FinallyRetired
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
- Joined
- Aug 1, 2002
- Messages
- 1,322
Not really a direct scam, but a very sneaky way for the phone company to get exorbitant rates.
To make a long story short: Got a phone message from a very nice lady who used to take care of MIL. She came from Barbados, and returned there after her caregiving job. The number on my caller ID looked like a regular US phone number, 246-XXX-XXXX. Figured she was back in the States, so returned her call as a direct dial. No country code needed. Turned out she was in Barbados, got billed $3.85 a minute by Verizon, a total of around $70 for around 15 minutes.
Called Verizon to complain, they were worse than the govt, would not even entertain an adjustment even though I've been with them for 20+ years. Disconnected my phone, now have Skype, in which I pay pennies per call. If I should ever call Barbados again, it's 23 cents per minute.
Verizon claims I should have known it was an int'l call. Even if I had known, I wouldn't have guessed they would charge me that sky high price. My conclusion is that Verizon and other phone companies are laying low about these direct dial int'l numbers because it's quite profitable for them.
I sent a complaint to the FCC and to my two Senators. The FCC sent me essentially the same reply I got from Verizon, heck, I figure they're part of the problem so why should they be part of the solution?
To make a long story short: Got a phone message from a very nice lady who used to take care of MIL. She came from Barbados, and returned there after her caregiving job. The number on my caller ID looked like a regular US phone number, 246-XXX-XXXX. Figured she was back in the States, so returned her call as a direct dial. No country code needed. Turned out she was in Barbados, got billed $3.85 a minute by Verizon, a total of around $70 for around 15 minutes.
Called Verizon to complain, they were worse than the govt, would not even entertain an adjustment even though I've been with them for 20+ years. Disconnected my phone, now have Skype, in which I pay pennies per call. If I should ever call Barbados again, it's 23 cents per minute.
Verizon claims I should have known it was an int'l call. Even if I had known, I wouldn't have guessed they would charge me that sky high price. My conclusion is that Verizon and other phone companies are laying low about these direct dial int'l numbers because it's quite profitable for them.
I sent a complaint to the FCC and to my two Senators. The FCC sent me essentially the same reply I got from Verizon, heck, I figure they're part of the problem so why should they be part of the solution?