Past due balances

[Meguice]

Jurisdiction

Texas

I work for a company that offers multiple services for customers (cable, phone, internet, and streaming TV). When we sign up a current customer for an additional service (ex: they have internet and get signed up for streaming) they are told by our "verifier" they they have no past due balance. In many cases this is not true and the customer does in fact have a past due balance. This results in the customer no longer being "eligible" for the free trial we, the employees, just worked so hard to build value for and "sell" the customer on signing up for. Needless to say the customer doesn't get the service and the employees don't get credit for the sell. Aside from that, my question is that if the customer is told by an agent for the company, in a recorded call, that they have no past due balance, can the customer then dispute paying and balance they really did have at that time? In other words, if I owe you $100 and your staff member tells me I have a zero balance with you, can you then tell me that I DO owe you $100 and be made to pay it? Can I dispute the amount by saying that I was told by your employee that I didn't have a balance?

 

[adjusterjack]

You can "dispute" it till the cows come home but it won't change the fact that you owe it.

You KNOW what your balance is. You have your monthly statements. You have no excuse for not knowing so being told you don't owe doesn't mean anything.

 

[mightymoose]

Monthly account statements tell you what you owe. A comment by a sales rep means nothing.
You do not have a legal issue here. This is something to address internally within the company.
If you aren't getting credit for your work them discuss it with your supervisor.

 

[zddoodah]

if the customer is told by an agent for the company, in a recorded call, that they have no past due balance, can the customer then dispute paying and balance they really did have at that time?

Anyone can dispute anything.

In other words, if I owe you $100 and your staff member tells me I have a zero balance with you, can you then tell me that I DO owe you $100 and be made to pay it?

Yes and yes.

Can I dispute the amount by saying that I was told by your employee that I didn't have a balance?

Yes.

And if the matter ever goes to court, I'll win.