Sierra2022Archive

Consumer Rights Protect Yourself Against Slamming, Cramming & Scamming

Cramming It is illegal for someone to add charges for various services to your local phone bill that you have not ordered. The charges are not related to your actual telephone service. Protect Yourself Make sure you read your monthly statement very carefully each month and immediately notify Sierra Telephone of any unauthorized charges. The charges can be removed and the companies responsible contacted to cancel any future charges. Avoid contests and sweepstakes that ask for a signature, and always read the fine print on all entry blanks or promotional materials. Often, you are authorizing more than your entry for the contest. Don’t leave your phone number on recorded messages to 800 or 900 #’s unless you’re certain that the company you’re dealing with is legitimate. If you receive materials in the mail confirming your new services, contact the company sending the letter, inform them that you did not request or authorize the new service and you refuse to pay for them. Then contact Sierra Telephone immediately, to verify that the services are not appearing on your monthly statements. 10 Tips for Spotting a Scam Be on the alert in the following situations! 1) A company or agency has a name that is intended to sound like a government agency or a familiar company or utility. 2) You must act on the offer the same day. 3) The telemarketer acts like he or she has done business with you before. 4) The company is unwilling to send you written information on the offer or give you references. 5) The caller asks for your calling card number as identification for purchases. 6) Individuals linger close by while you are making a call from a public phone. 7) Someone claims you have won a prize, and you haven’t entered a contest. 8) Someone asks for your calling card or credit card number to qualify you for a prize. 9) A telemarketer asks for your social security number so you can purchase products or qualify for prizes. 10) You have to pay a fee before you receive complimentary goods or services. Sign up for free scam alerts from the FTC at ftc.gov/scams. Get the latest tips and advice about scams sent right to your inbox.

Who to Contact for Help A number of other organizations and government agencies can provide assistance with additional information.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Consumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau (CGB) 445 12th St. SW Washington, D.C. 20554 Voice 888-225-5322 TTY 888-835-5322 Fax 866-418-0232 Email: fccinfo@fcc.gov www.fcc.gov/consumer-governmental-affairs CPUC Consumer Affairs Branch

505 Van Ness Avenue, Room 2003 San Francisco, California 94102-3298 Voice 800-649-7570 TTY 7-1-1 or 800-735-2929 To file a complaint online go to: http://www.cpuc.ca.gov/complaint/

Blocking of 900 and California 976 Numbers 900/976 Pay-Per-Call Billing Rights Statement You have the right not to be billed for pay-per-call services not offered in compliance with Federal laws and regulations. Failure to pay legitimate 900/976 charges may result in involuntary blocking of your access to 900 and/or 976 services . Important: Your local and long distance service cannot be disconnected as a result of non-payment of 900 or 976 charges. You have 60 days from the date of the 900/976 bill to dispute a billing error. If you orally communicate an allegation of a billing error via the telephone number on the 900/976 bill page, it will be considered sufficient notification of a billing error. Examples of billing errors include (but are not limited to): • You were dissatisfied with poor transmission quality, the quality or value of the service, or you dispute the amount billed; or • The 900 number service provider did not follow federal regulations. In addition to billing error disputes, if your dispute is for calls to 900 and 976 numbers within California, Sierra Telephone will offer a one-time adjustment of charges when: • Calls were made by your minor child without your permission; or • You did not authorize the calls.

14