Background
"Cramming" is the practice
of placing unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges on your
telephone bill. Crammers rely on confusing telephone bills in an
attempt to trick consumers into paying for services they did not
authorize or receive, or that cost more than the consumer was led
to believe.
How Does Cramming Occur?
In addition to providing local
telephone service, local telephone companies often bill
their customers for long distance and other services that
other companies provide. If a local telephone company, long
distance telephone company, or another type of service
provider either accidentally or intentionally places
unauthorized, misleading, or deceptive charges on your bill,
you may have been "crammed."
Cramming can also occur if a local or
long distance company or another type of service provider
does not clearly or accurately describe all of the relevant
charges to you when marketing a service. Although you may
have authorized the service, you did not understand or were
misled about how much it would really cost. |
Cramming Charges: What They Look Like
Cramming comes in many forms and is often
hard to detect unless you closely review your telephone bill.
Charges described as follows can be legitimate if you authorize
them but, if unauthorized, could constitute cramming:
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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," "psychic," and "membership;"
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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;" and
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Charges for an authorized service, but
you were misled about its actual cost.
While cramming charges typically appear on
consumers' local telephone bills, they may also be included with
bills issued by long distance telephone companies and companies
providing other types of services, including wireless telephone,
beeper, and pager services.
The FCC’s Truth-in-Billing Rules
The Federal Communications Commission's
(FCC) Truth-in-Billing rules require telephone companies to
provide clear, non-misleading, plain language in describing
services for which you are being billed. Because one
telephone company, usually your local telephone company, may
include charges you incurred for another company's service
on your bill, the company sending you the bill must identify
the service provider associated with each charge. If a bill
contains charges in addition to basic local service, it must
distinguish between charges for which non-payment will
result in disconnection of basic, local service, and charges
for which non-payment will not result in disconnection.
Telephone companies must also display, on each bill, one or
more toll-free numbers that you can call to ask about or
dispute any charge on the bill.
This information empowers you to
protect yourself from cramming and other types of
telecommunications fraud. It also helps you make informed
choices when you shop around to find the best telephone
service to meet your needs. |
How to Protect Yourself and Save Money
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Carefully review your telephone bill
every month. Treat your telephone service like any other major
consumer purchase or service. Review your monthly bills just
as closely as you review your monthly credit card and bank
statements.
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Ask yourself the following questions as
you review your telephone bill:
1) Do I recognize the names of all the
companies listed on my bill?
2) What services were provided by the
listed companies?
3) Does my bill include charges for calls I
did not place and services I did not authorize?
4) Are the rates and line items consistent
with the rates and line items that the company quoted to me?
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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. If you
don't know what service was provided for a charge listed on
your bill, ask the company that billed the charge to explain
the service provided before paying the charge.
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Make sure you know what service was
provided, even for small charges. Crammers often try to go
undetected by submitting $2.00 or $3.00 charges to thousands
of consumers.
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Keep a record of the telephone services
you have authorized and used - including calls placed to 900
numbers and other types of telephone information services.
These records can be helpful when billing descriptions are
unclear.
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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.
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Companies compete for your telephone
business. Use your buying power wisely and shop around. If you
think that a company's charges are too high or that its
services do not meet your needs, contact other companies and
try to get a better deal.
Actions You Can Take if You’ve Been
Crammed
Take the following actions if unknown or
suspicious charges are listed on your telephone bill:
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Immediately call the company that charged
you for calls you did not place, or services you did not
authorize or use. Ask the company to explain the charges.
Request an adjustment to your bill for any incorrect charges.
-
Call your own local telephone company.
Explain your concerns about the charges and ask your local
telephone company the procedure for removing incorrect charges
from your bill.
Filing a Complaint
If neither the company sending you the bill
nor the company that provided the service in question will remove
charges from your telephone bill that you consider to be
incorrect, you can file a complaint as follows:
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with the FCC for charges related to
telephone services between states or internationally,
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with your state public service commission
for telephone services within your state; and
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with the FTC for non-telephone services
on your telephone bill.
Filing a Complaint with the FCC
For charges related to telephone service
between states or internationally, you can file your complaint
with the FCC. There is no charge for filing a complaint. You can
file a complaint using an FCC on-line complaint form found at esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm.
You can also file your complaint with the FCC's Consumer Center by
e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov;
calling 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322) voice or 1-888-TELL-FCC
(1-888-835-5322) TTY; faxing 1-866-418-0232; or writing to:
Federal Communications
Commission
Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau
Consumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
445 12th Street, SW
Washington, D.C. 20554.
What to Include in Your Complaint
The best way to provide all the information
needed for the FCC to process your complaint is to complete fully
the on-line complaint form. When you open the on-line complaint
form, you will be asked a series of questions that will take you
to the particular section of the form you need to complete. If you
do not use the on-line complaint form, your complaint, at a
minimum, should indicate:
-
your name, address, e-mail address, and
phone number where you can be reached;
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the telephone and account numbers that
are the subject of your complaint;
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the names and phone numbers of any
companies involved with your complaint;
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the amount of any disputed charges,
whether you paid them, whether you received a refund or
adjustment to your bill, the amount of any adjustment or
refund you have received, an explanation if the disputed
charges are related to services in addition to residential or
business telephone services; and
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the details of your complaint and any
additional relevant information.
Filing a Complaint with Your State Public
Service Commission or the FTC
For charges for telephone services provided
within your state, contact your state public service commission.
For contact information for your state public service commission,
visit www.naruc.org/commissions.cfm
or check the blue pages or government section of your local
telephone directory.
For charges on your telephone bill for
non-telephone services, file your complaint with the Federal Trade
Commission (FTC). You can file a complaint with the FTC online at https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov.
You can also submit a complaint by calling the FTC toll-free at
1-877-382-4357 (voice) or 1-866-653-4261 (TTY), or writing to:
Federal Trade Commission
CRC-240
600 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20580.
For More Information
For information about other
telecommunications issues, visit the FCC's Consumer &
Governmental Affairs Bureau Web site at www.fcc.gov/cgb,
or contact the FCC's Consumer Center using the information
provided for filing a complaint. |
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