Uh Oh...You've Been Crammed

So you’re diligently reading your bill, like you do every month, and you come across a strange item-“Micky Mouse Ring Tone Club------$4.95.” Not strange because you haven’t downloaded ringtones, but strange because you hate Micky Mouse. And you would certainly never join a club with his name on it. Even if you had accidentally joined this preposterous club while using your mobile Internet, you definitely haven’t received any Micky, Winnie, Kermit, or Tink ringtones.

The first step in resolving the Micky Mouse Incident is to call the ring-tone service provider. The FCC requires phone bills to identify the service provider for each charge. Tell the company that you are being billed for a service you did not order and ask them to remove the charges. Also call your telephone service provider and inform them of the billing error. If you get the runaround, file complaints with the FCC, FTC, and your state public utilities commission (PUC) depending on the type of cramming. The FCC and FTC do not take action on behalf of individuals, but will take action against a company if they receive enough complaints. State PUC’s may act on an individual complaint. You can also contact local consumer advocacy groups like UCAN, which help individuals resolve disputes with companies.