LaurenTel Fraudulent charge Minneapolis Minnesota

On our December 2008 Verizon bill there was a fraudulent charge, under the category of "Miscellaneous Charges and Credits", dated 11/24 for "Laurentel Setup Fee" of $8.43. To it was added a state tax (presumably Minnesota) of $0.42, thus totalling $8.85. In January we were billed again by Laurentel, this time stated as a fee, presumably for an 800 number. We had already protested the setup fee and were told the service would be cancelled.

Laurentel advertises itself as an 800 number service for cheap long distance calling.

We did not ask for or authorize a Laurentel setup, which a laurentel customer service rep with a heavy accent claimed was made by my wife, on the very day and the very hour that she was sitting in a board or directors meeting in Philadelphia.

On the page of the Verizon bill with the setup charge was the following language: "Your local telephone service will not be disconnected for failure to pay the charges on this portion of your bill. If you fail to pay these charges,the service provider may pursue collections independently."

My take on all this is that both Verizon and the State of Minnesota are skimming a little off the top but with something like a ten foot pole. There is no physical address in Minneapolis for Laurentel, and Verizon won't do anything if we don't pay the charge. Not a bad deal; I wonder what Verizon's computation is of the extra cash they would be getting for handling Laurentel's bills....thick as thieves. This whole thing stinks to high heaven.

Laurentel's web site includes the following language: "All orders are subject to approval by LaurenTel. LaurenTel will notify approved customers via email of the activation of their service. The activation email will be sent to the email address you provided on the order registration page and include complete operating instructions and customer service contact information."

Of course we did not make an order via a registration page, nor did we receive an "activation email".

Then this outfit covers its behind with the following language on its website: " If you did not wish to order this service, simply call customer service toll free at 1-800-215-1961 or write to LaurenTel at PO Box 50480, Minneapolis, MN 55405. " ???

I have requested from Laurentel customer service copies of their activation email confirming our request for this service. As yet no response. They farm out their customer service calls, I confirmed, when I asked the service rep for an email contact address. She gave me a Yahoo email address.

Meanwhile, we've written letters to our Senators and the FCC alerting them of this scam. Will send something to Minnesota, as soon as I find out where to and to whom it should be addressed for maximum impact.

Peter
Alexandria VA, Virginia
U.S.A.