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Class action lawsuit alleges AT&T monthly charge billed to non-AT&T customers
July 2008 - A proposed settlement of a class action lawsuit concerns consumers allegedly billed a $3.95 monthly fee for AT&T’s long-distance Basic Rate Plan when they were not AT&T long-distance customers. Residential consumers who paid the monthly fee any time since January 2004 and have not been an AT&T long-distance customer since August 2001 could receive benefits if they did not receive a credit or refund. For more information about this settlement click here.
National “Who’s Calling?” effort focuses on telemarketing scams
May 2008 - A national education effort is alerting consumers to telemarketing fraud, including how to identify, prevent and report scams committed over the telephone. The Federal Trade Commission’s “Who’s Calling” education campaign is teaching consumers about the tactics used by deceptive telemarketers, federal rules and laws that telemarketers must follow and how to report telephone fraud or violations of the national Do-Not-Call law. Click here for more information, consumer tips and descriptions of common telephone scams.
Prepaid calling card company accused of scamming consumers
April 2008 - The Federal Trade Commission has asked a U.S. district court to halt the alleged illegal practices of a prepaid calling card distributor. The FTC alleges that CTA, Inc. misrepresents the number of minutes consumers purchase, fails to disclose that consumers’ cards are charged whether a call goes through or not and charges hidden fees.
Tests conducted by the FTC using 46 calling cards it purchased, which are distributed by the company, resulted in none of the cards delivering the minutes advertised by posters at retail outlets. CTA sells calling cards in denominations of $2 to $20 under various brand names at small retail outlets like gas stations, grocery stores and newsstands.
In addition to not delivering the advertised minutes, CTA is also accused of inadequately disclosing the charges associated with the cards as well as not informing consumers that they will be charged fees whether or not a call goes through.
The FTC has asked the court to order CTA to halt its allegedly deceptive practices pending to trial and have the company monitored. The commission has also asked the court to require the company to give up the gains it received from its alleged illegal practices.
Verizon increases price of some local telephone packages
March 2008 - Effective April 1, the monthly prices of the following Verizon traditional local landline telephone packages have increased:
Verizon Local Package from $29.99 to $31.99
Verizon Local Package Extra from $32.99 to $34.99
Verizon Freedom Package from $66.99 to $68.99
Verizon Freedom Package Extra from $71.99 to $73.99
Verizon Regional Package from $46.99 to $48.99
Verizon Regional Package Extra from $51.99 to $53.99
The price of Verizon’s wireless service is not affected.
Verizon’s local telephone customers who need more information about their local service can call the company at the number listed on their bill. Consumers can compare their local telephone choices by clicking here.
Action Alert Results:
Consumers and OCC make impact in review of telephone consumer protections
General Information
In some parts of the state, consumers can choose among several companies for their local telephone service. However the Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel (OCC) is concerned that this competition may be eliminated in the near future. Decisions by the Federal Communications Commission and federal courts mean that competitors may not be able to lease critical parts of the local telephone system at reasonable prices. Unless they can use the system for a fair price, competitors will no longer be able to offer service to residential consumers. As your residential utility consumer advocate, the OCC advocates for rules and decisions that will allow competition to continue.The OCC is here to help you make sense of today's telephone market. We provide fact sheets on topics such as how to choose a local or long-distance telephone provider, how to read a telephone bill and what your rights are as a telephone consumer along with other related materials.
Office
of the Ohio Consumers’ Counsel - Your Residential Utility Consumer
Advocate 10 West Broad Street, Suite 1800, Columbus, Ohio 43215-3485
1-877-742-5622 (toll-free in Ohio) or 614-466-8574
Contact us
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The Office of the Ohio Consumers' Counsel is an equal opportunity employer and provider of services.