I work in telecommunications as a billing analyst and over the last 6 months I have noticed a rise in "Internet Cramming" on local business and residential phone bills from Qwest and Verizon.
Most consumers don't think twice about what these charges are, especially if they have existing DSL service through their local phone company. It can be mistakenly assumed that this is just part of their normal phone bill, but BUYER BEWARE! This is not so.
Your local phone company will tell you excactly what charges to expect each month for the services you order. Do no assume these charges are legit, they are not.
Who are Integretel, ILD and OAN Services? They are third party billing companies that handle the billing for fraudulent companies. Some of the companies associated with them are Mercury Internet, Mercury ILD Services, SBA, ESDI, Amerilinc and the list goes on. You can search the net and find a lot more information on these and other companies.
It is very important that you as the consumer, read your entire bill and know what is on it. These charges can be very hard to remove and will continue to be billed to you monthly, usually at the price of 24.99 or higher. Here is a tip on how to get these removed from your bill.
First try to resolve the problem by contacting the telephone company, information provider, or billing agent whose toll-free number is listed on your phone bill. Contact them the first time you see these charges on your bill if you can catch them on the first billing.inform them that your bill was "Crammed" and that you did not authorize these charges. If you call, follow up with a letter. Try to keep calm, as they say you get more bees with honey than vinegar. Most of the people you will talk to are simply employees that had nothing to do with the charges added on your bill and they are more likely to help you if you remain calm, yet firm and intent to have these charges removed.
You should also consider contacting your state Attorney General's office and the Federal Trade Commission. Most Attorney Generals' offices have divisions that deal primarily with consumer protection issues. Check the government section of your phone book or contact your local or state consumer office for the phone number and address of your state Attorney General's office.
Most of all, don't just let it slide and think that someone will eventually get these companies to stop doing this. If no one complains nothing will ever be done about them.
Best of Luck!
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