Okay, heres the thing, I have the inside information on how to succefully contest and dispute the charges incurred by these "billing companies". I, at one point, worked for the company that provided customer for several of these companies. There is an actual script that we have to follow when talking to the customer and there are certain avenues that we must take depending on the customers response.
The number one thing to do is to STAY CALM! Keep in mind the people who are answering your questions ARE NOT the ones who run the scam or even the ones who billed you. But, they are the ones who are yelled at ALL DAY LONG! Most of them are just young people trying to make a living.
Also, the more rude, or snide comments that you make the less likly they are to want to help you, and yes they can remove these charges from your bill.
So, this is how the conversation will go:
1) A customer service agent will answer the phone and ask for the telephone number that was billed, the name that appears on the phone bill and who they are currently speaking with.
2) Then they will ask for the dates and dollar amounts of the charges that you are questioning. It is important that you have this information, because without it they can do nothing for you.
3) They will then explain that this is a charge for "access to an internet service". And they will offer to block your phone line from these services. This block is valid, I never had anyone call with charges after a block was placed.
4) Then you will say something to of sorts to "Yes, please place the block. But what about the current charges?"
5) At this point we are required to tell you that that the charges are "valid" and you are responsible them. This is where most people really tend to blow up, I hated saying it. But, do your best to stay calm.
6) At this point you need to stay firm, but polite. Tell the agent that you simply refuse to pay these charges. They will then say something about the calls/charges being traced back to your phone line, and you are still expected to pay. Then some garbage about checking your computers history to look up which sites were actually "accessed".
7) Now, remember to be NICE or at least civil. Tell the agent that you still refuse to pay the charges and, tell them that you have spoken with your phone company and that they had agreed to remove the charges if we were unwilling to, do not say that the phone company has already issued credit!
8) At this point they have said everything they are trained to say and tried their best to get you to pay, the agent will offer a "one-time credit". Then they will ask for you billing address and send the credit to your phone company.
I know that this does not justify what how these charges were put onto your bill, but it does solve the problem of them being on your bill.
Things to keep in mind:
1) There is no need to cry FCC, better business bureau or D.A., weather or not you choose to contact these agencies is up to you, but they don't care, they are not involved in the scam and are not intimidated by this. Also it is not neccessary.
2) Don't lie and say "I don't even have a computer" or "I don't have internet access", they won't believe you and it just makes you sound silly. On a side note, even if you do connect through cable, it's not neccessary to tell the agent this as way out, becuase they do have a scripted rebuttle and it is not a quick way to credit.
3) Everyone has reasons why the charges should not be valid, they do not need to hear them. Our goal is to get you off the phone as quick as possible, and again it is not neccessary to tell them to the agents.
4) Don't go into virus, dialers or hijacking, we can't admit that it is anything other that a "charge from a computer at this phone number".
5) Keep in mind they cannot provide you with much information on the companies that are running this whole thing. They don't tell them anything about the companies. The only info they can give you is P.O. Box.
Lastly, please remember the people you are talking to are only doing their job. Maybe it's not real high up on the totem pole of moral turpitude, but everyone deserves to make a living and everyones kids need to eat, just like yours. So, try your best to be nice. Honestly, following these steps is the quickest way to get these charges off your bill with the least amount of trouble and time.
I hope that this info can help some people out, and maybe it's just my way of making peace to the people I had to stick it to just to make my way back home. I aplogize to them all, and still feel poorly about having worked where I had. But, desperate times do call for desperate measures, and honestly my kids will always come first.
"Even buzzards have to eat."
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