was supposed to know somehow that all I had to do was subtract the equipment fee from the rest of the charges, and pay the difference. 

Keep in mind that I have paid my bill regularly at the end of the month for the entire time I had Grande service, until it was disconnected. Anyone who worked at Grande could look at my account and see my payment history.

So, despite three phone calls in which I explained my side and offered to pay the full amount that I owed as long as the fee was waived, no one, not even the supervisor, has been able to waive the collection fee. I am now stuck with paying an additional $40 for no good reason.

I told the supervisor that I would tell everyone I knew NOT to use Grande services, and I am keeping my word.

BEWARE of Grande Communications. Their internet service is slow and inconsistent, and their customer service STINKS. If you have them and you choose to go with another company, don't be suprised if your final bill is inaccurate, and don't expect to get an accurate bill before being sent to collections.