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PHONE BILL CRAMMING: “NO, IT’S NOT BECAUSE YOU PROCRASTINATE!”

If you looked at your phone bill and didn’t know what the charges were and paid then anyway, you are a good target for phone bill cramming! Phone bill charges confusion turns thousands of concerns into phone bill cramming victims every year. It’s one of the fastest growing complaints filed with the FCC.

Phone bill cramming is the illegal practice of placing unauthorized, deceptive or misleading charges on phone bills. Most of the time, these phone bill charges are buried in the phone bill or are worded using official sounding names.

To avoid being crammed you need to inspect your phone bill. Look for charges and services that you didn’t request or ones that are defined in general terms like: Service Fee, Service Charge, Expanded Calling Features, Voice Mail and Membership. These phone bill charges may be legitimate but you are only responsible for them if you authorized them.

The following are the FCC’s top recommendations on how to prevent being a phone bill cramming victim:

• Review your phone bill every month.
Read each line and make sure you know the names of the companies listed. Double check their rates are what you were told originally. Also, make sure there are not phone bill charges for calls you didn’t make or services you
didn’t authorize.

• If a description of a service on your bill is unclear call the company that charged you and ask them to explain it. Before you sign up with any kind of Internet or telephone service provider, read all of the forms and promotional information available. Don’t overlook the fine print on any material.

• Finally, use your power as a consumer to get the best deal possible. If you think you are being charged incorrectly, start shopping for a better telephone service provider.

If you think you have been the victim of phone bill cramming, you should call the company that charged you and ask for an explanation. If the phone bill charges are unauthorized, ask for an adjustment. Then call and report the phone bill charges to your local telephone company and then ask how to remove these charges from your phone bill.

If you still can’t get the matter resolved you should file a written complaint with the FCC. Most complaints are resolved prior to this, because the FCC has the power to levy heavy fines on the company placing unauthorized charges.

If you’re a victim of an unresolved phone bill cramming, send your written complaint(s) to:

FCC Common Carrier Bureau Consumer Complaints

Mail Stop Code 1066A2

Washington, D.C. 20554

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