It’s always fun to get mysterious charges on your bill and then not get a response as to what said fee is for. And by “fun,” we of course mean, incredibly frustrating. Such is the case for Consumerist reader Donald, who’s having a mite bit of trouble getting Charter to cough up a good excuse.

Donald says he is suffering the consequences of never paying a charge of $449 that showed up on his bill in 2009. He says when he called Charter, they couldn’t answer what the fee was for. He refused to pay, and they disconnected his service.

Now though, it’s all coming to a head again. Writes Donald:

In August of the this year, I decided I wanted HD channels and Charter is my only option. I reached executive customer support through a post on their Facebook page. I wanted to know what this mysterious charge was for.

After a 2 month investigation, they “solved” this for me. They claimed the debt was valid and offered to send proof in the mail.

The proof they sent me? It was nothing more than a bill from 2009 that showed a previous balance of $449.11. Still, no explanation of what it was for.

In 2009, I was paying $44.99 a month for service. This charge equaled nearly 10 months of service for an account I’d had for only a total of 6 months. And until that charge showed up, my bill had been paid in full.

I complained again through their Facebook page, and got this as a reply:

Hi, Donald.
I am sorry you are frustrated. Please let us know if we can help you in the future!
Thanks.
Emily

No HD for me. At least I’m not missing out on the NBA games yet.

You’ve gotta love the, “Oh man, bummer that you are so upset. Good luck with that, have a nice life!” customer service reply. Help in the future? How about right now, when there’s a problem?

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