ILD Telecommunications, Inc.
 

just wondering if anyone else has been scammed by these guys, my wife made a 3 minute call from MN to CA, collect and they charged $21.17, over $7/minute.

Called them and they are "willing" to credit back 40% and block our home from recieving any future calls (thank you very much a good thing in my eyes). Still fraud if you ask me, you are never told the charges, so you have no control.

Jim

Had one a few years back by a similar company, rent them a registered letter including a copy of a complaint to the FCC. All was forgiven, interestingly enough. This scam compares well with what cable gets away with on "premiums"

How did you end up with them carrying the call?

I had something similar years ago; my work pager went off, and there was a number I didn't recognize. I was a sales and support engineer, so I didn't really think about it before I called. Some guy with an accent I didn't recognize answered, and then said "Just a minute" and set the phone down. After a few minutes, I guessed nobody was coming back. I called the telco and it turns out it was a long-distance scam, where they charge something like $50/minute. I didn't end up having to pay it, but it was close!

the scam here is, the wife goes on a trip, stays at a hotel, can't dial long distance from the room so calls collect for a short "got here, safe" call, and this company ILD services the call, you don't know it at the time, nor do they tell you the rates are outragous. You figure how much can a minute or two cost....cell phones are pennies a minute so this can't be more than a buck a minute, Right?

So then you get the bill on your home phone where she called, it is billed on my Verizon bill, from IDL, $7/min, can't refuse to pay it or Verizon will cut off my phone, they will not dispute it like a VISA or AMEX, so you have to pay it. THEN dispute it, well once they have their money, its over.

So for me, on Tuesday I start my executive phone campaign, call every executive of the company whos name is no the website, and tie up their sales people for a while, and extract my $$ back in expenses from the company,

If everyone did this, soon they would stop the fraud.

Plus I am calling the hotel and reading them the riot act for not protecting their customers and telling them I will trash their name where ever I can.

Jim

They were doing this stuff back in teh 90's. That when the big LD's created 800 numbers to use to call collect. You called teh 800 number, then they would put you through collect at normal fees. Hotels started loosing a lot of money (they were in on it) so they began blocking 800 calls or charging you 30cents a minute to make the 800 call. Eventually, there was enough bad press that they stopped the practice.