Phone Slamming
You
open your phone bill, look at the total and start to write a check but then
you notice something! Your long distance carrier has been switched and you
didn't authorize it! At least you didn't know you were authorizing
it…
Slamming is when companies switch your long
distance carrier to another company without your permission or by hiding
the authorization in small print.
To prevent slamming you should institute a
PIC Freeze. PIC is short for pre-subscribed interexchange carrier; its what
the telecommunication industry calls a long distance company. When you institute
a freeze you are asking your local phone company to never change your long
distance carrier without your permission. It only takes two steps to "freeze"
your PIC!
-
Call your long distance company, and ask them
for their carrier code, the number that your local phone company needs to
implement the freeze.
-
Call your local phone company and give them
your phone number and ask for your PIC to be restricted. They will ask you
for a carrier code, you received this is step 1.
-
Once you have made the request, the phone company
will put a block on your account and you will also be asked for a
password.
You need to remember this password and remember
no one, not even you, can switch your long distance carrier. In the future,
when you want to switch you will have to have the PIC freeze removed. They
will need the password you gave them to do this.
Another way to help prevent being slammed
is to use caution when entering contests or responding to offers for "free"
merchandise. Some companies hide the fact that you are authorizing them to
switch your long distance carrier by signing your name on the form. Read
the tiny print or forms around you to see if this might be done.
The FCC has recently strengthened the rules
to help combat slamming. If you haven't paid the slammers bill yet, you do
not have to for up to 30 days. If you have paid, the slammer is required
to forward the payment to your authorized carrier, which will issue a refund
or credit for any amount you over paid. A slammer can be fined up to $40,000
per incident. One carrier was fined over $4 million by the FCC. Consumers
usually receive compensation for being slammed.
If you have been slammed the first thing you
should do is call your local phone company and let them know and also ask
to be returned to your original long distance carrier. Make sure you tell
them that you will not pay the fees for returning you to your authorized
carrier.
Next, you should call your original carrier
and let them know that you have been slammed and ask them to reconnect your
original plan. They shouldn't charge you for the reconnection.
Now, you should call the slammer and demand,
don't request - DEMAND, that all charges within 30 days of the slam be removed
from your bill. If the slammers wont waive the charges tell them you will
be contacting the FCC.
Finally, you should file a complaint with
the FCC who can deal with the offending carrier. They possibly will prosecute
them under federal and state laws. You can file this complain electronically
at:
http://www.fcc.gov/cib/ccformpage.html.
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