![]() ![]() These cramming cases resulted in a total of $353 million in penalties and restitution. In 20, the FCC, along with other federal and state regulators, took enforcement action against the nation's four largest wireless companies for billing customers millions of dollars in unauthorized third-party premium text messaging services. ![]() With the Federal Trade Commission about charges for non-telephone services on your telephone bill.With your state public service commission for telephone services within your state or.With the FCC about any charges on your telephone bill, whether they relate specifically to telephone service or to other products or services that appear on your bill.If neither the telephone company sending you the bill nor the company that provided the service in question will remove charges you consider to be incorrect, you can file a complaint:.You can also call the company that charged you, ask them to explain the charges, and request an adjustment to your bill for any incorrect charges.Call the phone company responsible for your bill, explain your concerns about the charges, and ask to have incorrect charges removed.Take the following actions if your telephone bill lists unknown or suspicious charges: What should I do if I think I've been crammed? Carefully read all forms and promotional materials – including the fine print – before signing up for telephone or other services to be billed on your phone bill.These records can be helpful when billing descriptions are unclear. Keep a record of the services you have authorized and used.Crammed charges can remain on bills for years. Cramming often goes undetected as very small "mystery charges" – sometimes only $1, $2, or $3 – to thousands of consumers. Make sure you know what service was provided, even for small charges.If you don't know what was provided for a charge listed on your bill, ask your telephone company to explain it before paying it. You may be billed for a call you placed or a service you used, but the description listed on your telephone bill for the call or service may be unclear. Are the rates and line items consistent with the rates and line items that the company quoted to me?.Does my bill include charges for calls I did not place or services I did not authorize?.What services were provided by the listed companies?.Do I recognize the names of all the companies listed on my bill?.Ask yourself the following questions as you review your telephone bill:. ![]() Carefully review your telephone bill every month, just as closely as you review your monthly credit card and bank statements.How can I protect myself against cramming? Charges for specific services or products you may not have authorized, like ringtones, cell phone wallpaper, or "premium" text messages about sports scores, celebrity gossip, flirting tips or daily horoscopes.Charges that are added to your telephone bill every month without a clear explanation of the services provided – such as a "monthly fee" or "minimum monthly usage fee.".Charges for services that are explained on your telephone bill in general terms such as "service fee," "service charge," "other fees," "voicemail," "mail server," "calling plan" and "membership.".Charges may be legitimate if authorized, but are cramming if not. What do cramming charges look like?Ĭramming comes in many forms. Crammers may attempt to place a charge on a consumer's phone bill having nothing other than an active telephone number, which can be obtained from a telephone directory. How does cramming occur?Ĭramming most often occurs when telephone companies allow other providers of goods or services to place charges on their customers' telephone bills, enabling a telephone number to be used like a credit or debit card account number for vendors. The more your mobile phone bill begins to resemble a credit card bill, the more difficult it may become to spot unauthorized charges. Smartphones are sophisticated handheld devices that enable consumers to shop online from wherever they are or charge app purchases to their phone bills. Wireless consumers should be particularly vigilant. Crammers often rely on confusing telephone bills to trick consumers into paying for services they did not authorize or receive, or that cost more than the consumer was led to believe. The FCC has estimated that cramming has harmed tens of millions of American households.ĭeception is the hallmark of cramming. Cramming is the illegal act of placing unauthorized charges on your wireline, wireless, or bundled services telephone bill. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |