I just received my Verizon bill and there has been added on to it $18.42 charges from an outfit called ILD Teleservices Inc. These are unauthorized charges and the toll calls on this statement were never made by us. Attached is the page in question. Upon research on the web, it turns out that ILD Teleservices Inc. has a long list of complaints against it for unauthorized billing. I tried numerous times to contact this outfit, but it is difficult to get someone on their toll free number as there is a waitas long a half an hour. Who can wait this long?
1. Why is this company allowed to operate, despite the complaints against it? The ILD corporate information is as follows:
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 (good luck getting a live person at this number)
Fax: 904-285-3616
2. Verizon disclaims any knowledge of this charge. A Ms. Green from Verizon I spoke to today, could not wait to get off the phone, repeating all the while that Verizon does not have anything to do with it. If so, why is it on a Verizon bill? If I never authorized or initiated any business with ILD, why would Verizon add it on to the Verizon bill. Doesn't Verizon have safeguards on their end to ensure that unauthorized charges do not get added on to the statement? What is to stop every scam artist from affiliating with Verizon?
3. Why is the hapless consumer caught in the middle through no fault of theirs and spend hours trying to get someone to resolve this?
I hope someone in a position to do something about this will help us, the consumer.
Ah yes, your posting was such a relief to find. Thank you. Here's my horror story:
My parents were recently scammed by this ILD Teleservices, who claimed they agreed to a Web hosting service, and billed two $49.99 fees to their business phone account. Which is completely ridiculous, since I run an ad agency and have a Web hosting service. They have nothing to do with the set-up of any Internet services. Nor would they agree to one, since that's what I do.
Anyway, as my parents' Web representative, I called the company and spoke to Isabelle, who was obviously ready to do battle. She played me a tape of a person NOT EVEN RELATED to my parents, and who sounded like he was 16 years old tops, and all he did was repeat the phone number. He knew my dad's first name. (Not even the business name.) And because SOMEONE WHO IS NOT AUTHORIZED (and certainly not related) to my father, repeated a number and a name you can get out of the yellow pages, they said that was authorization enough to set up a Web service in my father's name?
WHAT? Is that even legal? Is that even close to legal? By ILD's theory, a burglar could apparently answer the phone in my parents' home and authorize a Web site set-up fee using the name Prince if he so desired. But I digress. "Isabelle" also reluctantly agreed to move one of the chargesfor the bill in 90 days. But only after I asked for a manager. Only after I said I was going to contact the FTC. And only after throwing in her own parting shot, which was something like, "I'm glad we're shocking and amusing you." Yes, I'm shocked and amused at the audacity of this company. Who wouldn't be? She acted like I was trying to scam her, so that did amuse me quite a bit.
I, too, will report back to let you know if this mysterious "credit" appears on the bill in 90 days.
And I suggest if there's a lawyer out there listening, a class action suit is ripe for the picking. In fact, I'm copying this notice to a lawyer I do know. I'll keep you posted.
Please post my story and the consumer complaint site info.
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/cell_phones/ild.html
Thanks! Keep up the fight!
From all of the disclosures stated on the internet, I am curious why there has not been a class action law suit or a major complaint to the FCC. Hopefully, we will be able to resolve this issue in an expedient manner. However, this company needs to be shut down due to it defrauding the consumer public.
I would very much like a response from you in advise on how we should handle this matter with a company that deploys fraudulent practices.
Evidently I am just one more victim of these horrible scam artists.
I received a charge on my phone bill for something referred to as MySiteOnLineIs WebHosting Monthly Fee? The amount was $29.95. Then I was charged for Federal excise tax @ 3%, City utility tax and State & Local Sales Tax which resulted in a total of $35.18.
I first called Verizon and explained to them that I did not order this service. They were going to back it out to ILD Teleservices. They explained that it probably wouldn't come off of our phone bill for a couple of months, due to the fact that they bill ahead.
I then called the telephone number listed on my phone bill for ILD Teleservices. I was on hold for quite some time before someone finally answered. When I explained that I didn't order this services they told me that someone from my business had ordered it. I said "No" that's not true. I told her that this was referred to as cramming and she got sassy with me and put me on hold and never came back!
I filed a complaint form and am now waiting to see if the charges are taken off?
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