Complaint / Review
Sage Telecom, Inc
Sage Telecom Unexpected extra charges for "deemed excessive use" local AOL access phone number

Perhaps this report may help someone else to avoid the same pitfall.

A few months back I received an offer by regular mail from Sage Telecom to consider using their phone service. I contacted them and I was referred to one of their sales reps who explained their plan and how it would be less expensive than the service provided by AT&T. As I understood it, this plan offered me 5 free months of long distance service and unlimited local calls.

After the first 5 months of free unlimited long didtance use, the long distance service would then be free up to the first 300 minutes. I explained to the rep that I spend many hours a day on the internet (AOL) and that I use one local dialup number in order not to incur any long distance costs. The rep made no mention of any potential excess charges in connection with local dialup.

I spend many hours listening to internet radio programs, a fact which I made clear to this rep. Today I checked my February billing and to my surprise I see that I have been billed an additional $35.41 " excessive internet usage beyond the allotted 9000 minutes per month" in addition to the regular $47.79 monthly agreed upon rate.

As I recall the Sage Rep made no mention of "potential excess usage rates" in connection with local numbers when I was offered this service. Their current invoice offered the following explaination for the added fees, " your voice services and limits usage are not consistent with use for residential services." If the rep would have presented this stipulation clearly to me when we first spoke, I would have never tried their service.

I contacted customer service and I was told that the excess fee would not be waived. I was not aware that there was a distinction between voice and digital usage of a local access phone number. If their sales rep was aware of this, he apparently wasn't about to volunteer this information. I was with AT&T for many years and I can't recall excess charges in connection with a local internet number. Perhaps this report can help someone else avoid the same surprise.