Cybersurf 3Web and CIA.COM $600 in over-billing calgary, Alberta

I signed up for Cybersurf's Internet and VOIP service in 2009. While the Internet service was OK their VOIP service did not function properly. I spent 5 months trying to resolve VOIP problems, all well paying the full price for this 'service'.

What I eventually found was that when I manually entered a phone number the call would fail, but if I then pressed REDIAL it would sometimes work. Replacing modems, firewalls, software did not help. At my location at least there's was some sort of timing problem that could not be fixed.

I called Cybersurf to cancel my service and then e-mailed them to that effect and returned my equipment. I moved a short while later and thought no more of this matter.

More than a year passed before I noticed a recurring charge on my bank account by 3WEB... another name that Cybersurf uses. They are telling me that I did not have a materials return number for my modem, so calling and e-mailing them was not sufficient to close my account. According to my local bank branch, they get a large number of stop payment requests from their customers for 'payday cash' companies, small ISP firms and the like.

Given that I paid in excess of $600 for a service that never functioned correctly, I am now proceeding with the only option available - Small Claims Court.

P.S. I believe that Cybersurf has recently sold its 'business', in other words its list of paying customers, to DISTRIBUTEL. Given that Cybersurf has a Better Business Bureau rating of 'F', their worst possible score, I suspect that DISTRIBUTEL knew exactly what they were buying.