dunroving

As it is 5 a.m. and I'm up early (couldn't sleep – pooch and I leave for Washington Dulles in 3 hours for the final trip), I thought I'd recount, for those of you considering Lingo.com as an internet phone service that they are a bunch of robbers!

Here's the situation:

To cancel service with Lingo, you have to call (you can't cancel using your online account management features). Currently, hold/wait times are as long as 30 minutes or more.

You can not notify Lingo in advance that you wish to discontinue service (i.e., when you call to cancel service, it is effective immediately).

Lastly, and this is the kicker, Lingo will charge you for up to a month of service AFTER your date of cancellation (even though you will not have access to that service because your account is cancelled)!

Oh, and by the way, if you pay by automatic debit from your credit card, you can not stop payment!

Unbelievable! I was on the phone (after waiting on hold 45 minutes) with the service rep for over an hour because I was so dumbstruck. I almost didn't twig when she said "You will receive a final bill in about 10 days, blah blah," but something made me ask what service period it would cover "Errrr, July 10th thru August 10th".

She tried giving me all the usual company BS about being "unable to interrupt the billing cycle", "it's contained in the agreement you signed when you signed up for Lingo", etc. I asked her several personal questions such as "Now honestly, how may legal agreements have you read AND understood before you signed them – honestly?" Of course she had no answer.

So I went to my bank to cancel the credit card automatic debit and was shocked to learn they COULD NOT CANCEL IT! The only "authority" to cancel the electronic debit is the company! So, all you folks who are paying for utilities, phone, cable, etc., by automatic monthly debit from your credit card, watch out!

So, on the basis of this, I would say "Stay away from Lingo" Any company that uses such outrageous snare tactics does not deserve to call itself an internet phone "service".

FYI, below is an email I sent in reply to their Customer Service email confirming cancellation of my account:

I wish to put it on record that at the time I called to cancel service for account # xxxxxxxx (tel. 252 xxx-xxxx) that (a) I was given no option how to cancel service, i.e., it had to be done on the phone, and (b) I was given no option when cancellation would occur, i.e., I could not call in advance of my desired cancellation date. Therefore in order to discontinue service at the time I left the country, and at the end of my paid-up period of service I had to call on 7/10/06. My service was thus cancelled and discontinued on 7/10/06 and my last day of service was 7/9/06. Currently, I have already paid for service up to 7/9/06.

I should therefore not be liable for service from 7/10/06 as service was not provided from this date onwards. If my credit card is charged for any Lingo service from 7/9/06, I will dispute such a charge as no service was offered from that date, and I was given no possible means by Lingo to cancel my service prior to the date of discontinued service (i.e., I was not able to call a month ahead of time, or use online account management utilities to notify you in advance that I wished to cancel my service effective 7/10/06).

I therefore DO NOT GIVE YOU PERMISSION TO USE MY VISA CARD ENDING xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx to levy further charges on my account for any service period including 7/10/06 and onward from that date. This supersedes and replaces any prior agreement with your company regarding the use of my credit card by Lingo.com. This card may only be used with my permission to obtain payment for services provided PRIOR TO 7/10/06 such as calls to U.K. mobile phones or premium numbers.

Ray

That has always been the case ...

Angry White Pyjamas

Welcome to the USA! Or in your case, goodbye to the USA.

All the above is standard business practice here...

Voltore

AFAIR that is/was the case back home too, auto payment through a credit card. That's why we prefered Direct Debit/Standing Order etc.

Isn't Lingo run by Primus? They stiffed me when the added a low usage fee and told me after they added it. Didn't take long to dump them

Angry White Pyjamas

Yea it is...DD is a much better way to go in the UK..but here the gag is the same with DD as auto pay...the only person that can stop the payments is the recipient.

I believe Lingo is run by Primus - which is a Cannuck company.

Ray

I used to have a primus stove............

Angry White Pyjamas

For brewing up on those looong dull stints of waiting and watching...from the car park attendants huts in Tesco's carpark

Ray

Exactly right ......then the good times came ..the microwave ...

Angry White Pyjamas

Aahh Pot Noodle and instant hot coffee...the car park attendants best friends.

Taffyles

Have a safe trip home Dunroving- best of luck to you and hope you keep in touch when back in Blighty.
Thanks for the heads up with Lingo- I"ll still continue to use them because their service is so good and has saved us a fortune in international calls even if they tack on a month's charge if I ever cancel.

Sarah

Is it standard practice to continue to charge you for service even after you've cancelled it though? I'd like to know as I'm thinking of getting something like this soon.

Ray

Read the contact ... People even download programs without reading what they lets themselves in for ..

snowbunny

Depends on your contract. Also depends on cancelling on a "billing cycle" beginning/end -- you may have to cancel early (and do without service) so that you cancel on a billing cycle boundary.

fatbrit

This is standard US practice -- how bloody long have you been in America?

Also, pissin' you about with stoopid contracts is pretty standard over here if you've never noticed!

Dispute the charge with the card issuer when the bill arrives. You have more ammunition if it's a credit card rather than a debit card.

nottslad

Most customer service for VOIP providers ain't that great. Sorry to hear you got robbed and hopefully someone else learns from your nightmare story.

I used to have lingo myself. They weren't bad but I found a better deal.