Securus Technologies, Inc. Securus Corectional Billing Services, Inc. Seeking victims willing to come forward, Internet
On November 30, 2011, the Circuit Court for Cole County, Missouri ruled that Securus Technologieis, Inc., the Missouri Department of Corrections, and the Missouri Office of Administration, Division of Purchasing and Materials Management violated state law involving the contract with the state to provide telephone services in Missouri prisons.
Specifically, the court ruled that while Securus should not have been awarded the contract to provide telephone services in Missouri prisons, once it was awarded the contract these entities effectively engaged in an alleged illegal / unlawful bait and switch scheme.
According to court records, the Mo. DOC wanted to use Securus to gather intelligence on citizens of Missouri who receive calls from offenders in Missouri prisons and in exchange, the Mo. DOC and the DPMM agreed to let Securus increase its per-minute telephone rate from $0.05 to $0.09. However, the court ruled that this is illegal and would not allow it to occur because the contract was awarded to Securus at a $0.05 per-minute telephone rate.
There are questions involving whether citizens in Missouri might be charged illegal fee's of up to $2.99 for using their cellular telephone to receive in-state calls on a pre-paid AdvanceConnect account. According to Securus website, this fee is a "Wireless Administraitve Fee" but it is not authorized by the terms of the contract that Securus operates under with the State of Missouri.
I am seeking individuals who believe they may be a victim of the billing practices by Securus Technologies, Inc., and Securus Correctional Billing Services, Inc., who are willing to come forward and provide testimony and supporting documentary evidence involving their AdvanceConnect pre-paid accounts to receive telephone calls from jails and prisons.
In particular, I am most interested in those who live in Missouri. You may contact me by email at (((email redacted)))(Put "Securus" in the email subject line). Additionally, I am very interested in those with a pre-paid AdvanceConnect account who receive telephone calls from a jail or prison on a cellular telephone.
I recently filed form 3949A with the federal Internal Revenue Service for alleged tax fraud and alleged racketeering against Securus Technologies, Inc. I also filed a formal complaint with the Missouri Attorney General's Office, which is currently investigating the billing practices of Securus Technologies, Inc.
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