Slamming

Have you been slammed?

Slamming is the unauthorized switching of your local or long distance telephone service. And it’s illegal in Texas.

Your best defense against slamming is to read your telephone bill carefully each month. If you find unfamiliar charges, or if you are being billed by a company other than your chosen local or long distance provider, call your local phone company immediately.

Some unsuspecting customers are slammed when they register to win a prize in a contest. They think they are simply filling out a form in hopes of being a lucky winner. What they don’t know is that the fine print on the registration form they signed authorizes switching their phone service to another carrier.

Some are slammed in a "negative option" scam. The customer receives information by mail about a local or long distance phone company. Included is a form customers must fill out if they do not want the service. By not filling out and returning the form, they are authorizing the switching of their service.

Some are slammed when telemarketers take advantage of children or housekeepers who may answer your phone. Although they are not authorized to make such decisions for you, they accept offers by telemarketers promising lower rates and better service.

Unfortunately, some customers are even slammed without any customer contact at all.

• Pay close attention to telemarketing calls. Verify the caller’s identity.
• Don’t make an immediate decision on offers to change your service. Ask for information in writing. Read the small print.
• Remember, if an offer sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
• Ask your local phone company for a phone "freeze form." It protects you from having your phone service switched without your permission.

If you have been slammed, contact the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUC) toll-free at 1-888-782-8477 to file a complaint. Call your local phone company and tell them you did not request a change in your local or long distance service. Ask the company to reconnect you to your previous carrier and have unauthorized charges removed from your bill. If your long distance was switched, call your preferred long distance carrier and ask to be reconnected.

State law requires the company that slammed you to pay the cost of switching you back to your original provider and to provide billing records to that provider. They must also refund any payments you made that would not have been charged if you had not been slammed.

What You Need To Know About Slamming (pdf*)

Last Updated: 01/09/04

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