HOLD Billing Services HBS, HBC "Celebrity Contact" - that's the service they said we signed up for which came as a $20.00 billing on our AT&T DSL/Land-line bill. We reported them via the FTC website; blocked any other further 3rd- Dallas, Texas

Our AT&T DSL/land-line bill came today.  It had a $20.00 billing for HOLD Billing Services listed.  We had not engaged any additional services via AT&T.

We called the 800-879-4653 number listed, complained, received a confirming cancellation number from HOLD Billing Svcs., and voiced our distain.  We called AT&T, complained, voiced our distain, and put a block on any further 3rd-party billing on our account.

We then Googled Hold Billing Services (HBC) and noted that they had been successfully prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission in San Antonio, TX in 1999 with a judgement of $2-3 million placed against them.

We then Googled the FTC and filed a complaint against HOLD Billing Services, today (1-30-10), telling them that these guys had not learned their lesson - they're still at it.  Opportunistic scam artists.  We're dismayed that AT&T has no better protection for their customers than to allow such charges in the first place...especially from a company that had been previously, and successfully, prosecuted by the FTC.  We're looking at our options to shed ourselves of AT&T as well.