This is what I sent to the FCC re Teleblend
Teleblend advertises a service that I signed up for that is supposed to reduce your phone bill.
This is their website and the plan I signed up for. »
www.teleblend.com/plansp ··· tic.htmlNEW Domestic PLUS Plan - The Best Value In Home Phone Service
Unlimited Calling US, Canada, Puerto Rico
1. Unlimited Calling to 26 Countries
2. $5/mo FREE International Calls
3. Keep Your Existing Number
4. No Caps on Usage
1. FREE Activation ($29.95 value)
2. FREE Phone Adapter ($60 value)
3. Over 40 Service Enhancing Features
4. No Contracts
5. Easy To Use, Sets Up In Minutes
With this service they give you a list of prefixes you can supposedly make unlimited calls to. This is the page on the web where they give the prefixes.
»
www.teleblend.com/domest ··· lus.htmlAt the top of the page it says Country , Country Code , then City/ Mobile code and then there is a long list below it with a list of numbers you make unlimited calls to. You have to go on line to see how it is presented. The list gives you the name of the country then the city if applicable then the codes for instance for Acapulco it says
Country , Country Code , City/ Mobile code
Mexico, Acapulco 52 744
I wanted to use this service to make phone calls to one mobile # in particular. The number is a Mexican mobile number and it is 733 116 3586 so I looked up the city mobile code 733 and its on their list. and reads like this
Country , Country Code , City/ Mobile code
Mexico On net B 52 733
If you notice in this case there is no city so I figured that it must be a mobile code.
So my belief was that the number I wanted to call would be covered.
However I wanted to be absolutely certain . So I called their customer service number and gave them the number (733 116 3586) I would be calling and asked them to confirm that it is covered. In my conversation I specifically mentioned that the number I was calling was a Mexican Mobile number .
The salesperson I talked to told me the number was covered and that under their New domestic Plus plan I could make unlimited international calls. Both the sales rep and I agreed that this was indeed the best way to call a Mexican mobile phone.
So I signed up and my card was billed the $35.69. Which was for the first months Sevice and shipping and handling.
I started using the service on 5/23/2011 .After a few of days of using the service I went into my account to activate my voice mail and was given the choice to view a list of the calls I made under call summary and here it is
Originating TN
Terminating TN
Other Location
Call Date
Call Time
Minutes
Rate Type
Cost
Incoming
(520) 208-2238 CASA GRANDE, AZ 5/31/2011 10:51:09 AM 12.00 INTERSTATE $0.00 No
( (173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 11:55:49 PM 13.00 INTERNATIONAL $4.03 No
( (173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 11:28:46 PM 16.00 INTERNATIONAL $4.96 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 11:10:28 PM 16.00 INTERNATIONAL $4.96 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 10:55:06 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 10:28:59 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/29/2011 08:09:09 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/27/2011 04:26:19 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/27/2011 04:22:22 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/27/2011 04:21:19 PM 3.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.93 No
04:12:03 PM 4.00 INTERSTATE $0.00 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/26/2011 11:13:49 PM 24.00 INTERNATIONAL $7.44 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/25/2011 10:17:28 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
(173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/23/2011 10:55:49 PM 1.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.31 No
( (173) 311-6358 MOBILE, MEXICO 5/23/2011 10:47:06 PM 2.00 INTERNATIONAL $0.62 No
1
I was shocked to find a number I didn'tt recognize on my call list with charges (note above) all the (173) 311 6358 calls. The number I was calling was 733 116 3586.Notice these two numbers are similar. Only in the call log there is a 173 and the 6 is dropped at the end. I was being charged for the calls that I had been specifically guaranteed would be covered. Heres the point of contention. It turns out that in order to make any Mexican mobile call with their service you have to dial a 1 first. If you dont you get either a busy signal or a voice message that states in order to call a Mexican mobile you must first dial a 1. I specifically told their sales rep that I would be calling a mobile phone and he said it would work. Apparently not. By putting the 1 (which is the only way to call any Mexican mobile) they say you are now in a whole new code which is not covered on the plan I signed up for. It is my contention this is misleading. The 1 is not part of the city or mobile code it is an access number like the 011 you must call to get our of the country. In fact if you notice the bill they dont even include the whole number I dialed. The last number is left off . If they did every thing would be pushed to the left and the 1 would be in a whole column by its self.
I filled a dispute with customer service. I wanted to cancel the whole deal. I asked them to refund my first months fee and to not charge me for the calls that I had been led to believe would be covered.
My call was returned by a service rep named Derrick. Derrick said before I filed a dispute with the credit card company he would try to get the charges dismissed by the billing department. He also informed me that there was a 40 dollar charge for canceling service. He agreed that they should waive that since I had only used the service for 6 days and I had stopped making calls as soon as I discovered the confusion. He suggested that maybe we could prorate the monthly charges for the first month and waive the cancellation fee. And suggested that I would be better off making a settlement with Teleblend than disputing the charges because Teleblend always wins their disputes because I sign an agreement when I sign up for the service. I agreed to try and let him work something out with the billing department.
Derrick called back the next day and told me that the billing department would not try to work it out and that as far as they were concerned I was on the hook for everything.
So I am left with no other option but to cancel the service and file a complaint . This letter is to dispute the original $35.69 the $28.85 in extra charges and the $40 cancellation fee.
It is my contention that I should not be responsible for this service as they sold me a service that would not work for me. In specific I gave the number to the sales rep and told him it was a mobile number. He said it would be covered. Their site online lead you to believe the number would be covered the code 733 is listed right under the City/ MOBILE code. I had every reason to believe the plan would work for me but it didn'tt. In other words I was sold a bill of goods. Its possible these people are not doing this on purpose, however the website is misleading. By including the word Mobile code they lead you to believe mobiles will be covered. I tried to cancel as soon as I found out that the company doesnt deliver the goods as promised. I would like to dispute this and all charges that come from signing up with teleblend. I believe that since what I paid for was never delivered I should not be responsible for any charges related to this contract. I also made every attempt to settle with them before disputing this charge. I am an honest person I thought I did my due diligence by calling the sales department before purchasing the service. I feel I have been taken advantage of.