Well, the good thing about *that* is if they have no record of you, they won't try to collect the bill from you. Get that in writing! In reality, I suspect that might be rather difficult to do.
It'd be Cingular now -- AT&T Wireless no longer exists. And probably won't be resurrected per AT&T's original plans either.
Well, don't just ignore it. Pursue the issue with Alltel. Most of ATTWS went to Cingular, but large chunks of the Texas network, in particular, ended up bought by Alltel, probably due to anti-trust concerns. Alltel's headquarters are in Little Rock, Arkansas - I'd start there.
I'd address it to the Legal Department, and perhaps give your attorney a copy. If you don't get any satisfaction from Alltel, try the Attorneys General in AR and TX. But don't let it sit.
Sure wasn't the FCC spectrum cap, which was eliminated a few years ago. I'm sure it was due to anti-trust concerns, since Cingular is owned in part by SBC and SBC has a huge presence in their home state (Texas).
No, because AT&T Wireless no longer exists.
I think going after Alltel will be a better idea. Especially since the $1100 bill was from Alltel. Cingular has no control over the bills Alltel sends.
Contacting the FCC if necessary might help, but try bugging Alltel first. But do make sure they know you'll escalate to the state Attorneys General and the FCC if necessary. Also, wireless phone service isn't regulated in MOST states, but is regulated in at least a few. Find out if the Texas Public Utilities Commission, Public Service Commission or equivalent regulates wireless phone service, and if so, they may be able to help you.
Registered mail with return receipt, so you know when they signed for it. Also be aware that mail sent first class with return receipt will cause the return receipt to be sent back in usually about a week or so, but if you use Express Mail you will get the receipt back a day or two after it's signed.
(I say one or two because although Express Mail is normally guaranteed to arrive next day, there are some rural and semi-rural locations, like ZIP code 92307 -- my ZIP code -- where Express Mail is only guaranteed to arrive in two days.)
But when all is said and done, and resolved, pull a credit report anyhow. You are now entitled to one free report per year - that was a law in certain states before, but it is now a *federal* law, with all US citizens being entitled to the free report.
And remember -- as a debtor, you DO HAVE RIGHTS.
Hope this helps. Let us know how everything works out.
Steve Sobol, Professional Geek 888-480-4638 PGP: 0xE3AE35ED Company website: