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The San Jose, Calif., company has rung up a number of complaints in the past year with the Oregon Department of Justice for charging Oregon phone customers for sex lines, psychic networks, dating services and 1-800 lines they never ordered--a scam known in the industry as "cramming." (This is different from "slamming" ["Rogue of the Week" WW, April 2, 1997], in which companies switch your long distance service without your knowledge.) Integretel doesn't offer phone service itself but provides billing management for a range of phone-service providers. The firm has agreements with all the Baby Bells, including US West, to put charges on local service bills instead of sending a separate bill. It's unclear how many people have simply paid their phone bill, unaware that it included a charge for a service they did not request. Some consumers are paying attention, however. In November, Clarence Dyer of La Grande filed a complaint with the DOJ consumer fraud division when Integretel continued to bill him for a dating service he never ordered. The DOJ's Jan Margosian says companies like Integretel pay up when the DOJ gets involved to avoid further trouble; but the fines may be worth it for "crammers" when balanced against the income from consumers who blindly pay the additional charges. Linda Uribe, associate customer services representative at Integretel, says that when people dispute charges, Integretel either refers the consumer to the service provider or cancels the charge themselves. Victims of Integretel, however, report that it doesn't work out so smoothly. When Donna Wright called to cancel a $10.90 charge for a psychic network, Integretel assured her the charge would be stopped. The charges continued through December, however, including a $19.90 tax charge for the previous unpaid bills. After she complained to the DOJ, the charges stopped. If you think you are a victim of cramming, call the Department of Justice's consumer hot line at (503) 229-5576.Oregon law prohibits US West from shutting off your phone service when you fail to pay contested charges. |
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