Report: #232382

Complaint Review: ESBI, Verizon, Total Protection Plus

Submitted: Wed, January 24, 2007
Updated: Sat, October 15, 2011

Reported By: Dawn — Plant City Florida U.S.A.

ESBI, Verizon, Total Protection Plus

esbi.com Internet U.S.A.

Phone: 866-5274932
Web:
Category: Corrupt Companies

ESBI, Verizon, Total Protection Plus ESBI charges on my verizon bill on behalf of Total Protection Plus for voicemail and id theft protection... yeah, right! Internet

*Consumer Comment: Try with your phone company again.

*Consumer Comment: Verizon not blameless

*Consumer Comment: Help in dealing with ESBI

*UPDATE Employee: 'fraudulent charges'

*Author of original report: ESBI Total Protection Plus and Verizon ripoff

*Consumer Comment: File a complaint with the FTC

REBUTTAL BOX | Respond to this Report!

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0Author 6Consumer 0Employee/Owner

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I was charged $14.95 per month on my local verizon phone bill for services for ESBI. I then contacted verizon to find out what it was about. I was told by verizon to contact ESBI. I contacted ESBI via e-mail because I had no luck by telephone. ESBI responded in 2 weeks. I will list the emails between us. Read from the bottom up.

Start of E-mails......
Thank you for your inquiry. I understand you are requesting ESBI to assist you on the charges. Customers are being billed for voicemail service with a bonus of identitytheft services.
** Bills a monthly recurring fee of $14.95.
** Hours of operation are: Monday
- Friday 9am - 5pm EST.
** All sales are 3rd party verified.** Utilizes Pop
- up ads Internet advertising.
** End users can obtain additional information regarding the service beingbilled via the providers website at: www.tppv.com/consumer.

I understand you stated you did not authorize this service. I am issuing credit for $25.90 plus tax for the Nov and Dec charges. Please allow one to two billing cycles for this credit to appear on your phone bill. I have documented a request for cancellation. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.
Estella

From: [mailto:d***] (((REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:58 AM
To: billview esbi ; dsheree_h@verizon.net
Subject: RE: ESBI Billing Inquiry: 813 - 752 - (blocked) el total protection plus f orward - fl

All that website does is take me to a login screen which asks for an 800/888 phone number mailbox and password. I don't have any of that! I have not authorized any charges and have not used any service nor received any information regarding their services. If you would take a few minutes and go to http://www.ripoffreport.com/results.asp?q1=ALL&q4=&q6=&q3=&q2=&q7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search%21&q5=ESBI+&submit=Search
you will see tons of pages of complaints. This is crazy. I know you only do the billing for other companies, but I don't know how to get in contact with them to stop these charges. Please Please Please help!

billview esbi wrote:

Thank you for your inquiry. ESBI aggregates charges from a number of service providers and then transmits the charges to the Local Exchange Carrier. ESBI has a contract with your local telephone company to process billing. The provider's website at: www.tppv.com/consumer. They will further assist you.
Thank you.
Estella

From: [mailto:ds**] (((REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:48 AM
To: billview esbi
Subject: RE: ESBI Billing Inquiry: 813 - 752 - (blocked) el total protection plus f orward - fl

Do they have a website? I have read numerous complaints about esbi on behalf of total protection plus billing people through verizon without consent. Do you know why?

billview esbi wrote:
Thank you for your inquiry. You may also contact TOTAL PROTECTION PLUS at number 18665274932. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have further questions.
Estella

From: [mailto:d***verizon.net] (((REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))
Sent: Wednesday, January 24, 2007 8:30 AM
To: billview esbi ;
Subject: RE: ESBI Billing Inquiry: 813 - 752 - (blocked) el total protection plus f orward - fl

I have not heard from this company. Do you have a website, email address or contact information on this company???

billview esbi wrote:
Thank you for your inquiry. ESBI aggregates charges from a number of service providers and then transmits the charges to the Local Exchange Carrier. The charge in question is billed on behalf of TOTAL PROTECTION
PLUS. They prefer to handle their own customer service. ESBI has forwarded your communication to TOTAL PROTECTION PLUS. They will further assist you.
Thank you.
Estella
- - - - - Original Message - - - - -
From: [mailto:ds**]
Sent: Thursday, January 11, 2007 1:31 PM
To: esbi@billview.com
Subject: ESBI Billing Inquiry: 813 - 752 - (blocked) el total protection plus forward
- fl
The following customer service inquiry was submitted for processing:

Bill Number: 813 - 752 - (blocked)
Name on Bill:
Contact Name: Dawn H
Contact Number: 813 - 752 - (blocked)
Email: ds*** (((REDACTED FOR SECURITY PURPOSES)))
Address:
Address2:
City: Plant City
State: FL
Zip Code: 33563
Billing Date of Phone Bill: 12/16/2006
Date Range of calls/charges in question: 11/27/2006
Inquiries: I\'m being charged $14.95 on my bill for voicemail svc with ID
theft protection. I don\'t have that service and I have not asked for it. I want it removed from my bill and don\'t want to be charged for it anymore.
Thank you.

End of e-mails....

All I can say is for everyone to keep trying and hopefully these charges are removed and not billed again. I'll update when I get my bill.

Dawn
Plant City, Florida
U.S.A.
sorry, allowing you to give a competitors name would instigate others to just file against their competition, to only come back later to suggest their company your comments on this policy are welcome! CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail addressfrom this Report.

This report was posted on Ripoff Report on 01/24/2007 08:29 AM and is a permanent record located here: http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/ESBI-Verizon-Total-Protection-Plus/internet/ESBI-Verizon-Total-Protection-Plus-ESBI-charges-on-my-verizon-bill-on-behalf-of-Total-Pr-232382. The posting time indicated is Arizona local time. Arizona does not observe daylight savings so the post time may be Mountain or Pacific depending on the time of year.

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REBUTTALS & REPLIES:

0Author 6Consumer 0Employee/Owner

Updates & Rebuttals

#1 Consumer Comment

Try with your phone company again.

AUTHOR: Deb - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, October 15, 2011

My husband called regarding the same $14.95 that you spoke of to complain that we did not request any fax service on our home phone. CenturyLink our provider (purchased from Sprint) told him the same thing call ESBI. After a 54 minute and 26 second wait on hold in their call cue where "the wait is usually less than one minute" I called CenturyLink back. I told them the problem and the guy on the phone knew EXACTLY what I was talking about. He credited my bill for $45 (3 months) with no arguement then called ESBI himself. I then told him that had he not been able to help me I was calling to disconnect my service, he agreed that this would have gotten the charges stopped at the very least. I was will to forego the old charges I had already paid as I should have paid closer attention to my bill BUT I was not willing to incur any further charges for a service I did not want. Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, CenturyLink may not be able to get your money back from ESBI but they can sure stop charging you from the point you call. Here is the number that the phone company rep gave me as a better number to call during the week 888-480-8724. Good luck with getting it stopped.

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#2 Consumer Comment

Verizon not blameless

AUTHOR: Michael - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Sunday, May 22, 2011

When a company has this many similar complaints, Verizon should not just assume that the charges are legitimate. If it this easy for unscrupulous companies to access accounts and steal money from Verizon customers, then Verizon is morally and ethically obligated to implement some mechanism to protect those same customers. For Verizon to sit on its hands and look the other way is unacceptable.

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#3 Consumer Comment

Help in dealing with ESBI

AUTHOR: STOP ESBI - (United States of America)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, March 20, 2010

Dawn,

I too have recently been a victim of BSG/ESBIs unauthorized billing ($14.94 American eVoice charges) I won't restate all that has been noted above. Unsure if you have had any resolve but I hope the following provides more in depth information on what BSG is doing.

A quick search on its website reveals how little this operation cares for corporate governance. How interesting that the company incorrectly lists corporate Bye-Laws (rather than the correct term Corporate Bylaws) on its website; BSG waved "goodbye" to American laws long ago and has no interest due diligence. More alarming is how warm Wall Street is on this deceptive company, encouraging people to buy shares, as noted here

(((Redacted)))

The document above contains a wealth of information essential to understanding how BSG (essentially a monopoly) operates. You will find that it has a 90% market share and excellent relations with the US telecom giants. Shareholders ought know about the legal risks and liabilities BSG presents and how it is continually in violation of court orders. BSG has 750 complaints against in the San Antonio BBB. BSG charges us through our residential land lines for third party products and services without our express authorization; we neither purchase services nor authorize charges. We are fraudulently registered as BILL2PHONE users. This is malicious cyber activity; citizens' sensitive, confidential data is misappropriated. We are victims of internet computer crime and larceny.

In March of 2008 BSG settled a case with the FCC in which it was charged for placing unauthorized charges on consumers on behalf of Nationwide Connections Inc. The court barred BSG from billing or submitting telecommunications charges for billing on a consumers telephone bill, unless such charge has been expressly authorized. Additionally the court required BSG take all necessary steps before billing on behalf of clients to ensure it did not engage in the unauthorized billing of telecommunications charges. Yet it has consistently been in violation of these requirements, it certainly was in my case!

I would like to know specifically how BSG obtained my express consent and what necessary steps were taken before billing me on behalf of its third party client. Perhaps members of its Executive Management can answer some of these questions

http://www.bsgclearing.com/index.php/about/executive_management_team/

We all are entitled to documentation regarding the manual entries BSG indicates were entered on their third party clients' websites, including the IP address of the computer that sent said requests, so that the fraudulent purchase and use of said services can be further investigated. Request this of its corporate staff.

Culpability rests either with BSG or its third party clients. Perhaps Ms. Cubeta, BSG's General Counsel, can assist us in obtaining the relevant electronic records and communications information related to these supposed orders for services. BSG is billing consumers in advance of obtaining our express consent in violation of a 2008 court order. It has responsibility to provide answers.

Write:

Gregory Carter, CEO

BSG Clearing Solutions

7411 John Smith Drive
Suite 1500

San Antonio, Texas 78229

CLICK here to see why Rip-off Report, as a matter of policy, deleted either a phone number, link or e-mail address from this Report.

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#4 UPDATE Employee

'fraudulent charges'

AUTHOR: Diane - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Saturday, February 10, 2007

I am a Verizon employee and talk to customers every day. This subject comes up frequently. Please understand that VERIZON is NOT doing anything underhanded, nor are we trying to 'rip you off'. Let me explain.

Verizon has a contract with MANY, smaller, communications-type companies to do their billing for them. This is all legitimate, done with the FCC's full knowledge, and is intended to make things easier for the consumer. (so you will get one single bill for all of your communications services)

These smaller companies contact Verizon when a customer has ordered a service from them, and tells Verizon how much that customer owes for that service. Verizon then bills the customer and pays the company what they are owed.

Verizon has to assume that all of these charges are legitimate (usually they ARE legitimate charges for services ordered either accidentally by not reading fine print or by someone else in the household) Occasionally customers call and question us about the charge and we have to refer them to the specific company because we only bill what they tell us to bill. We do not have any info about who ordered the service, or when or how it was ordered.

When the customer calls the company, if the charge indeed is an error (or the customer cancels the service), then that company will contact us and credit the customer's bill, plus they will stop any further charges. This is the best way to get the problem solved. However, if a customer has tried repeatedly to get the situation resolved by calling that company and has not been successful, then (and only then) Verizon can do a 'recourse adjustment' to send the charges back to the company.

This is a last resort because it will not stop future charges from being sent to us. When the company gets the charges sent back to them from Verizon, they will contact the customer to ask why, and/or they will start billing you separately (because you haven't told them you want to cancel it)

Bottom line, Verizon is NOT 'ripping anyone off'. Everything Verizon does (not Verizon wireless, mind you, I'm talking Verizon landline) is watched under a microscope by the FCC because of all the laws and regulations that telecommunications companies have to abide by.

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#5 Author of original report

ESBI Total Protection Plus and Verizon ripoff

AUTHOR: Dawn - (U.S.A.)

SUBMITTED: Thursday, February 08, 2007

I was contacted by Total Protection Plus, which I still don't know exactly what this company does, and they told me they would credit my phone bill for 4 months that I have been billed. As of yet, I have not received any credit. I'll update if I do. The link you left for the FTC complaint above has been removed and I couldn't view it.

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#6 Consumer Comment