Take a close look at your phone bill you could be paying for services you don’t even use. And that has Congress renewing efforts to protect Colorado residents, and the rest of the country, from those mysterious charges.
It’s called telephone bill “cramming.” Third party companies slip bogus monthly charges onto your land line phone bill. The fees range from a few dollars to as much as $50.00 and hide in plain sight amid other legitimate charges.
“Almost all consumers who were crammed were unaware of the charges and did not want or use the advertised services,” says Senator Mark Udall (D-CO).
Udall sits on a committee that’s considering a ban on the unauthorized charges. The phone companies promised Congress years ago they’d stop third party companies from “cramming” phone bills. But it’s still happening – even to the University of Colorado, Colorado State University, St. Vrain Valley Public Schools and some state agencies too.
Lawmakers say phone companies have been dragging their feet on addressing the problem because they’re actually making money off those cramming charges.
Mary Kay Mallonee - Capitol News Connection.