Friday, July 18, 2008
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Telephone Bill Warning Update
As you may have read, in January, I was being charged for telephone services, from a 3rd party biller that I did not order nor authorize. Well, I’m still dealing with it.
Today, six months after my initial contact to the FCC I receive a call, from them. You will never guess what their first question was...What do you want us to do? Well, DUH, take care of this issue. I mean geeze, ok so I had received refunds, still not for the total amount paid but I was still being charged. Believe it or not they cancelled the service the month that the FCC contacted them, they called to tell me they had spoken with the FCC and would be cancelling the service as requested, but turned around and started charging again. Oh and every time I spoke to someone they had to have a faxed copy of my bill with my full name and address on it to verify, yet again, that I was not the person on their account.
After contacting AT&T several times, they decided to set-up my account so that if a 3rd party biller wanted to bill it they had to have my authorization first. I received three calls looking for an authorization, but the name of the biller was never given. I of course didn’t accept, yet I was still being billed!? Then last month, I finally got someone at to say "OK, let's disconnect this line, luckily this was my office line that I no longer needed, and see if that fixes the issue". This is great as long as they don't find a way to charge my main account. They do that am I’m likely to get an attorney involved! But you will also love what one of the techs asked before doing the final disconnection; "do you know of anyone that could use this number so we could just transfer it to their name?" First, no I don't. Second, why would I want anyone I know to have to deal with this same issue? I mean come on the 3rd party biller is obviously going to bill whoever has that number even if they aren't the ones that requested and authorized the service. They even verified, several times I might add, that neither my name nor my address was on the account they were billing, just the phone number and then agreed that I shouldn’t be being billed. Now that I disconnected they don't have anyone to bill, I hope, but will as soon as that number is given out and these days’ numbers are given out almost as soon as they are disconnected. We had friends that moved and got a new number and a month later I was trying to call them and accidently called the old number and got the new owner of it.
So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens from here. I told the FCC, in my fax that included my phone bills, yet again, that I wanted a refund for the remaining paid balance. I also said that I want this company dealt with some how so they understood that they just can't start charging someone for services without verifying all information linked to the account, especially if it is a service ordered on-line. Also, that when they receive a call stating these services were not order nor authorized by the person being billed and after they verify all information and come to the agreement that this person did not authorize the charges and isn't on the billing information that they do as they say they will and cancel the service immediately. Not for one month and then start rebilling but permanently.
Please watch your phone bill, and cellular too for that matter, and make sure that all the charges were charges you authorized. The three companies I have to deal with are, (note: two phone numbers but one fax for all of them):
Horizon Telecom 800-736-7500
Reduced Rate LD, LLC 800-441-9678
OAN Service, Inc./Operator Assistant Network 800-441-9678
Fax number is 877-539-7924
If you find charges from these companies, start by contacting them first as it is best to have documentation that you attempted to deal with the issue before taking it further. Then try the FCC but know that it takes them a long while to respond. Of course, if all else fails get an attorney. I just hope and pray that you don’t have to deal with this issue at all!
God bless!
Today, six months after my initial contact to the FCC I receive a call, from them. You will never guess what their first question was...What do you want us to do? Well, DUH, take care of this issue. I mean geeze, ok so I had received refunds, still not for the total amount paid but I was still being charged. Believe it or not they cancelled the service the month that the FCC contacted them, they called to tell me they had spoken with the FCC and would be cancelling the service as requested, but turned around and started charging again. Oh and every time I spoke to someone they had to have a faxed copy of my bill with my full name and address on it to verify, yet again, that I was not the person on their account.
After contacting AT&T several times, they decided to set-up my account so that if a 3rd party biller wanted to bill it they had to have my authorization first. I received three calls looking for an authorization, but the name of the biller was never given. I of course didn’t accept, yet I was still being billed!? Then last month, I finally got someone at to say "OK, let's disconnect this line, luckily this was my office line that I no longer needed, and see if that fixes the issue". This is great as long as they don't find a way to charge my main account. They do that am I’m likely to get an attorney involved! But you will also love what one of the techs asked before doing the final disconnection; "do you know of anyone that could use this number so we could just transfer it to their name?" First, no I don't. Second, why would I want anyone I know to have to deal with this same issue? I mean come on the 3rd party biller is obviously going to bill whoever has that number even if they aren't the ones that requested and authorized the service. They even verified, several times I might add, that neither my name nor my address was on the account they were billing, just the phone number and then agreed that I shouldn’t be being billed. Now that I disconnected they don't have anyone to bill, I hope, but will as soon as that number is given out and these days’ numbers are given out almost as soon as they are disconnected. We had friends that moved and got a new number and a month later I was trying to call them and accidently called the old number and got the new owner of it.
So, I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens from here. I told the FCC, in my fax that included my phone bills, yet again, that I wanted a refund for the remaining paid balance. I also said that I want this company dealt with some how so they understood that they just can't start charging someone for services without verifying all information linked to the account, especially if it is a service ordered on-line. Also, that when they receive a call stating these services were not order nor authorized by the person being billed and after they verify all information and come to the agreement that this person did not authorize the charges and isn't on the billing information that they do as they say they will and cancel the service immediately. Not for one month and then start rebilling but permanently.
Please watch your phone bill, and cellular too for that matter, and make sure that all the charges were charges you authorized. The three companies I have to deal with are, (note: two phone numbers but one fax for all of them):
Horizon Telecom 800-736-7500
Reduced Rate LD, LLC 800-441-9678
OAN Service, Inc./Operator Assistant Network 800-441-9678
Fax number is 877-539-7924
If you find charges from these companies, start by contacting them first as it is best to have documentation that you attempted to deal with the issue before taking it further. Then try the FCC but know that it takes them a long while to respond. Of course, if all else fails get an attorney. I just hope and pray that you don’t have to deal with this issue at all!
God bless!
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