Rocket Communication Services Cramming Internet

Last night my husband asked me … “What's this charge on our AT&T phone bill”?

After a short conversation with neither one of us knowing why we were being charged an extra $12.95 - he did a little research.

The $12.95 charge was listed on our phone bill under:

Total Enhanced Services Billing Inc. - $13.50
Billed on behalf of ROCKET COMMUNICATION SVCS, INC

My husband looked them up online, and found that there are hundreds of complaints against this company for fraudulently signing people up for their efax & vmail monthly service.
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So I called AT&T this morning to contest the erroneous charge. (AT&T was very nice BTW) The customer svc agent asked if I would like to put a “3rd Party BLOCK” on my phone number and told me that they would file an investigation. THE FOLLOWING IS VERY IMPORTANT!! - She told me that ROCKET COMM would have to provide them [AT&T] with my name and address to verify that the charges were legitimate. (Since I never signed up for the service - there is no way they could have it right?) Then AT&T made a 3rd party phone call to ROCKET COMMUNICATIONS SVCS, INC so that I could dispute the charge - all the while with AT&T on the line listening. She also informed me that she couldn't speak with them.

The first thing that the ROCKET COMMUNICATIONS SVCS, INC agent asked me was what my name was! If I hadn't known that my name and address was the information that AT&T needed, I probably would have given it to him. Instead I said “NO, I'm not giving you my name. I demand that you remove this charge”. He *said* that he cancelled the subscription - gave me a cancellation number - and gave me the name of the person who signed my phone number up.
— MIGUEL CORTEZ —

Side note - AT&T informed me that we haven't done any updates to our billing since 2004 and they were able to save us an extra $23.00 monthly on our bill. So that was nice!

Bottom Line:

A. - Check your phone bill for unauthorized charges
B. - Call phone co. and make report
C. - DO NOT give name and address to mischievous company (this is where I have a problem w/ the phone company - ON the phone bill, it says to contact Rocket Comm. if there is a problem. ( I think the AT&T *customer svc rep* was sympathetic and trying to give me a "heads up" by telling me that all that Rocket Comm. needed was my name and address - and not to do it. - wink, wink. )
D. - Call FTC to make complaint 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357)

E. - Did I tell you yet to NOT give Rocket Communication your name? :-)

Stacy S.
Saint Augustine, Florida
U.S.A.