I made a credit card long-distance call to Los Angeles from a hotel in Phoenix the evening of July 16. The call lasted probably 10 minutes, but definitely not more than 15 minutes. Then, when I received my credit card statement, there were two charges from Sharenet: $28.90 and $35.02. The company's phone number was listed next to the charges, but "Pay Tel" was listed instead of the company's name of Sharenet.
I contacted my credit card company, told them that I only made one phone call, and that the charges were ridiculously high. For comparison, I had made a credit card call from Houston to Los Angeles the same day (which was handled by a different company), and that call cost $7.85. My credit card company reversed the $35.02 charge and contacted Sharenet. Sharenet then sent me a letter regarding the charges. The following was written in the letter:
"There is no question that the charge for an operator assisted call is substantially higher than a direct dialed call. This is due to the involvement and cost of an operator, validation of the billing method, and the billing expense of the call."
This is true, but the call I made still should not have been as expensive as the amount Sharenet tried to charge. The call I made from Houston the same day cost $7.85, which is substantially higher than what I would have paid for a direct dialed call from home. If Sharenet has to charge 4x the rate of other operator services providers, it must be in serious financial dire straits! Or, maybe Sharenet is deliberately gouging people, in the hopes that no one will try to fight them.
The letter also included an offer for a courtesy credit of $19.17, which I accepted. I sent my letter of acceptance via certified mail so they could not claim that they never received it. The credit has now been placed on my credit card account, so instead of paying $28.90, I paid $9.73, which is more in line with what one would expect for a credit card call.
What's the moral of the story? First, don't use Sharenet for long distance calls! Second, know your rights as a consumer. You are allowed to get a rate quote over the phone, and you are allowed to dial around the local area's long distance provider to use another company of your choice. Check the FCC's web site for more information. Third, if Sharenet tries to rip you off, dispute the charges with your credit card company.
If you have a good credit card, the company will assist you by calling Sharenet and getting them to send you a letter explaining the charges. I doubt I would have accomplished anything if I had tried to call Sharenet directly by myself. Lots of crooked companies will try to gouge people, but they rely on the fact that most people are complacent. I took the time to question the charges, and saved myself about $50 in the process!
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