Securus Technologies Deceptive business practices taking advantage of the system! Addison, Texas
Securus Technologies is suppossed to be a company that connects friends and family members of inmates through out the States. However, it appears Securus Technologies is taking advantage of the family member's of these inmates by charging what is already a ridiculous amount for a 15 minute call! $2.27 in my case. They promise that by the use of their "centrally managed state-of-the-art call management and communications systems" they connect you with your loved ones, what they dont tell you is that the majority of your calls will be dropped for no apparent reason and yet you are billed for the entire call!
When I called to complain about the excessive dropped calls I was advised that any number of things may have caused the calls to drop. I reported that none of the possibilities they presented were the case! The problem is you have no choice but to use this company if they are the only one's servicing the facility your loved one is in. This reminds me very much of what Price Gaugers do after a Hurricane in Florida where Fuel suppliers take advantage of people by excessively increasing the cost of fuel!
Since the day I enrolled with Securus Technologies 6/17/2011 I have recieved a total of 45 calls from my Fiance, of which should total 675 minutes talk time, I have paid for the full 675 min at a total of $ 102.15 That is for only 10 DAYS! When reviewing the report of my calls I see the actual number of minutes were 513 minutes which equates to a total of 162 minutes lost due to unexplained calls dropped! For the inmate and the loved one alike it is infuriating that, in this case a total of 11 calls at 15 minutes were dropped yet paid for in full!!
Someone needs to regulate these companies that are obviously using their exclusivity to take advantage of the system! Me personally, this is just the first complaint forum. I plan to pursue other means to bring awareness of these RIPOFFS! I will post in every forum possible, every site until someone opens their eyes and investigates these thieves! Perhaps when they are incarcirated they too will find their unethical, illegal practices as frustrating and infuriating as I have!
1 Updates & Rebuttals
mbee
California,Help File a Class Action Lawsuit Against Securus
#2Consumer Suggestion
Sun, December 01, 2013
I have experienced the same thing with Securus. They initially were charging me $27 for a 20-minute phone call, until I figured out how to get a local number, and now I pay just under $5 per call. In the past two weeks I have been REPEATEDLY disconnected by Securus for no reason, and each time they charge me for the total allotment of 20 minutes, even though I may have gotten cut off after 1 minute. Their policy is that they don't refund any $ for cell phone users - which of course most people are. They say that cell phone carriers sometimes have dropped calls, so they aren't responsible for that, and if you use a landline they will issue refunds. But the problem with that is that the calls are disconnected BY SECURUS, and you can tell this because you hear a short recording just before you are disconnected that says "this call is being terminated, no third party calls allowed." I asked them about that and they gave me the list of reasons that calls are terminated, but NONE of those things applied. She said that no matter what the reason for the disconnect is, if any interference is detected, that's the default recording that is used. Either way, it's Securus who is terminating the call, and they should not be able to charge for something they haven't provided. Even if one of us just hung up, they shouldn't be able to charge for minutes that were not used.
They are getting away with this because they can.
Securus pays a fee to the jail administrator in order to get the contract - up to 40%. Those fees are passed along to the consumer, which is why the prices are through the roof. They are only interested in profits - not quality of service, not keeping inmates in touch with their families, and certainly not customer service. Their reps are rude and totally unhelpful. When I do stay connected, often times the line is full of static and we can barely hear eachother.
The facility where my brother is recently did away with in person visits, and went to video visitation only. No surprise that Securus provides the equipment and video service. I scheduled two video visits in the past two days, neither one of which worked. I paid for two 25-minute video visits, and got nothing. They are saying there are no refunds.
Securus claims that their technology saves lives and that's why it's worth the money they charge. This is total nonsense. The "technology" is simply that they record all calls - which is a service you can get by downloading any one of dozens of free apps on your phone. Besides, if they are counting on the quality of their recordings to capture criminals who are planning crimes or making confessions - they really should ensure that they provide a clear and stable connection - i would really like to see the FACTS backing up their claims.
The FCC's ruling that caps the amount that can be charged for long distance fees goes into effect February 11th. Securus tried to appeal the ruling, but was unsuccessful. Unfortunately, the ruling does not address their refund policy, and also does not address what they can charge for local calls - but it's a start.
There are clearly hundreds of customers who have been ripped off by Securus, and the only way they are going to stop their aggressive tactics is if a class action lawsuit is filed. I am beginning a campaign to find other Securus customers who have been affected.
To be included, please email ClassActionSecurus@gmail.com