Re: Check your phone bill carefully

Mark E. Mallett (mem@mv.MV.COM)
Mon, 18 Nov 1996 22:45:07 -0500 (EST)

>
> Some of these new LD carriers have no honor. Last month my LD company
> switched to 'Excel Telecommunications'. Well, I sure as hell didn't
> authorize that. So I called AT&T and PacBell and discovered that this is
> not an isolated incident. Some of these small joints are submitting change
> of service requests on customers they have never talked to. Looks like they
> are banking on people just not noticing.

yes indeed. This is known as "slamming" and has been going on for
quite a long time. And it isn't just the new carriers.

Similarly, any ISP ordering individual modem lines should make sure
that you specify them as having NO long distance carrier. Otherwise
you'll fall victim to several things, including:

- LD carrier service or billing fees, either $xx per line or $xx per bill;

- a per-line fee later on to get the LD carrier removed

- third-party calls billed to your lines that the carrier will refuse
to remove. Even though THEY should be the ones to verify the
third-party billing, they will not correct or otherwise hold
themselves accountable for mistakes on bills to those lines.

-mm-