Check phone bills for possible refund
by Diana De Leon, reporter

    Unauthorized charges on a phone bill could mean a refund under the terms of a recent settlement, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC).

    As part of the settlement, Enhanced Services Billing (ESBI), a billing clearinghouse that processes charges on behalf of service providers, will notify consumers whom they bill. The notice may be a letter, a message on the phone bill itself or an insert.

    Billing Concepts Inc. (BCI), the largest billing clearinghouse and information service to the communications industry, is also named in the FTC settlement.

    Some of the unauthorized charges may be a one-time fee, but others may appear on a bill month after month. Charges may be for website design, voice mail, club membership, hospital phone rental, 900 number services or other enhanced services. The charges could appear anywhere on the phone bill or an insert.

    Consumers are entitled to a refund if they have received a phone bill containing unauthorized charges between Aug. 9, 2001, and Feb. 9, 2002. Consumers can request a refund of current charges and up to a total of 12 months of past charges.

    To claim refunds, consumers must call ESBI or BCI toll free at 1-800-555-ESBI, send an e-mail to www.billview.com or write to ESBI at P. O. Box 29206, San Antonio, Texas 78229.

    Consumers seeking refunds greater than four months must mail copies of the phone bills containing the unauthorized charges.

    The terms and conditions for disputing 900 number charges are different than those for other charges. Consumers must follow the instructions on the statement about whom to call to dispute the charges.

    Consumers must notify the company listed on their bill within 60 days of the statement date.

    The company must acknowledge a consumer’s notice within two billing cycles, but not longer than 90 days.

    The company must notify the consumer of the correction of the billing error or of the investigation of the matter. The FTC advises consumers to follow-up on the billing error.

    The FTC also suggests consumers review their phone bills carefully, both for unauthorized charges and for the notice about the possibility of a refund.

    If consumers think there is a mistake or do not understand the phone bill, they should call their providers for an explanation.

    The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.

    For free information or to file a complaint, call toll free 1-877-FTC-HELP or go to www.ftc.gov.