Your long distance carrier shouldn't be
switched without your knowledge. But sometimes it happens, because of a
phenomenon called "slamming."
Life was simpler before the break-up of Ma Bell. Maybe phone rates were
higher, but at least you knew who your long distance company was.
Now, fierce competition among AT&T, MCI, Sprint and an estimated 180
smaller companies has led to beyond-shady practices to snag new customers.
It's gotten so bad that some consumers have opened their monthly phone
bill and discovered that their long distance carriers have been changed
without their knowledge. This strange phenomenon is called slamming.
Slamming is against the law. Federal law prohibits a company from
switching your long distance carrier without your authorization -- written
or oral -- so some companies have stooped to new, misleading methods to
get you to sign up.
Here are a few things to look out for:
The check in the mail. If you get a check from a long distance telephone
carrier, it may look as though no strings are attached. But don't cash it
unless you want to be switched to that company.
The fine print. Some offers for magazine subscriptions or free samples
now contain a fine-print statement obligating you to switch to a different
phone company if you return the offer.
The worthy-cause scam. Don't sign up for a raffle or donate to a
charity in a mall or at a festival. These are often tied to long distance
switch schemes. It works like this: A phone company sponsors the charity.
The charity keeps the money you donate, but the company gets your name,
phone number and an authorization to switch you.
If you're really concerned about potential slamming, you can send your
local phone company a letter (or ask that it send you a form) directing it
not to change your long distance carrier unless it receives a letter from
you.
If you do get slammed, pick up that phone. "Call your local phone
company immediately," advises Laurel Pallock of the San Francisco
District Attorney's Consumer Fraud Division. "Ask that the switching
charge be dropped; the company should agree. Then call the long distance
carrier you want to use and ask to be returned. Next, call the company
that slammed you and insist that any charges be recalculated according to
your original company's rates."
Finally, file a complaint with your state's public utilities agency and
the Federal Communications Commission. (Contact the FCC by calling
888-CALLFCC or by visiting its website at http://www.fcc.gov.) A phone
company can lose its government licenses for consistently fraudulent
behavior.
The Good Side of Switching
If you make the decision to switch phone companies, you may come out
ahead. Companies are offering discount coupons, hundred-dollar checks and
other incentives to lure customers. If you take full advantage of the
offers, you might be able to save as much as $500 a year by energetic
switching.
© 2001 Nolo.com
