I was lured to try Ring Central because of the free 30-day trial. This was yesterday. I went ahead and signed up and received and email confirmation with an "invoice" stating that everything was a go and that my credit card would be charged June 10th.

This morning I was going over my bank account and saw that they charged me TWO separate charges on my credit card, totaling $17.00. When I called them to ask what was going on, not only was I routed to an off-shore calling center (Ugh! I HATE that!!) and transferred around and kept on hold. I was told that they went ahead and billed me because I had called and ask them to go ahead and do so!!?? That makes NO SENSE!! Why would I call a company and tell them that I don't want their trial and to go ahead and bill me!!?? I kept telling every person they routed me to that I had NOT called them and made this request and each of them asked me if I was sure. In the end, they told me that someone would call me today or tomorrow.

This is a real bummer, not only because I am disappointed by the dishonesty and lack of efficiency in handling a matter; but also because I ordered my business cards with the toll-free number right after the number was activated.

Oh no, Colleen - that sounds just awful! How frustrating!! I know how painful it can be to get caught in that offshore operator trap. They often have nothing more than a script to read back to you so it all literally goes no where.

Have you contacted your CC company for a chargeback? When a company pulls a fast one like that on us I always go straight to the bank with it.

Keep us posted on what happens-good luck!

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WOW.......Colleen, I am amazed. I have Ring Central and have had it for about 9 months and I love it!! I have not had a issue that I have not been able to get resolved.

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Rebecca Thompson
CLR Virtual Connection * fanTABulous fan pages

Well, I did receive a call back from a "supervisor." Communication was limited, because her use of English was rather shaky, but she did tell me that they are going to skip next month's billing and bill in July. I am alright with this, I suppose, but the money is not what really irritated me.

I've attended several seminars over the years that really help with handling unhappy customers. The number one rule is always to be quiet and listen to the customer's complaints. Then express some sort of understanding or appreciation of the situation. This is the quickest way to calm the customer, as their venting of the situation often brings the most relief. Then let the customer know that you will try to help them. Do not make them feel shucked off as someone else's problem. Granted, there are always the exceptions, such as the disgruntled customer who crosses the line; but this was in no way my manner. :cool:

Bottom line, I realize the credit card issue was not that big of a deal really, but I would have felt so much better if instead of continually telling me this was my fault - erroneously so - that they would have expressed regret over the situation. It would have made all the difference in the world.

Hi Colleen,

Sorry about your bad experience, it is always frustrating when things like this happen. And while you say that 'the credit card issue was not that big of a deal really', I find that I tend to react more quickly when my money is involved.

I think your reaction was perfectly justified and I would be most upset if the company then went on to try to lay the blame on me, the disgruntled customer.

I hope things improve for you from here on out!

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Kate V. Kerans
Kerans Virtual Assistance

That is not good, I am having trouble getting through to another company right now, althrough it maybe that I am contacting them on off hours but I find that they should have some sort of 24/7 call center (not off shore if they can help it), but to be able to cancel the order without hassle.

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Kristin Kuzik
www.virtualwebconcepts.com

I also use Ring Central and never had a problem with their service. It is unfortunate what happened to you. I hope everything gets resolved quickly.

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Myrlene Hoyte
www.vpadmins.com

I am sorry that you had that experience. I did consider them at one point too. I ultimately chose to go with Packtel - and I love it! $3.95/month.

I'm using phone.com and so far am satisfied. I tried Ring Central last summer and it was okay, but I wasn't really happy that you cannot cancel your account online. You are forced to call them to cancel. I also didn't appreciate that they called me mid-way through my free trial who wanted to add something to my account but I couldn't really understand what she was referring to, so I told her to just leave my account alone. I had to tell her at least three times that I did NOT want whatever it was she was offering.

Keep in mind, even though you now have a specific number that may be printed on your biz cards, there are other services out there where you can transfer your number to a new service. Typically there is a fee associated with this (about $30) but it's at least an option if you are really unhappy with the service you have.

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Kimberly
Facebook Marketing Magic!

Kimberly,

That is great to know and I will definitely keep that in mind. The thought had crossed my mind that I was perhaps stuck now because I didn't want to change my number. Thank you for the insight!