I'm physically and mentally exhausted from all the name changes and rule revisions; not to mention the companies' misunderstandings or just plain making up the rules as they go. For many years I've had, as my local phone company and Internet service, Frontier Communications Company from Florida but they used to be in Gloversville, NY (which used to be named Citizens Communications and before that was MountainNet in Morgantown, WV).
I switched my long distance carrier a few years ago, after a divorce, from Sprint to MCI Residential (a Verizon Company) and elected the plan where I can call anywhere for a flat monthly fee. Well, at about the same time MCI Virginia (a Verizon Company); a calling service for a correctional institution where my son resides, began taking my money for each of his calls.
Inmates are only allowed to make COLLECT CALLS. To quote the letter I received in September: "On July 17 the former MCI Department of Corrections line of business was acquired by Global Tel*Link" out of Duluth, GA. However, GTL Virginia has an address of Denver, CO; I guess to see if we're paying attention. Fast forward to about January of we received a statement in the mail from Verizon. After the first one I thought they've made a mistake. I don't have Verizon.
The second one I started reading it carefully and found out, sure enough we were being charged for long distance calls by Verizon.By the way, I have all my bills set up to where they come directly out of my checking account from my credit union.
So, we're still paying MCI Residential each month. We called Verizon to ask what's up. They told us, "Oh, we bought out MCI Residential and I see here you've signed up for this 5-cents plan". Wait a minute, we didn't sign up for anything. The statement also says, "Your local toll provider is Verizon Long Distance. You have selected Verizon Long Distance as your long distance provider." NOT! So, we asked Verizon, "well what about all the money we've been paying to MCI these last few months?" She said, "Oh, you'll have to call MCI. We're actually still in the process of taking over and I can't tell you what MCI has done with your money." WHAT?
To summarize, we pay each month to a company that manages calls from our son in prison and each and every month we have to call to have a block removed. I still don't know how that works. But, we have two long distance carriers we're paying. According to Verizon I guess we have two local phone carriers we're paying (not sure yet what Frontier has to say about all this because we also have our Internet Service through Frontier, FOR NOW). I'm so confused I don't know what, where, how, to solve any of this. Some headlines I read on the Web spoke of Verizon buying MCI back on 2005. If that true, three years later and they're still not up and running? I'd be willing to hear any responses from you folks out there.
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