Vonage (aka Vonage Holdings) Alters Credit Card Information, Lies, Refuses to Cancel Account Holmdale New Jersey

I had been a customer of Vonage. Their service was TERRIBLE. When I would call someone they would COMPLAIN that it was the WORST connection they had every heard, and described it as a cell-phone that was dropping out. Their fax line service NEVER did work. I had their business package which originally started at $49 /month but later became $65+. On several occasions I called them to file complaints about the service quality (LACK OFF).They would place me on hold for hours at a time and then disconnect the call. They shipped me a replacement modem claiming that the one I had been sent was defective (they charge me for that) In EARLY MAY of 2007 I called them to cancel the service and was again place on hold for over 1 hour. You can never get through to any one that can speak English and they are all reading from a script of reasons why you need to let them try to CORRECT the problem. When you ask to speak with their supervisor or for their name or extension number they REFUSE stating that they are that person and they cannot give out their name or number. When I finally got through to a live person I was told that their office was closed and I would have to call back on Monday. I did this and was told everything had been canceled. As my credit card was to expire the end of May, I felt confident that this would be the end of it. In the month of June and July, I was not billed by Vonage so I assumed that everything had been done as I had been told. On August 4, 2007, I noticed that Vonage had made a charge of $130+ on my debit card. I immediately called them and got the ROYAL a*s run around. They claimed that They claimed that the was NO RECORD of my call to them in May to cancel the service and that my account was STILL ACTIVE. I told the customer service rep that I had the ENTIRE conversation on audio tape and was willing to play it back to him at which he became VERY RUDE. I told him that they had no authorization and that this was CREDIT CARD FRAUD. They REFUSED to issue ANY REFUND. I told him that I was going to my bank and FILE a claim for the fraudulent charge at which he terminated the call. My bank issued me a refund of the charge and began a claim process. On September 26 my bank subsequent withdrew the amount from my account claiming that Vonage's credit card processor had provided them with documentation that I was WRONG and the charge was VALID. Among the items was a form showing the NEW EXPIRATION DATE for my debit card. I ask the bank how they could have gotten this and told that because the Credit Card issuers usually only change the year by 3 or 5 companies have developed programs that will attempt using that information in order to get an AUTHORIZATION and once they hit it they will update the information. Vonage's Credit Card Processor also CLAIMED that because I not called them to file a disputing their June 27th billing that the charges MUST be VALID. Not that THERE WAS NEVER ANY CHARGE POSTED to my bank debit card during JUNE or JULY. I am now in the process of CHANGING BANKS and FILING a Consumer FRAUD CLAIM with the State of Illinois Attorney General.

Michael
Rochelle, Illinois
U.S.A.