Phone Slammers

If you believe your long distance service was switched without your knowledge and consent ("slammed"), the following information may help you resolve your complaint:

Call you local phone company and ask that you be switched back to your original long distance carrier. Explain that you were switched without your authorization and that you dispute the charges made by the new long distance carrier. Ask the local carrier to subtract from your bill any fees charged for switching to a different long distance carrier.

Call the unauthorized long distance carrier and tell them you did not authorize the switch and ask for a copy of the authorization so you can determine on what basis the company made the switch.

If the unauthorized carriers' charges are higher than the rates your chosen long distance carrier charges, you may want to consider offering to settle with the unauthorized carrier, if the unauthorized carrier credits the excess charges on your local phone bill. The long distance carrier you chose may be willing to help you figure the difference in rates on your calls.

Write to the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to let them know about the unauthorized switch.

If you do not get this problem resolved within a reasonable amount of time, call your local carrier and ask for their assistance in resolving the matter.

The following terms may be of some use to you in finding a solution to your problem:

PIC (Primary Interexchange Carrier), the technical term used to describe your long distance carrier.

Slamming, the term used to describe an unauthorized switch made to an individual's long distance service.

LOA (Letter of Authorization) is the technical term used to describe the written document the long distance carrier must produce to show you authorized a switch in long distance service.

If you wish to write to the Public Utilities Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, they may be contacted as follows:

Public Utilities Commission
107 S. Broadway #5109
Los Angeles, CA 90012

Federal Communications Commission
2025 "M" Street N.W., Room 6202
Washington, DC 20406