Idearc
Dunning me on resolved overbilling

Verizon split off its advertising billing several years ago into new company called IDEARC Media in 2006. For businesses the monthly billing for directory advertising was removed from the regular monthly Verizon telephone bill and put into a separate billing from IDEARC Media. Just what all businesses needed - yet another monthly bill coming in, I had a dispute over the first month billing from IDEARC and the alleged charge for the same month on the last Verizon bill (alleged double billing). My new IDEARC Media bill showed my account to be one month delinquent which I disputed.

After several months of this nonsense I received a call from my new IDEARC advertising rep about renewing my business ad for the next year. We revamped my directory ad but I specifically advised I would not renew my advertising unless the disputed charge was removed from future bills and my account balance adjusted. The advertising guy (name as I recall was K.S.) looked into it agreed to removal of the disputed charge and advised it was to be taken care of.in reliance I renewed my advertising for the next year and discovered that the matter wasn't resolved after all. Continued to receive the delinquent notice on the bills for the disputed charge.

Had enough. Sent several faxes and requests to K.S. At DFW headquatres about the disputed charge. Nothing was done. Warned that I would cancel future advertising for the following year in 2008 if the disputed charge was not removed. Wasn't removed and I cancelled my directory advertising/listing for the (current) year. Paid the last (12th) month IDEARC bill and notified I would not respond to further billings and that my account was cancelled.

After final IDEARC bill was paid I received a call from an IDEARC rep thanking me for my patronage and who informed me that my account balance had been adjusted to zero - as in $00.00. Next month I received a confirming bill from IDEARC showing that my account balance was zero.

End of story? Nope, not at all. IDEARC Media has resumed billings on the disputed charge and has even made collection call. Variety of notes and letters from me to them that I will not pay the bill and that the matter was resolved. IDEARC has now turned the matter over to collection and I just received a letter from a collection agency. They just won't let this go. Matter is ridiculously small ($59.00) and would be easier for me to pay rather than suffer further harrassment. However, that is exactly their motivation and I will never pay this charge. Yet they won't stop.

Oh yeah, this double billing for advertising thing is not new with them. Verizon did it a couple years earlier when they revamped their Western Mainline (PA) directory. I viewed it as a billing scam then and callcelled my advertising when they would not credit me for the double charge. Simply won't stand for double billing.

Company: Idearc
Country: USA
State: Texas
City: Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport
Address: DFW Airport, TX

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