USBI, A Division Of Zero Plus Dialing, Inc unauthorized phone charges, slamming, cramming USBI San Antonio Texas

This company added a charge to my current telephone bill (January 4, 2008) for an instate long-distance call at a rate of over $1.00 per minute (November 6, 2007 - for 7.3 minutes, billed as 8). My local telephone company is also my in- & out-of-state long distance carrier and there is supposed to be a lock on my account so that carrier cannot be changed without my express permission. I am the only person authorized to ever make changes on this account.

My local phone company has been my ONLY phone company for the entire 20 months I have lived at my current location, and for many many years prior to that. I have filed reports with the FTC, FCC, state Attorney General, and the BBB. I have contacted USBI and my telephone company about this charge but have not yet received a response. It has only been a day or two, but I do not want to sit around and wait and wait and wait to see if it will get fixed.

This was a call to my daughter at her father's house, and should have been covered under my unlimited long distance plan through my local carrier.

In my experience, the only way to get fraudulent charges taken off is to immediately and loudly request it, through as many channels as possible. USBI has no right to bill me for this call because neither they nor any other entity have any right to change my LD carrier.

What concerns me most is that I keep seeing suggestions to other people who have complained about this company that they request the phone company 'lock' their account - but MY ACCOUNT WAS SUPPOSED TO ALREADY BE LOCKED, and I still got charged.

I have requested that the $9.43 ($8.69 for the call, $0.74 taxes) be refunded to my account and USBI be blocked from ever making charges to my account.

Nici
Williford, Arkansas
U.S.A.