This week, the Office of the Attorney General\u2019s \u201cConsumer Caution Corner\u201d outlines the Federal Communications Commission\u2019s guidance on how consumers can best protect themselves from issues arising from bundled services and billing.<\/p>\n
Combining several communications services\u2014such as local and long distance telephone service, internet or broadband, TV and cable service, and wireless telephone service or Voice over Internet Protocol\u2014into one package is commonly known as \u201cbundling.\u201d Choosing to bundle, with a single bill for multiple services, may save you money. However, it can also lead to confusion over billing.<\/p>\n
For all billing or service issues, you should first try to resolve the issue directly with your service provider.<\/p>\n
Who should I contact about questionable charges on my phone bill?<\/strong><\/p>\n The FCC\u2019s Truth-in-Billing rules require telephone companies to provide clear, non-misleading, plain language in describing services for which you are being billed. The company sending you the bill must identify the service provider associated with each charge. Telephone companies must also display, on each bill, one or more toll-free numbers that you can call to ask about or dispute any charge on the bill.<\/p>\n If you are unable to resolve disputed charges with the billing company or your service provider, contact:<\/p>\n \u2022 The FCC for charges related to telephone services between states\/territories or internationally. What should I do if I have an issue with basic cable TV service rates or cable TV service quality?<\/strong><\/p>\n Contact your local franchising authority. Contact information can be found on your cable service bill or in your local telephone directory. Other resources include:<\/p>\n \u2022 The Office of the Attorney General.<\/p>\n Filing a complaint<\/strong><\/p>\n \u2022 If you feel your bill is inaccurate and you are unable to resolve it with your service provider, you have multiple options for filing a complaint with the FCC: Federal Communications Commission Each week, the OAG\u2019s Consumer Protection Education Program shares FTC and\/or FCC publications that provide consumers and businesses with the \u201cknow-how\u201d to identify and protect themselves from unfair trade practices and marketplace schemes. If you would like to file a consumer complaint, please pick up a form at the OAG (on Capital Hill) or request one by email from consumer_counsel@cnmioag.org. After completing the consumer complaint, please submit it by email or in-person. <\/p>\n We cannot act as your private attorney. If you need legal assistance, we will recommend that you contact a private attorney or legal aid organization. We cannot give legal advice or act as your private attorney. Michael J. Cyganek (Special to the Saipan Tribune)<\/strong><\/p>\n Michael J. Cyganek is consumer counsel of the Office of the Attorney General.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This week, the Office of the Attorney General\u2019s \u201cConsumer Caution Corner\u201d outlines the Federal Communications…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[2626,6015,86,406],"class_list":["post-252009","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-opinion","tag-attorney-general","tag-federal-communications-commission","tag-oag","tag-tv"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252009","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252009"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252009\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252009"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252009"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252009"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 The Office of the Attorney General for telephone services within your state\/territory.
\n\u2022 The Federal Trade Commission (\u201cFTC\u201d) for non-telephone services on your telephone bill.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 File a complaint online at https:\/\/consumercomplaints.fcc.gov.
\n\u2022 By phone: 1-888-CALL-FCC (1-888-225-5322); TTY: 1-888-TELL-FCC (1-888-835-5322) ; ASL: 1-844-432-2275.
\n\u2022 By mail (please include your name, address, contact information, and as much detail about your complaint as possible):<\/p>\n
\nConsumer and Governmental Affairs Bureau
\nConsumer Inquiries and Complaints Division
\n445 12th Street, S.W.
\nWashington, DC 20554<\/p>\n