toddlajoie
Member
I'll spare you a lot of the details, but let me just tell you that you should all call your phone and cable companies and put a block on 3rd party billing.
My wife noticed this past weekend that our phone bill had jumped $15 (we have a fixed bill that includes unlimited long distance, so our bill is always within a dollar or 2 of the same number...) Reading through the bill, she found a $14.95 charge for "Streaming Flix" which is some sort of internet movie downloading service (warning signs #1-5 - Our internet is through the cable company, not the phone company, we don't watch movies on our computer, and we never heard of this service before...) The bill listed an 800 number right by the charges to call if you had questions, so she did (this is where they got sneaky....) The automated messaging at the number recited a bunch of typical service department mumbo jumbo (call may be recorded, may be asked to verify your account, etc...) The service rep that answered thanked her for calling "the customer service department", and verified her phone number and billing address (never said the company name) She informed my wife that they had a valid application for their service submitted in her name, so we were on the hook for the $15, but they would cancel the service and put a block on our phone so the charges could not be put on. That was as far as she got, and she told the story to me. I did not accept responsibility for the $15 and called them back to let them know that they were not going to get the money. Had exactly the same phone experience, but I asked for details about this form that we supposedly submitted. The information he could give me was basic and sketchy (wife's name, e-mail, address, etc) and they had no "details" like account numbers or security question/answers. He also gave us the date it was submitted (happens to be when we were on vacation without internet access...) Managed to get a $15 customer service adjustment from him (may take 2 months to show on your bill), but when I tried to clarify that I did no have to pay the $15 portion of our phone bill, he informed me that they were not the phone company and could not comment on how I should pay my bill (they told my wife they would put a block on our phone bill, they aren't the phone company, so they can't, and the phone is in my name, so Verizon would not let her do it, I have to call them about changes to our account). So as soon as I hung up with them I called Verizon to check on things. They were very nice, confirmed that there was no block on 3rd party billing, but could put one on, noted that we had contested charges with the company and would not be paying the $15 portion of our bill. Additional digging on my part uncovered the BIG problem. 3rd party billing is allowed for all plans by default, UNLESS THE CUSTOMER REQUESTS THAT THEY BE BLOCKED. They also DO NOT VERIFY any requests for 3rd party billing with the customer, they take the billing company's word for it and expect customers to scour their 15 page mess of a bill for any unknown charges. So these companies just need your name, phone number, and billing address, and your utility company will take their word for it that you signed up for their service.
The company in question for us is a network of shady dealings, 8 or 9 internet services (everything from streaming movies to celebrity gossip updates and other life critical things) and about 10 or 12 company names all with the same phone numbers and addresses and web sites. They also run their billing through a billing company that specializes in pushing charges through utility bills, and has lost several class action lawsuits against it for just this sort of "cramming"
So, short story long, the above story did not happen to a friend, it happened to me, Todd Lajoie, and my wife, and I have spent probably 2-3 hours on the phone dealing with it after the fact. Take my advice, call your company and block 3rd party billing. It may take you 15 minutes, but I wish I had taken that 15 minutes months or years ago, and I would have had 2 hours of free time this past weekend.... Now I have to go look up my local and state officials to give them an earful of this also, since they set the regulations on these things, somebody has to explain to me what possible legitimate business would use this 3rd party billing.
My wife noticed this past weekend that our phone bill had jumped $15 (we have a fixed bill that includes unlimited long distance, so our bill is always within a dollar or 2 of the same number...) Reading through the bill, she found a $14.95 charge for "Streaming Flix" which is some sort of internet movie downloading service (warning signs #1-5 - Our internet is through the cable company, not the phone company, we don't watch movies on our computer, and we never heard of this service before...) The bill listed an 800 number right by the charges to call if you had questions, so she did (this is where they got sneaky....) The automated messaging at the number recited a bunch of typical service department mumbo jumbo (call may be recorded, may be asked to verify your account, etc...) The service rep that answered thanked her for calling "the customer service department", and verified her phone number and billing address (never said the company name) She informed my wife that they had a valid application for their service submitted in her name, so we were on the hook for the $15, but they would cancel the service and put a block on our phone so the charges could not be put on. That was as far as she got, and she told the story to me. I did not accept responsibility for the $15 and called them back to let them know that they were not going to get the money. Had exactly the same phone experience, but I asked for details about this form that we supposedly submitted. The information he could give me was basic and sketchy (wife's name, e-mail, address, etc) and they had no "details" like account numbers or security question/answers. He also gave us the date it was submitted (happens to be when we were on vacation without internet access...) Managed to get a $15 customer service adjustment from him (may take 2 months to show on your bill), but when I tried to clarify that I did no have to pay the $15 portion of our phone bill, he informed me that they were not the phone company and could not comment on how I should pay my bill (they told my wife they would put a block on our phone bill, they aren't the phone company, so they can't, and the phone is in my name, so Verizon would not let her do it, I have to call them about changes to our account). So as soon as I hung up with them I called Verizon to check on things. They were very nice, confirmed that there was no block on 3rd party billing, but could put one on, noted that we had contested charges with the company and would not be paying the $15 portion of our bill. Additional digging on my part uncovered the BIG problem. 3rd party billing is allowed for all plans by default, UNLESS THE CUSTOMER REQUESTS THAT THEY BE BLOCKED. They also DO NOT VERIFY any requests for 3rd party billing with the customer, they take the billing company's word for it and expect customers to scour their 15 page mess of a bill for any unknown charges. So these companies just need your name, phone number, and billing address, and your utility company will take their word for it that you signed up for their service.
The company in question for us is a network of shady dealings, 8 or 9 internet services (everything from streaming movies to celebrity gossip updates and other life critical things) and about 10 or 12 company names all with the same phone numbers and addresses and web sites. They also run their billing through a billing company that specializes in pushing charges through utility bills, and has lost several class action lawsuits against it for just this sort of "cramming"
So, short story long, the above story did not happen to a friend, it happened to me, Todd Lajoie, and my wife, and I have spent probably 2-3 hours on the phone dealing with it after the fact. Take my advice, call your company and block 3rd party billing. It may take you 15 minutes, but I wish I had taken that 15 minutes months or years ago, and I would have had 2 hours of free time this past weekend.... Now I have to go look up my local and state officials to give them an earful of this also, since they set the regulations on these things, somebody has to explain to me what possible legitimate business would use this 3rd party billing.
