Complaint Review: Integretel - San Jose California

I feel obligated to share the information that I have, with difficulty, finally located on the SBC site. My feeling is that SBC very purposely does not make it easy to locate! I have discovered that some SBC operators are neither fully knowledgeable nor helpful in resolving cramming charges. And while it's true that phone companies are required by federal regulation to allow third-party charges to be added, it is equally true that they are paid to do so. Therefore, whether charges are legitimate or fraudulent, the phone company sees them as potential profit and is often not likely to be enthusiastic in helping the customer fight the scammers. Also, counter to the advice that I've read numerous places on the internet, SBC has communicated to me IN WRITING that they WILL NOT put a block on third-party billing, fraudulent or not. Supposedly, SBC policy does not allow it to be done and there is no such thing as a block for third-party billing at SBC. I did say supposedly! Please read all information below, which was pasted DIRECTLY from the SBC/ATT site. The following SBC Consumer Information is located at (http://www.sbc.com/gen/general?pid=1418). It states, in part: How SBC Can Help if You've Been Crammed: If customers are billed for collect calls they did not accept or for calls that were accepted under false pretenses, such as calls falsely represented to have been placed by family members, they should advise the carrier that they dispute the charges and refuse to pay any unauthorized charges. With regard to the disputed charges, customers should first attempt to deal directly with the carrier with whom the charge originated, whose name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the same bill page as the charge in question. Often, the problem can be resolved with a single telephone call. If the carrier with whom the charge originated does not agree to resolve the problem, customers should call SBC at the number that appears on the first page of their bill. CUSTOMERS ARE NOT REQUIRED TO PAY CHARGES FOR GOODS AND SERVICES THEY NEITHER ORDERED NOR RECEIVED, AND SBC WILL WORK WITH THESE CUSTOMERS TO GET THE "CRAMMED" CHARGES REMOVED FROM THEIR PHONE BILL. To file a cramming complaint, contact your local public utilities commission or the Federal Communications Commission at 1-888-225-5322 (CALL FCC) or http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/cramming.html IN ADDITION, there is an SBC/ATT so-called CONSUMER ADVOCACY page located at: http://www.sbc.com/gen/press-room?pid=6044 From that page, there is a link to an SBC PDF file: (http://www.sbc.com/Common/images/news_room/press_kits/sbc_top_scams.pdf) The PDF file title is: Tips For Safeguarding Against Scams And Threats Reporting Scams and Fraud When consumers have questions about charges on their telephone bill, they should contact the carrier with whom the charge originated, whose name and toll-free telephone number should be printed on the same bill page as the charge in question. Often, the problem can be resolved with a single phone call. If the carrier with whom the charge originated does not agree to resolve the problem, SBC customers should contact an SBC customer service representative using the phone number on their bill or by going to www.sbc.com/contact_us. SBC REPRESENTATIVES WILL WORK WITH THE CUSTOMER AND THE CARRIER TO HELP REMOVE FRAUDULENT CHARGES FROM THE PHONE BILL. SBC LOCAL CARRIERS WILL NOT DISCONNECT LOCAL TELEPHONE SERVICE FOR NONPAYMENT OF A DISPUTED THIRD-PARTY CHARGE. [I should add that the customer who has been crammed must continue to pay all legitimate phone company charges on time. Otherwise, there is no doubt that SBC will disconnect.] Good Luck!