I first chose MCI Worldcom because an electronics store across the street from my office was running a special - the only provider they offered was MCI Worldcom. Their offer of a free phone and free carrying case and car adapter got me in the door.

I was immediately disappointed with the coverage area. I could not get reception in many of the building in NY including my office, my apartment and my boyfriend's apartment. Therefore, the phone was practically useless to me. I found that when I was in the street, I frequently experienced "dropped calls." I was in Central Park one afternoon and received 4 calls, none of which rang through. You would think that the reception would be good in a wide open place like Central Park...well, think again. In addition, there was a significant delay between the time the messages were left and when the voicemail indicator came on...on this occasion, almost an hour.

The spotty coverage aside, the primary reason that I would never recommend MCI Worldcom to anyone in NY or in any other area is their shady business practices. MCI has absolutely the worst billing practice and customer service. I was used MCI as my cellular phone provider for exactly one year and canceled the plan as soon as my contract was up.

The problem I had with their billing was that 10 out of 12 months the bill arrived at my home late, a day or two past the "due date." During the other 2 months, the bill arrived within 1-2 days of the due date so that even if I mailed the payment the same day, it would be late. I was accessed a "late fee" every month.

I called the customers service representative to complain every month. Each time I was on hold from between 5-20 minutes. The delay was due to the fact that they did not have 24 hour customer service at that time (The might have it now, I'm not sure). I'm sure the delay was also due to the high volume of complaints they get from customers each month. When I finally did get through to a representative, I was told that the delay in the mailing was due to the fact that the bills are not sent directly from MCI, but are channeled through a clearinghouse in Maryland. The bill is generated on a certain date (the date that appears on the bill) and that's the date it is mailed to the clearinghouse, not to the customer. It may take an additional 2 weeks before the clearinghouse processes and mails the bill. So, by the time, the customer gets the bill, it is either past due or close to it. I once asked the rep why they did not have a longer grace period if they are aware of the problem with the delay. She had no explanation.

The second problem with their billing is that it takes up to 2 weeks for them to process the payment once it is received. Between their delay on mailing and on processing, I doubt anyone was able to pay a bill on time. Again, it begs the question, why have such a short payment period and access late fees so ruthlessly if they are aware that the delays are caused by their own system. The only answer I can think of is that they are scamming people on late fees - counting on people not bothering to complain or not checking their bills.

When I called, they would reverse the late fees, but they always made it sound as though they were doing me a favor. Once time,they even made me fax them a copy of the envelope from the bill with the postal stamp to prove that the delay was on their end. I invested up to half an hour every month sorting out their billing mess.

I canceled service the very same day my contract expired and I will never use MCI Worldcom again.

Recommended: No

Amount Paid (US$): 39