Remember, read everything carefully

It is Saturday morning, and I just spent half of it on the phone trying to figure out why our phone bill is $100 higher than it was last month. Our family is a full-fledged AT& T customer. We buy all of our services including wireless service for five people, internet service and our two land-based lines. We pay a lot of money every month to AT&T. I would say we are a loyal customer. But they are testing my patience.

On my August billing were two charges that had never appeared before. One was from a company called “Network Assurance” for $29.90 and the other from “U.S. Credit Find, Inc.” for $9.99.

At the bottom of my AT&T bill, it says that if I have any questions about these charges, I must dial separate numbers to inquire. So I did. The first one was for U.S. Credit Find, and I talked to someone that I don’t think was in Toledo if you get my drift. I had difficulty understanding him and he kept asking me questions I could not answer by referring to some entry on my bill that did not exist. I finally gave up and hung up. I then called back and discovered that my wife allegedly signed up for a monthly credit report on July 4. Of course, she didn’t. I asked them to email me confirmation of this and I am anxiously awaiting the “proof” they are providing.

As for Network Assurance, I learned that my wife supposedly signed up for electronic fax service via the internet on July 4. The person I talked to must have sensed that I smelled a rat, because she quickly cancelled the service and credited my phone bill.

I had a client contact me recently with a similar experience in which a credit card was charged small amounts without authorization. She had the charges reversed by calling the credit card company, but she was greatly agitated. I now resemble her agitation.

I was curious about “U.S. Credit Find ” so I Googled it and up popped a Web site called consumeraffairs.com. I discovered that I was not alone. There is a company called ILD Teleservices, which is a “billing clearinghouse” for companies that bill for their services by placing charges on local phone bills. Apparently, ILD belongs to the “Coalition to Ensure Responsible Billing,” also known as CERB. To belong to CERB, you have to provide consumers a quick and easy way to inquire about charges and I must confess that within five minutes I was able to talk to someone who spoke clear English and who reversed the charges.

I have not sought to reverse the charges for “U.S. Credit Find” although I am sure I could, because I am now a consumer that has been victimized by a shady practice and I am on a mission. I have some questions. First, who owns “U.S. Credit Find” and Network Assurance?  Secondly, why is AT&T letting them use my account to bill for a these charges? Third, what’s in it for AT&T? You can’t tell me that AT&T is collecting money for U.S. Credit Find and Network Assurance without collecting some amount of money. Fourth, what is the relationship between U.S. Credit Find, Network Assurance and AT&T? Fifth, am I the only unhappy AT&T customer who has complained about these sharp practices? Why did this just happen all of a sudden on July 4? 

When I talked to the person for Network Assurance, she indicated that my wife had registered on a web site called USPrizedraw.com. If you go to that Web site, you can register for a free trip to Las Vegas by giving them information about you, including something very important – your telephone number, which is there entrance to billing your phone company.

I am curious by nature and now I am angry. Curiosity, anger, and 29 years of legal experience make me kind of dangerous. I will find out who these companies are and why they are doing this to innocent consumers. I may find that Network Assurance and US Credit Find are operated out of some garage in Tampico, but AT&T is involved in some way and I am going to discover why and how. I write this column so that you will closely examine your phone bill and your credit card billings.

The amounts are small enough that most people won’t complain. I am going to complain and I know how to do it pretty effectively. Stay tuned.