How to Sue a Cell Phone Service Provider

Had enough with your cellular service provider?  Here are the steps you need to know in order to sue them.
••• chinese woman on cell phone image by Allen Penton from

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Perhaps you were billed incorrectly on your last few cellular phone statements and you are unable to resolve the issue with your cellular carrier. Maybe you were wrongly charged a termination fee or incurred a fee that you were not notified would be on your account. If you can't get through to the customer service providers at your cellular network's office, you have a few ways of getting your money back -- and one way would be to sue the cellular company.

Gather all documentation you have regarding your service contract and agreement. You should have these filed away from the time you signed a contract with your service provider, and if not, you should be able to request copies of the signed documents through your cellular provider.

Write down conversational notes if you were talking on the phone with anyone on their customer service lines. When talking, write down times of transfers, the name of each person you spoke with, and a quick summary of what they told you during your phone call.

Compile the names, addresses, and positions of various company workers. Before filing a lawsuit, you are better off attempting to contact these people to see if they can resolve the issue before resorting to a legal attempt to receive your money back. Again, make sure you write down notes and keep documentation of your phone calls and contact with these people.

Visit your local courthouse. Depending on the dollar amounts of the money owed to you, will more than likely qualify to file a small claims suit within your state. You would have to properly file the legal paperwork and have it served on the company.

Attend the court hearing. When you file your small claims suit, you will receive information as to when your hearing will be. Make sure to appear, and if the cell phone provider does not appear at your small claims hearing, you will receive an automatic default judgment against the company and can collect on your refund accordingly.


  • Try to use all other avenues in order to resolve your problem. When on the phone with customer service, keep asking for a manager or supervisor. If they are of no assistance to you, start contacting the higher-ups within the company. Before filing a lawsuit, file a Better Business Bureau complaint (see Resources) and see if your issue can be resolved through them.