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Know what slamming
is. Slamming occurs when your telephone service is switched from
your current company to another one without your permission.
Long-distance service is the most common target of slamming, but it
can also happen with local or local-toll service.
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Read the fine print.
Contest entry forms, coupons, or other promotional materials might
include an agreement to switch your phone service. Federal law
requires that written agreements to change phone service must be
separate documents, not part of a prize package or other materials. If
the company offers a check to get you to switch, the check must state
clearly on the front and on the back, in the signature area, that you
are agreeing to change your service.
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You can also agree
to switch your service over the telephone or electronically. The
company must verify that you agreed. You may be instructed to
call a toll-free number that is used exclusively for that purpose, or
you may be connected to an independent verification company that will
confirm your decision to switch.
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Beware of imposters.
Someone posing as a representative from your current telephone company
may try to trick you by asking if you are satisfied with your service
or if you’re interested in a new calling plan or billing
arrangement. A “yes” answer could be tape-recorded and used as
proof that you agreed to switch. Ask for the person’s name and
number. Then contact your phone company to find out if the call was
legitimate.
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Don’t return calls
to numbers on your pager or voice mail that you don’t recognize.
A slammer may use Automatic Number Identification to see the number
you’re dialing from and then process an unauthorized switch of
service.
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Check your phone
bill carefully. If you notice a new company name, call the number
that’s listed on that portion of the bill and ask for an
explanation. If you’ve been slammed, inform the company that you
didn’t agree to use its service. Contact
the company you originally had to switch back and be reinstated in
your old calling plan.
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Know your rights.
Under federal law, you can switch back for free, and you don’t have
to pay for the first 30 days of service from the slammer. If you used
the slammer’s service beyond 30 days, you will pay your original
company for that service from day 31 until the date you switch back.
You will be charged your original company’s rates, not the
slammer’s. If you have already paid the slammer, your original
company can try to help you get some of your money back. Contact your
original company as soon as you realize that you’ve been slammed.
For more information about your rights, contact the Federal
Communications Commission, 888-225-5322, or go to www.fcc.gov.
Your state public utility department can tell you any rights you
may have under state law.
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Put a “freeze”
on your telephone service. Ask your local phone company, which
does the switching on behalf of the other companies, to notify you
before your service can be changed.
