Those Nasty 900 Numbers
According to CRTC rulings, Bell Canada cannot suspend or terminate local telephone service for failure to make payment of disputed long distance telephone charges as long as the customer makes payment of the legitimate local charges due and owing.
I just learned this, or I would not have paid Ma Bell for the following incident.
Back in December of 2001, I took in a neighbouring family with five children (including a newborn) that had been evicted from the house next door, as the shelters were full and I was one of the local churchworkers. Their son ran up a bunch of 900 calls from my phone to a sex line, all very brief in duration, while the adults were out of the room.
Later, when the bill arrived and the family were safely tucked away in Family Residence, I phoned up Bell and complained about these charges, because it was so obvious they were prank calls and nothing like my typical bills.
The rep told me that Bell refused to release anyone from this type of debt, saying they would have to cut off my service if I did not pay this bill of close to $400(and the kid's family certainly couldn't). She said she was sorry, but I was responsible for what other people did while they were in my home, and she did not wish to discuss any possibility of the charges being transferred to their account (unpaid).
She went on to tell me that Bell Canada had a reciprocal agreement with phone companies in other countries to pay for 900 charges, because there were no laws being broken in Canada, and that would apply to phone calls placed while using an internet connection as well.
She suggested I request a block on my phone line, and I asked why I had never been told about this before, and she said Bell did not advertise the service, but it was in place if I wanted to phone the Bell office and request it (she was unable to do this for me).
So be wary! If you have teens coming into the house, have that block put on. Another good reason is, if you have a dial-up connection, and one of those nasty little pop-up ads come on (phone sex, talk to a psychic, etc.) and you click the wrong button, you may wind up with a $350 charge on your phone bill for a call to Denmark that you never knew you made (or the 7-year old trying to play on PBS Kids). And then, you would have to fight it.
At least you know the CRTC's stand on the situation to help you if you have to fight Bell Canada.
I just learned this, or I would not have paid Ma Bell for the following incident.
Back in December of 2001, I took in a neighbouring family with five children (including a newborn) that had been evicted from the house next door, as the shelters were full and I was one of the local churchworkers. Their son ran up a bunch of 900 calls from my phone to a sex line, all very brief in duration, while the adults were out of the room.
Later, when the bill arrived and the family were safely tucked away in Family Residence, I phoned up Bell and complained about these charges, because it was so obvious they were prank calls and nothing like my typical bills.
The rep told me that Bell refused to release anyone from this type of debt, saying they would have to cut off my service if I did not pay this bill of close to $400(and the kid's family certainly couldn't). She said she was sorry, but I was responsible for what other people did while they were in my home, and she did not wish to discuss any possibility of the charges being transferred to their account (unpaid).
She went on to tell me that Bell Canada had a reciprocal agreement with phone companies in other countries to pay for 900 charges, because there were no laws being broken in Canada, and that would apply to phone calls placed while using an internet connection as well.
She suggested I request a block on my phone line, and I asked why I had never been told about this before, and she said Bell did not advertise the service, but it was in place if I wanted to phone the Bell office and request it (she was unable to do this for me).
So be wary! If you have teens coming into the house, have that block put on. Another good reason is, if you have a dial-up connection, and one of those nasty little pop-up ads come on (phone sex, talk to a psychic, etc.) and you click the wrong button, you may wind up with a $350 charge on your phone bill for a call to Denmark that you never knew you made (or the 7-year old trying to play on PBS Kids). And then, you would have to fight it.
At least you know the CRTC's stand on the situation to help you if you have to fight Bell Canada.
posted by Shucky at 5:33 PM
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