WQ Long Distance Aka QX Telecom refuses to refund fraudulent charges due to "lawsuit", Thousand Oaks California

In 2002, I had six monthly charges of $59.78 appear on my credit card, from a vendor called QXT. I had never heard of such a vendor, and didn't know what the service was. I learned from my credit card provider that it was QX Telecom, and they provided a contact number.

I reached the call center of QXT (now renamed to WQ Long Distance) and they said they would discontinued the charges (which have stopped). Given that I hadn't used a single minute of calling, they even agreed to refund the charges. However, they said it would take 30 days for the refund to appear. So I waited.

A month later I contacted them again and was told that since their billing cycle had not come around yet, that the refund would be coming in 10 business days. So I waited.

Another month later I called again and was told that a mistake had been made and that my refund would be re-submitted and would appear shortly. So I waited.

Another month went by and now the story has changed. Now I am told that they are engaged in a lawsuit with their billing company and that until that lawsuit is resolved, they can't process any refunds. At this point I do not expect any help from the company at all, and I have notified my credit card company that these charges are fraudulent and they assure me that their lawyers will pursue WQ Long Distance to the greatest extent possible.

Peter
Charlotte, North Carolina
U.S.A.