ABSTRACT: A new form of scamming has been invented and it's called "cramming" Unknowingly, somehow, an unexpected charge is made by another provider on your phone bill. The biggest crammer is ILD Teleservices.
CONTENT: Like many people I surf the web extensively, clicking on a variety of websites without much thought to it. Then, also like most people maybe I come across some website I wish to access or join, and of course I come up with that page that one has to fill in various information, such as name, address, phone number, date of birth, gender and so forth. For awhile there, too, I was connected with many of those paying sites, like Cash Crate, Treasure Trooper, just to name a few, and to "earn" money I would also fill out forms or so surveys, so once again had to fill out that page to include information about me.
I'm sure many of you have done this, and after filling out any of these forms, sometimes you'll come up with that "Terms and Conditions." Now be honest, for I am, how many have you actually bothered to read all those fine print terms and conditions, especially if they seem to be a mile long? I certainly don't, and just click "I Agree".
Well, I learned my lesson. From now on, no matter how long the "Terms And Conditions" are, I'm going to read every single word. You see, for the past three billing cycles of my Verizon phone bill, I got this unexplained charge by "other provider", and it was listed as ILD Teleservices, with an additional name of New Link Network as being the service I was supposedly using and being billed under the ILD Teleservices and the monthly charge was for $12.95.
What's upsetting about all this, is that I would never want or desire any other "provider" with or for my phone service, as I have all the necessary long distance and local services I need under Verizon. Also, being that I'm on SSI Disability, and receive benefits from Social Security, I do have to watch out for my expenses. So why would I knowingly want an additional charge for anything when I have to be careful of the money I spend?
Apparently, however, this is what happened to me. While filling out one of those forms, and I can honestly say I don't know which one it was, I must have clicked the "I Agree" to their terms and conditions on one of the websites I either joined up or in filling out one of those surveys on one of the pay to click sites, and of course I didn't read that fine print of the "terms and conditions". If I had, I would never have signed up.
When I did call my phone service, Verizon, they weren't much help to me and suggested I call up the number associated with the ILD Teleservices, so I did. The woman I talked to was very pleasant, and so was I. I'm not the type to scream, rant, rave and be a complaining customer, even though, I have to admit, I often would like to. Being an obnoxious, complaining customer will not get one anywhere.
I therefore, explained the situation, that I was being charged this additional $12.95 a month for another provider on my phone bill, but had no idea why I was being charged, and it was she who told me, that no doubt I had filled out one of those forms that had a "terms and conditions" for a website offer or product, and didn't read the fine print before agreeing to it, and I did confess to her that I hadn't.
Supposedly, I am now to be reimbursed for the charges, but the reflection won't show up or be credited on my phone bill for another two or three billing cycles. Uh, I'll see about that, and if nothing happens, you can bet I'll be calling them again.
After my phone call, I then I just got plain curious, so I decided to hunt and track down this New Link Network, and while I did come up with a website, it definitely wasn't one I had ever had any dealings with. Then I started looking up ILD Teleservices itself, and came up with a winner, but not necessarily in the positive.
First of course, is the actual ILD Teleservices website itself, located at http://www.ildtelecom.com/ . It turns out to be a glorified collection service as a billing and payment processing center for communication, internet, information and entertainment service providers in which one's phone service is charged. In other words, all one has to do is to have filled out one of those innocent forms giving one's phone number and which has one of those "terms and conditions" statement, click the "I Agree, and bingo, you're charged fees on a monthly basis, and for what will often remain a mystery as it did in my case.
Then I did a further investigation, and I found out that ILD Teleservices is just one of probably many scam organizations going, and there is a major mentioning of it on the Consumers Affairs website. Not only is ILD Teleservices mentioned, but it is just one such billing clearinghouse listed under another organization known as CERB, or the Coalition to Ensure Responsible Billing. The others that are listed are Billing Concepts, USBI, Zero Plus Dialing, Enhanced Service Billin, ACI Billing Services, dba OAN Services, HBS and Integretel, Inc. Supposedly, this organization, CERB, is supposed to protect the consumer from fraudulent charges on their phone bills. Seems they aren't doing their job well.
What was a real eye-opener, is the fact that it seems I haven't been the only one scammed or as it is properly called, "cramming", as the Consumer Affairs gives examples of other customers who have had unexplained charges on their phone bills, and usually with ILD Teleservices. Also, if one does a basic engine search and types out ILD Teleservices, pages and pages will come up with people voicing their identical same problem of being scammed by this company and having unauthorized charges added to their phone bills.
The Consumers Affairs website is a wonderful resource of what a consumer can do who has been "crammed" and lists what steps to take to dispute the unauthorized billing on one's phone bill. The first step is to call ILD Teleservices, or any other "provider" that is listed on one's phone bill, and they usually do provide their contact phone number to call. All right I did that step already, but I went ahead to the second step that Consumer Affairs suggests, and that is to file a report on the ConsumerAffairs.Com website, and a link is given there. They also suggest filing a complaint form with the Federal Trade Commission and a one's state Public Utilities Commission.
I therefore have written this article to make other people aware of this "cramming" business and to be on the alert of any unusual charges that have been made on your phone bill, whether it'd be Verizon, Bell South, AT&T or any other phone servicel. This company ILD Teleservices is just one, but there are probably hundreds of these kind of billing clearinghouses in existence and all with the same results. Also, as a word of advice, for you just know I'm going to do this for now on: anytime you decide to join some website or if you're involved with those pay-to-click or survey websites, and you need to fill in personal information, especially one's phone number, read that fine print of any "terms and conditions". Don't do the same mistake I did, and just click the "I Agree" button--READ those terms!
ILD Teleservices Website:
http://www.ildtelecom.com/
CERB (Coalition to Ensure Responsible Billing)
http://www.cerb.org/
Websites That Describe the ILD Teleservices Scam:
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cell_phones/ild.html
Contact Information For ILD Teleservices:
(The CERB Website has other contact information)
Corporate Information
Fred Lloyd
Vice President, Strategic Planning
ILD Telecommunications, Inc.
5000 Sawgrass Village Circle, Suite 30
Ponte Vedra Beach, FL 32082
Office: (904) 273-2440
Tollfree: 1(800)433-4518
Fax: (904) 285-3616
Email: fred.lloyd@ildmail.com
Other places to contact:
Federal Trade Commission
http://www.ftc.gov/
Consumer Affairs Complaint Form
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/php/a_report.php
State Utility Commissioners
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/links/state_pucs.html
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