Sholy hit Batman, Part Deux

Update: My Dad emailed me again, after playing a bit of email tag with Alltel. This just really pisses me off. It's funny, in a way, but still gets my blood boiling. Hijinks ensue.

-Owen

I should have waited until I got a response from Alltel before sending you that email. The following is a copy of my original email to Alltel, their reply, and my response to their reply.

Original email:

Why do you charge for incoming text messages? I received an unsolicited
and unwanted text message from 503-857-9254, www.weRmp3.com at 3:19 p.m. CST on 02/07/09. My cell number is registered with the National Do Not Call Registry. I intend to file a complaint with the National Do Not Call Registry for this call, as well as notify www.weRmp3.com via email
of the violation. However, I do not feel that I should have to pay for
any incoming text message, especially one of this type.

Alltel's reply:

Thanks for requesting assistance from our online support center. Below is a summary of your request and our response.

Thank you for choosing Alltel!

Subject
Text messaging charges
Discussion Thread
Response (Shawnequa J)	02/09/2009 11:02 AM
Dear Mr *Name changed to protect the mostly innocent* Thank you for your inquiry. My name is Shawnequa and I will be happy to assist you. Messages are neither monitored nor controlled for content, except for direct communication from Alltel. Only those messages confirmed to be sent or received will be applied to your bill. If you do not wish to receive text messages, you may block this feature by following the steps below. Please note that the steps below must be taken for each phone you wish to have blocked. Notifications for voice mails will not be affected Note: Our Call Centers or Online Email support teams cannot complete this transaction for you. You must utilize My Account to block all text messages. Step 1 Log in to My Account. Once logged in, information for your default line of service will appear. If you wish to make changes to another line of service follow these steps: a) Uncheck the box in the 'Account' section displaying phone number currently in focus. b) Check the box next to the phone number you want to make changes to. c) Click 'Go'. Step 2 Click "Service Plan & Features" on the middle navigation bar. Options for the default phone will appear in the middle navigation bar. If you wish to select a different phone to block text messages uncheck the box Step 3 Click "Add/Change Features" Step 4 The "Change Features" screen will be displayed. Scroll down to section marked "Text Messaging". Step 5 Check the box marked "No Text Messaging" Step 6 Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click "Done". Step 7 Click "Confirm" to confirm your changes Please let me know if I can be of further assistance. Thank you for choosing Alltel. I appreciate your business. Sincerely, Shawnequa Alltel Online Customer Service

My response:

Typical. Just like dealing with the government. First you fail to answer my question, 'why do you charge for incoming messages' and then you explain to me how to do something I never said I wanted. I have already blocked that particular number so I should not get any more messages from that company. But I still feel that I should not have to pay for an unsolicited incoming text message that is clearly telemarketing, when I am on the National Do Not Call Registry and never wanted to receive text messages that are of that type. It would be like a telemarketer calling you at home on a land line and you having to pay long distance charges for the call, even though you never wanted it. You tell me how to block all text messages, but I do not want that. I use text to communicate with my grown children often, as do they. Your handling of this situation was less than satisfactory.

I think my next correspondence will be to the Mississippi Public Service Commission.