Slamming is the illegal practice of changing a customer’s long distance service to another carrier without the customer’s consent or knowledge.

Here’s what to do if you’ve been slammed:

• Contact the unauthorized carrier to explain that you did not authorize any changes and request to be switched back to your original calling plan. Contact us if we can help.

• Demand that any charges for switching be removed from your bill. Under the Federal Communications Commission slamming rules, you are not required to pay for the first 30 days of any service after being slammed. If you have already paid, you can seek a reimbursement by filing a complaint. Contact your state public utility or service commission or the FCC for information on how to request a reimbursement.

• The FCC offers guidelines on what to do if you have been slammed and if you have already paid the bill. Log on to the FCC web site at http://www.fcc.gov/slamming

Cramming is the illegal practice of adding misleading, bogus, or wrongful charges to a customer’s phone bill for services the customer did not order.

ITS Telecommunications Systems, Inc. will never attempt to mislead or wrongfully charge you. We’re also committed to preventing other companies from doing the same.

We provide billing and collection services to other companies, including long distance companies. We do this for your benefit, enabling you to receive one consolidated bill rather than multiple bills. It is difficult, though for us to verify the legitimacy of every charge the other companies may include. Therefore, it’s important that you be very aware of what service you order and are being charged for.

If you discover a charge on your bill for a service you did not authorize, contact your carrier immediately. You are also welcome to contact us. The Federal Communications Commission also offers steps on its website, http://www.fcc.gov, on what to do to resolve the problem.