Slamming and Cramming, It Has Nothing to Do with Basketball
Posted by Joseph Brochin
Slamming and Cramming in the world of Information Technology and Telecommunications has nothing to do with basketball.
Slamming and Cramming are probably two of the most common illegal actions taken by unscrupulous phone companies and their sales representatives.
We will first define Slamming, then we will discuss your rights and what to do if you are victim.
According to the FCC “”Slamming” is the illegal practice of changing a consumer’s telephone service - local, intra-lata service, or inter-lata service (including state to state, in state and international long distance) - without permission.”
The FCC has slamming liability rules set in place to protect the consumer and penalize the telephone companies for their illegal actions. For either one of these violations you are entitled to file a complaint with your state attorney generals’ office and the FCC.
When it comes to Slamming, the customer has to address the issue based on whether they have paid the bill or not.
If you have not paid the bill in question from the carrier who slammed you:
1.) You are not liable for the damages for up to 30 days after being slammed. This includes not paying your authorized phone company (the company you actually chose to provide service) or the company who slammed you.
2.) You are liable for charges for service beyond 30 days to your authorized company. However, you should only pay the current rates your authorized phone company is offering, not the slammer’s rates.
If you discover your have been slammed but HAVE paid your phone bill:
The slamming company is liable for 150% of the bill you send them. The slamming company must pay this amount to your authorized phone company.
From this amount, you will be reimbursed by your authorized phone company for 50% of the charges you paid to the slammer.
These FCC rules were put in place to protect the consumer and take the profit out of slamming.
If your authorized phone company has been charged without your consent:
1.) Contact the slamming company and tell them they must fix the problem and that you have not paid. Be sure to state that you are not liable for the first 30 days of service.
2.) Inform your authorized phone company of the slam and ask them to change your phone service back to its original phone plan. Also tell them to remove all “change of carrier charges” (charges for switching companies) from your bill.
For further information contact the FCC’s Consumer Center at 1-888-CALLFCC (voice) or 1-888-TELLFCC (TTY).
How Small Business Owners Use the Cell Phone
Posted by Joseph Brochin
The results are in. I tallied a some associates of mine about how they use cell phones in their personal and business life.
The results surprised me. Most use the cell phone for the basic features that it offers.
Below are some of the quotes:
” I’m a total junky. I just picked up a Motorola Q , I can surf the net, email, pictures, video, microsoft word, excel, PowerPoint and PDF Files contact management, calendar, windows media, MP3 player, Bluetooth, connect my laptop to the net, pc synchronization, and about 100 other things I haven’t figured out yet. 
Oh yeah, i’m pretty sure I can make phone calls with it too 
“
Pat Lovell
Lovell Technologies
“I use my cell for emergencies, basically. It takes pictures and such, but I’m not big on that stuff. It’s a phone.
When I got my first one back in ‘98, my daughter was little and I wanted to be available when she was at school, in case she got sick or whatever. Now, we use it to locate one another in the mall. LOL
I like being available for some clients whenever they need me, but nobody ever does.”
Pat Marcello
Freelance writer
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“Like Pat, mine is basically for emergencies. I purchased one only after a friend of mine was in a car accident and ended up at the bottom of a ditch in the middle of a Michigan winter in a snowstorm. Had she not had her cell phone to call for help, she would have died there within the hour.
It would have come in very useful when our vehicle stalled in the fast lane on an extremely busy 6 lane highway in Georgia as well! Thankfully, a gentleman behind us had a cell phone and was able to call for emergency help. ”
Gina Weiss
Blogger and Marketer
“I’m a junkie.
While I’ve yet to figure out all the functions of my cell phone I use it exclusively for business. I only keep it in my office when I’m at home, so if i’m watching a movie or spending time with my son ….I let voice mail get it. If I leave home, the cell goes with me. “
Jennifer Herold
TDH Central
That is just a few of the comments I received when I asked them if they were a cell phone junkie. I was very surpirsed as to the results from the folks who own their own business. I can honestly say it seems most use their cell phones just like everyone else.
How does everyone else use their cell phone?
Well, like a phone silly. How else?