AT&T, ILD, Nationwide Voice Messaging Service ripoff extortion racket by AT&T local telephone provider, collection agent for ILG telecommunications, billing agent for Nationwide Voice Houston Texas

Summary: ripoff extortion racket by AT&T local telephone provider as collection agent for ILG telecommunications billing agent for Nationwide Voice # thief of social security number and name in collusion with Vonage competitor to deny telephone # transfer.

After being unable over an eight month time span to get AT&T/SBC to remove a monthly charge of $13.34 in name of ILG Telecommunications from my bill, I decided to change local and long distance service to Vonage for $25.99 flat fee. I was told I could retain my telephone number but it would take 20 days and I was NOT to contact my provider.

I was using Warner Cable as Internet provider for my AOL account. When my telephone number was not transferred within the 20 day period which began first week in May, Vonage gave me a run-around until I finally got confirmation on June 16 that the transfer was set to occur in the next 20 day period.

I had to contact AT&T to try to settle the unpaid disputed ILG services and learned then from ILG that it was a third party billing agent for Nationwide Voice #, a name absolutely unknown to me. In reviewing my bills today, I noticed a handwritten notation made on November 8 in conversation with ILG (1st month of billing on October 31, 2005 invoice, that I had written my married last name and "Soc. Sec" as responsive by ILG as to how it got my name.

I used my maiden name for telephone account and telephone book information with AT&T but gave my married name to Vonage having forgotten the use of my Maiden name on AT&T account. AT&T will NOT converse with me over the past due ILG charges which I refuse to pay for something I know nothing about, i.e. the Nationwide Voice Messaging Service.

In stead, AT&T disconnected my service and is billing me for ILG/nationwide Voice # and immediately turned my account over to a collection agency for the purported $148 I am alleged to owe to AT&T for delinquent local and long distance service which is NOT true. I

am being EXTORTED by AT&T for the Voice Messaging Service I have never used nor known about and Vonage has now refused to transfer my number and has given me 7 days from June 30, 2006 to get my service with AT&T reconnected in order to transfer my Houston area code number of 713 (the first of our ten digit numbering system) or use the 210 San Antonio area code number it temporarily assigned to me.


This scenario of events is EXTORTION per se by AT&T and smells of collusion with Vonage as part of its extortion scheme under the ILG and Nationwide Voice # scam.

On top of this, Vonage has already billed me in excess of the $25.99 monthly cost and was negligent in its failure to correctly instruct me about the transfer procedure. This deal stinks and falls within the category of false advertising.

Barbara
Houston, Texas
U.S.A.