Problem Solver: Third-Party Charges

By Dianne Derby
Anchor
Published: September 15, 2008

It’s hard enough for most of us to manage bills in tough economic times but what should you do if you have charges showing up on your monthly phone bill you didn’t authorize? A family in Hodges says they did all they could to resolve their problem on their own before turning it over to 7 On Your Side.“ Dianne Derby tackled their troubles and tells you how to keep unexpected charges from being “crammed” on to your phone bill. 

In Michael and Christina Pack’s house their landline is their lifeline…

“When you don’t have a cell phone because you can’t afford a cell phone…the deposit and the phones that are $200 a piece now…you have to have some type of phone to get in contact with the world,“ said Mrs. Pack.

Especially since their 4-year-old son, Christian, suffers from autism and a genetic disorder. Emergencies can happen at any moment in the Pack house.
“My son he actually fell and busted his eye open on the coffee table and I didn’t have a car, my husband was at the fire department, I didn’t know if he needed stitches because it couldn’t quit bleeding,“ said Mrs. Pack.

Mrs. Pack had no way to call for help. EMBARQ had cut off their phone service after the she and her husband refused to pay their bill because of unauthorized third-party charges.
“One was for online voicemail, another was for MP3, and another was for another voicemail online,“ said Mrs. Pack as she described the third party charges. “Where did those come from? I didn’t authorize them how can you charge my phone for something I didn’t even agree to pay.“

The Pack’s knew they had to have a phone so they paid their bill.

“We had to get it cut back on so we got behind on everything our car payments, our lights, our electricity, everything got behind,“ said Mrs. Pack.

When 7 On Your Side got word of their problem EMBARQ reversed the charges and offered a $100 credit.

“Luckily we had someone with EMBARQ bend over backwards to help get our problems taken care of,“ said Mr. Pack. “Unfortunately it took 6 months for it to happen.“

We found out the problem is called “cramming”. The FTC says it’s when a company gets your phone number and crams charges onto your bill. It can happen many ways including though 800 number calls, contest entry forms, and direct mail sweepstakes.

When we asked EMBARQ’s spokepserson, Vernon Fraley, if the Pack’s were responsible for the third party charges on their bill Fraley said, “The Pack’s, like any other customers should be responsible for viewing their bills every month to make sure that there are no extra charges. I’m not sure how the Pack’s got victimized by these third party charges but it is the customer’s responsibility to make sure that the bills are accurate.“

Now the Pack’s want to make sure no one else gets caught up in cramming chaos.

“Most people say my bill is this much I’m going to pay it they don’t even look at it so I think people need to know (this can happen),“ said Mrs. Pack.

The SC Office of Regulatory Staff is the agency that watches over utilities like phone companies. If you have a problem with your phone bill make sure you contact them for help at 1-800-922-1531 or click here to fill out an online complaint form.