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Correctional Billing/Embarq payphone service
By -

DALLAS, TEXAS -- Whoever owns Correctional Billing Service should be thrown in jail right alongside our loved ones who have committed crimes! They are criminals. I have dealt twice with these people, ALL of whom cannot speak English very well and you have to strain to understand. My husband is incarcerated. Yes, he did wrong and is now paying for it. I am not upset so much for me as for my mother-in-law.

First, for myself, like I said I have dealt twice with them. First about a month ago. My husband could not get through to me, but could call his mother. His calls to me were blocked. I called my phone company - Verizon who said they did not put a block on my husband's calls to me. I then called CBS/Embarq who said that they were having a system error and it would be resolved within 24 hours and was. My mother-in-law then had a block put on by CBS, saying her phone company won't be handling CBS billing anymore and she HAD to pay with a prepaid account - after 5 months of the bill going through her phone company.

Her, being older and not well, cannot go down to the prison very often as she has health problems. She did prepay with a credit card as she was ordered (and not nicely) by CBS and the block was lifted. She then found out that CBS charged her credit card for phone calls and submitted the same phone calls to her phone company - Verizon also! Double billing I am sure is illegal in all 50 states! She contacted her credit card and the credit card fraud department is now involved.

As for me, I have just been informed by CBS that a block has once again been put on my calls from my husband, because they said charges incurred on April 17th and 18th were rejected from my phone company and sent back to CBS so I MUST open a prepaid account - all because of $3.05! I called my phone company and they said they NEVER sent back ANY charges, they haven't gotten CBS's billing yet, so how would CBS know that Verizon rejected those charges anyway - this being only the 22nd of April? Also, my phone bill is current and they absolutely did NOT send back the charges.

I have been told from my phone co. that CBS has been doing this a lot so they can get you to set up a prepaid account and collect their $6.95 charges every time you put money into your account. I have been paying their bill through my phone company for 5 months now and am always current. I have talked to 5 separate people within a 24 hour period over at CBS as to why a block was put on and everyone gives me a different answer. Someone told me just like my mother-in-law that Verizon isn't handling the billing for CBS anymore (Verizon vehemently denied this).

One guy told me I had already opened a prepaid account, which I didn't. He couldn't tell me who authorized it. Another said I opened it and then closed it out on the same day???? Weird! This one takes the cake - the COMPUTER opened up a prepaid account for me automatically on APRIL 3RD because of charges returned from my phone company for APRIL 17TH & APRIL 18TH!!!! HUH????? I didn't know the 17th & 18th came before the 3rd!! The problem is they have a MONOPOLY and think they can do whatever they wish.

And why is it that they charge larger sums a minute for a phone call in some states than others? Here in Michigan, we pay $1.80 for 15 minutes or 12 cents a minute. I have heard of $1.00 a minute in other states. I absolutely refused to pay the $3.05 until I see my phone bill and make sure they are not going to "double-dip" on me like they did on my mother-in-law. I am being blackmailed because they refuse to take the block off until I pay.

Well, they can keep the block on and until it's taken off I will do things the old fashioned way and write letters. And I will also call The Michigan Public Service Commission, The Federal Communications Commission and the Michigan Department of Corrections - just to let them know that this great system they employ to allow prisoners to call out is a scam. I do believe some sort of class action suit may be the only way to break up their monopoly.

And to all of you SINLESS people who boo-hoo those of us who have loved ones in prison - it is nothing to you now. But when you suddenly have someone you love do something wrong that YOU have NO control over, and all you want is just to hear their voice for a few minutes a week. To let your children hear their daddy's voice - it's not their fault. Then it will become a big deal. These men and women of ours are paying for their crime and so are we, in more ways than one. We don't need your insults on top of our suffering. Jesus forgives!

Replies
How Correctional Billing/Evercom Can Control My Home Phone!!
By -

MACUNGIE, PENNSYLVANIA -- Recently I have a sister who was picked up and is presently in a correctional institute. She kept trying to call me collect, and I know I have no block on my phone and was getting frustrated calling my phone company etc, trying to find out what's going on, I will accept her calls, but she couldn't get through.

Finally a few weeks go by and I receive a call from a company to call them "about someone calling from a correctional institute," so when they called of course I stayed on the phone and pressed whatever key the automated service told me to, and lo and behold I get a person, or I should say she portrayed herself at the time to be one, and she proceeded to tell me that I must "go through her company to receive any calls from my sister in Florida," and she told me to "give her my credit card etc," and charged another fee of $8.00, I guess for her pocket, for "handling fees" then when she told me the amount it would cost per phone call.

I asked why so much almost $30.00 a call, and my mother accepts a few calls from my sister at a third of the price I have to pay, she said "because you're in PA! And we don't have that contract yet!" I told her the wrong people are in jail, now after one week she had gotten deathly ill in jail, and tried to contact me yesterday, again today, and no calls will come through!

So what did this company do, I can't even get a phone number for either, I called national information, no listing, I finally tried the internet, and I found them, but no phone number to call them. They have job offerings, and all the bull, but no number to contact them.

First of all to all the so called human beings that work there, I wouldn't work for your company for any amount of money, because I have a heart!!! You should all be ashamed of yourselves for ripping families off that are already dealing with their loved ones that are away, guilty or not, and for trying to break the families that are trying to be there for them, instead you are making it financially impossible, and if this is America, where is our freedom to have control over our own home phone?!! You people do and are holding us all up for ransom, at your demand of payment to talk to out love ones, who are victims of the system!

What has happened to this country and people with no heart and no compassion, just the almighty dollar! You people from Correctional Billing/Evercom should be ashamed of yourselves and remember it could happen to you and yours, what goes around comes around, and you think you have all the power, well think again!! You're a disgrace to the American public, "claiming to be provide a service"! A service to yourself that's about it! And you're getting away with it, well I won't quit till I write and call who I have to, to put a stop to you thieves! And I will find out how to get hold of you, even though you don't have a number posted! Sincerely, one pissed off customer.

Replies
continued how Evercom/cbs works
By -

ALABAMA -- To avoid Being Disconnected to talk on the phone with someone confined in a correctional facility, you must use a touch-tone telephone.
If you do any of these things during the call, you could be disconnected, so... DON'T:
transfer the call
put the call on Hold
use or answer Call Waiting
use a cellular phone (static could cause disconnect)
use a cordless phone
press extra (additional) numbers on the touch-tone keypad
stop your conversation for any length of time (a period of silence may cause a disconnect)
try to make any kind of 3-way call
Why Are Calls Blocked? Calls made from a correctional facility are generally collect calls. You may not be able to accept collect calls for several reasons:
A collect call restriction placed by your local telephone company may prevent you from getting your calls from the correctional facility. You must call your local telephone company to have this type of restriction removed. Please note that once the restriction is removed, it may take up to 72 hours for a collect call to go through.

A new telephone number or changes made to your telephone service (such as a temporary disconnect, changes in your telephone features such as Call Waiting, area code change, etc.) could put a restriction on your line. Please allow 72 hours from the time your number was activated or the changes were made for your collect calls to begin coming through.

If you have received calls in the past from a facility handled by Correctional Billing Services but no longer can, you might have exceeded your payment verification point. Call us at 1-800-844-6591 for additional information.

If you have a new telephone number, it is possible that the previous owner of the number requested a restriction on the line. Call us with the date when you received the number from your local telephone company, and Correctional Billing Services can remove the restriction
How to Block Your Line If you would like to prevent collect calls from a correctional facility (handled by Correctional Billing Services) from reaching you, please call us at 1-800-844-6591 and a representative will work with you to place a restriction on your line.
There is no charge for a restriction. We make every effort to stop the collect calls; however, we cannot guarantee this service for correctional facilities that we do not serve. If collect calls still come into your home from a correctional facility more than 48 hours after a restriction has been placed on your line, please call us at 1-800-844-6591 or send e-mail to support@CorrectionalBillingServices.com to see what more can be done to prevent the calls from reaching you.
About My Bill When an inmate calls your number and you answer, you should hear a brief message that identifies the call as being collect. Information about the name of the correctional facility or the name of the inmate may also be provided. You will then hear instructions to press a button on your touch–tone phone or say "yes" to accept the call. If you do not accept the call or if you just hang up, the call will not be billed to your number.
Calls will appear on your bill only if someone accepts the call. If you don't recognize the calls on your bill, please check with other members of your household or business (or anyone else who may have access to your telephone) to determine who may have accepted the call.
Rates-Due to security considerations, the corrections industry typically requires that all calls made by inmates in a correctional facility be collect calls. The intent is to ensure that all calls are positively accepted by the called party. This ensures that harassing or unwanted calls are not placed to witnesses, lawyers, judges, or others. This also allows friends and family members to manage telephone bills because they can choose to not accept calls with their associated charges. Collect calls are considered "operator-assisted calls." The cost of providing operator assisted calling is substantially higher than the cost of providing normal or long distance calls because special equipment and services are required (equipment and maintenance, billing validation, collections, customer service, etc.).
Additionally, there is a surcharge applied to this type of service which is in addition to the applicable per-minute rate of the call.
Individual calls from a correctional facility will usually have a time limit which varies depending on the facility. While another call may be made to the same number, the surcharge will apply to each call.
The contract to provide collect call phone service to a correctional facility is usually granted based on competitive bids solicited by local, state, or federal authorities. Bidders must meet strict requirements which ensure that they can provide the necessary level of security while providing competitive phone service.
Evercom's rates are competitive and comply with all applicable state and federal regulations.
To request rates use this form
http://www.correctionalbillingservices.com/?module=general&submodule=requestrates
Account Charges You can check your charges with Correctional Billing Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using our automated service at 1-800-844-6591. If you make payment before your charges reach or exceed your payment verification point, it will prevent a restriction from being placed on your line.
If a restriction is placed on your line because you have reached or exceeded your payment verification point, you will need to pay your bill in full before we can remove the restriction.
Local Telephone Payments
If your local telephone company has blocked (restricted) your line from receiving collect calls, you must pay your local telephone bill to remove that block. You should also notify Correctional Billing Services to ensure that we do not restrict your line from receiving collect calls. To report a payment or discuss a restriction, call us at 1-800-844-6591. You can report a payment by faxing a copy of your payment receipt to us at 1-800-578-2627.
Pre-paid
Correctional Billing Services (CBS) offers a pre-paid plan that can prevent your line from being restricted as long as there are available funds in your account. Here's how it works. You sign up and send an initial payment of a least $50.00.
Our automated system can notify you when you need to make additional payments to prevent your line from being restricted. Payments must be a minimum of $50.00. If you choose the prepaid plan, you will not receive any further charges on your local telephone bill.
Payments on pre-paid accounts can be made through Western Union® online.
Or, you can pay in person at a Western Union Agent location near you

Replies
Phone Service
By -

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE -- I am so angry because I am experiencing the very same thing as all of you and I cannot believe that it can be so trying just to speak to your family member who is imprisoned. It is not like this comes free to us, as a matter of a fact my last calls are in the neighborhood of $25.00 for a brief 15 minutes that includes two interruptions by the phone company saying 1 minute left and then 30 seconds left.

I can also see that the jails or board of corrections must be getting a huge kickback, as well as probably other elected officials and lobbyist. There is just too much chatter on the internet in regard to this horrendous crime against law abiding people who are caught up in a horrific situation not of their own making.

Let one of them get in our place and see how quickly they start trying to correct this major/global phone ripoff. I am so angry, right now. I have been on hold for 32 minutes with Global Tel and just got off with the Correctional Billing answering service that ask you to press every number on the phone and you still never talk to a human. If they have such an abundance of calling why in God's name do they not hire other people, or fire some that they have? They are making enough money off each call to at least be available to their customers. There must be an answer to this.

My son has been moved from a county jail to a prison in MS. For better than 2 years we dealt with Correctional Billing, which was not easy, but we did purchase an extra cell phone on our plan and had it on a local number inside the county of the jail. When he dialed that number it was forwarded to our home cell number. This allowed us to be able to talk to him 4 times for what we were paying previously for 15 minutes.

After he was sentenced and sent to the prison, that came to a quick end. It is inside a different calling area and company and we have not been able to get a call in to Global in order to set up an account or even find out where our money on the other account went to. (Going on 3 weeks now) I wish that every family of an inmate could just refuse calls and not put money on an account and see how long it would take before they started calling us.

I know that would be most impossible but as I see it this is the only way to ever get their attention. I am open for any advise or I will be involved in any type of campaign or petition to whomever to get some results. There is far too many of us for them to ignore for very long if we band together.

Remember without our money they are nothing. Have you ever paid so much money to be treated so poorly? Me neither. I am sick and tired of it. It has only been 3 years and I have many more to go so I am not going away. God Bless each of you, I know your pain.

Replies
Advertisement
What & Where About This Company
By -

Go here and check this 1st:
http://www.securustech.net/

This Company will claim to have its office in Mechanicsburg, Pa and only give you a P.O. Box #.
Now they may have a call center there but here is where their Corporate Office is (They are incorporated out of Delaware so they must opperate under Delaware law)and these are the powers to be.
(The whole kitnkoboodle is here: http://www.secinfo.com/$/SEC/
Registrant.asp?CIK=1030965}

http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/58/58314.html

Chairman and CEO: Richard (Dick) Falcone
CFO: Keith S. Kelson
VP, Services and Operations: Robert (Bob) Rae

Address: 8201 Tristar Dr.
Irving, TX 75063
Phone: 972-988-3737
Fax: 972-988-3774

To view their articles of incorporation, stock info, etc etc.

http://www.secinfo.com/dsVsf.z5F1.2.htm
(there is a lot of info so tke you time)

There are as many branches of this company then a spruce tree!

"Richard Falcone" has been a Signatory for/with the following 18 Registrants:

* Assured Pharmacy/Inc [ formerly Erxsys Inc ]
* Corridor Communications Corp [ formerly Amnis Systems Inc ]
* Evercom Holdings/Inc
* Evercom Inc [ formerly Talton Holdings Inc ]
* Evercom Systems/Inc
* EverConnect/Inc
* Helios & Matheson North America Inc [ formerly A Consulting Team Inc ]
* Modeling Solutions LLC
* Modeling Solutions/LLC
* Securus Technologies/Inc
* SpeakEZ/Inc
* Syscon Justice Systems Canada Ltd
* Syscon Justice Systems/Inc
* T Netix Inc [ formerly Tele Matic Corp ]
* T-Netix Monitoring CORP
* T-NETIX Telecommunications Services/Inc
* Tasker Products Corp [ formerly Tasker Capital Corp ]
* Telequip Labs/Inc

Here is Good ol Dicks Resume:
# 1. Securus Technologies ::
www2.securustech.net/staff_def - [Cached]

Published on: 12/11/2007 Last Visited: 12/11/2007
Dick Falcone Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Falcone, Chief Executive Officer of Evercom, a subsidiary of SECURUS, since October of 2000. Mr. Falcone brings with him more than 35 years experience in the telecommunications industry with expertise in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Product Management, Information Technologies, Operations and Finance. Among other leadership roles, Mr. Falcone had responsibility for a $3 billion P&L for the small telecom business market, and managed a 14,000 person service organization responsible for all business accounts in the United States. Prior to joining SECURUS, Mr. Falcone most recently served as Vice President and General Manager for e-Enabling AT&T Business Markets Organization.

Throughout his career Mr. Falcone has received numerous awards and honors in the telecommunications area and community based organizations. He is a supporting founder of the National Black Business Council; was appointed Senior Executive Corporate Advisory Board of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and is the only corporate individual to hold a seat on the Board of the National Foundation of Women Business Owners.
# 2. Securus Technologies ::
www.evercom.net/staff_default. - [Cached]

Published on: 12/11/2007 Last Visited: 12/11/2007
Dick Falcone Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Mr. Falcone, Chief Executive Officer of Evercom, a subsidiary of SECURUS, since October of 2000. Mr. Falcone brings with him more than 35 years experience in the telecommunications industry with expertise in Sales, Marketing, Customer Service, Product Management, Information Technologies, Operations and Finance. Among other leadership roles, Mr. Falcone had responsibility for a $3 billion P&L for the small telecom business market, and managed a 14,000 person service organization responsible for all business accounts in the United States. Prior to joining SECURUS, Mr. Falcone most recently served as Vice President and General Manager for e-Enabling AT&T Business Markets Organization.

Throughout his career Mr. Falcone has received numerous awards and honors in the telecommunications area and community based organizations. He is a supporting founder of the National Black Business Council; was appointed Senior Executive Corporate Advisory Board of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; and is the only corporate individual to hold a seat on the Board of the National Foundation of Women Business Owners.
# 3. Securus Technologies ::
www2.securustech.net/staff_def - [Cached]

Published on: 2/21/2007 Last Visited: 2/21/2007
Dick Falcone Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

Richard Falcone serves as our President and Chief Executive Officer. Mr. Falcone served as Chief Executive Officer of Evercom from October 2000 to the consummation of the Transactions. Prior to joining Evercom, Mr. Falcone was a Senior Vice President for AT&T serving in a variety of capacities, including leading AT&T's Small Business Markets servicing organization of several thousand employees and establishing AT&T's national e-Servicing strategy. Mr. Falcone received a B.S.E.E. from Northeastern University and has had Executive Level education at MIT Sloan, Stanford University, Brookings Institute in Tokyo and the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland. Mr. Falcone has served on the Board of the National Foundation of Women Business Owners and is a founding father of the National Black Business Council.
# 4. Center for Women’s Business Research: Publication Details
www.centerforwomensbusinessres - [Cached]

Published on: 12/1/1996 Last Visited: 12/7/2007
"This study re-affirms that women business owners, like their male counterparts, realize that the Internet can help them open up new business opportunities and gain quick access to valuable information," said Richard Falcone, Vice President, Commercial Markets, AT&T.
# 5. www.nfwbo.org
www.nfwbo.org/press/details.ph - [Cached]

Published on: 5/17/1994 Last Visited: 8/10/2007
"As a company that continues to develop leading edge programs that enhance the worklife of our employees, we're very encouraged by the findings of this NFWBO study," says Dick Falcone, Vice President, Sales, Commercial Accounts, AT&T.

Other resources:
http://www.pulp.tc/html/inmate_phones.html

Hope this helps someone to shut them down.

Replies
Being Scammed In California
By -

CALIFORNIA, ALABAMA -- Recently I had charges on my regular phone bill to which I am paying. I get a bill from Global Tel Link on another portion of my phone bill. I call them and they suggest I pre-pay for the calls and put a minimum of 50.00 on my credit card. So I was given the number to Correctional Billing. After a lot of questions I agree and then when I get ready to make the transaction, they say that will be 58.00. Never once did they disclose that until the end of the call I would be paying an 8.00 service fee.

I told her to make it for the 38.00 that I owed on the bill and that I would deal with my carrier and she states that I have to call back in 2 hours because she could not bring up that screen. I used my whole lunch hour doing this and said I would call after work, each time at least a 30 to 40 minute wait.

I started to use the service and then got my regular bill which was crazy, during this time I had many dropped calls and the calls the shorter they are the higher the cost. So I called the phone number to Correctional Billing. I asked them to adjust all the calls that were five minutes or less, because in addition to the calls dropping to my landline, they also have a woman speaking on an automated message that interrupts every 15 minutes and the message lasts for about 12 seconds.

During these interruptions is where I get the dropped calls, because the phone for the inmates monitors the calls in order to prevent three way calling, which if you have call waiting or any services it will end your call forcing the inmate to call back, again another ridiculous charge.

I have had so many that I started to keep track of them at the company's suggestion. So just yesterday I get my bill and I am astonished to see that not only did they bill me through 1-12-07 through 1-31-07 but they never took the charges off. In fact they re-listed the calls and I went through each one and compared, the only calls that were equal or legitimate were the first few down the row, all the rest had the same dates of the calls received, but different times, different amount of minutes and now higher charges. They did not adjust the calls but rebilled them to my regular carrier.

I asked a supervisor named ** and she told me that they took of the connection fee on all the dropped calls, so I asked how much that was and she told me that it was $2.45, so I took one of the calls supposed to be adjusted which was 2.75 and told her that if the calls were adjusted the connection fee that would leave a .30 balance on that call. She got quiet and transferred me to a supervisor named **.

I explained that I did not owe this money and that the charges were all wrong, the calls adjusted were not done so but rebilled to my carrier, I was told the calls were going to be taken off, until that day I had never heard of the connection fee and now they have a block on my phone preventing me from sending my loved one money so that he can buy minutes in there to call me without having to deal with this company.

I explained that all I wanted to do was pay the 12.55 supposed balance and have the block removed. I was told all they were authorized was to take was a 58.00 payment. I responded by telling them that why in the world would I want to make a 58.00 payment when I was already getting raped. I explained that I should not have an overage because when they put the block on my phone I had 13.65 on the account, they were supposed to do a credit for calls dropped on 02-02-07 and they also showed up on my bill.

I have noticed that there are one minute calls that I am billed during hours that I am clearly at work, and am not here to accept the charges. In addition I am a universal life line user and Pursuant to Resolution T-16901, all telecommunications carriers are required to apply CPUC mandated Public Program surcharge rates excluding (1) Universal Lifeline Telephone Service, which I can prove that I have.

I understand that the terms of payment shall be according to the rules, regulations, and laws of the State of California. This precisely why I am making my objection to billed charges and reporting them in writing to Global Tel Link within sixty (60) days after receipt of my bill.

I requested all the rules and regulations on their company sent to my address, she said it would take 7-10 business days. I asked for all charges made to my credit card, and any and all information associated with my account. I then asked for the head of the corporation so that I could file a complaint, she said it was **. I told here that I needed to know who would accept service on the companies behalf, that is when she gave me the fax and PO Box to the company in Alabama. I told her that I am not stupid, you cannot serve a complaint on a PO Box. She hung up on me at that point.

I called back and again I got the first representative and she told me that I had to use their service. If I wanted to pay the 12.55 I could do so through money order and it would take 7-10 days to clear, but that no block would be lifted from my phone even after I paid the 12.55. She said I had no choice but to go through them because they serviced Riverside County. I told her I do not have to do anything, she said "well the good luck getting calls from your loved one" and again hung up on me.

I checked on the address for billing disputes and the rep. gave me the wrong address to send my dispute to, maybe in hopes of me passing the 60 day limit, she gave me PO Box 1010 Selma, PA 36702, when in all actuality it is the above referenced addresses. I am only to conclude that the representative willfully gave me a address that would lead me in the wrong direction. Since under your Rule 2.0 Number 10 it gives another address for handling disputes.

I planned to send the 12.55, and not use their service, the inconvenience of being able to take a payment for 58.00, but not to pay off your balance was unreal, and the fact that they used the same billing dates and calls to rebill for the same dates but at higher charges and all at different times. Out of a supposed 60 calls only 32 were actually valid calls. The thing that burns me up is this company is making money off of other people's misfortune and doing it dishonestly. I am looking to file suit against this corporation, and if my loved one dies because of his heart problem without being able to call home, the issue will change.

I am sure that he will be exonerated because he did not do what he is accused of, but I will not allow this company to make money off of this man's or my misfortune. I owe for certain calls which I can verify through my phone bill. I want a response from someone in your office regarding these bogus charges, I dispute anything 10 minutes and under, these calls are dropped so that the person has to call back resulting in another charge. Service may be cancelled by the Customer by providing verbal or written Notice to the Company, which I elect to do now, for violations associated with the tariffs and the violations and fraudulent use of this service.

Under your Rule 2.0 Number 14, states that "Credit allowance for interruptions of service which are not due to Carrier's testing or adjusting, to the negligence of the Customer, or to the failure of channels, equipment or communications system provided by Customer, are subject to the general liability provisions set forth in Rule No. 18, herein. It shall be the obligation of the Customer to notify the Carrier of any interruptions in service.

Before giving such notice, Customer shall ascertain that the trouble is not being caused by any action or omission of Customer, not within his control, or is not in wiring or equipment connected to the terminal of Carrier." I have made several calls, checked the lines, called my carrier and there is no reason for the dropped calls, the calls are to a land line, and I have made all inquiries in a timely fashion to your company advising them of the problem. However you fail to post Rule Number 18 on your website.

I would also like clarification as to pre-paid use, there is very little associated with it on your website. Which I find disturbing, since most consumers use the pre-paid method and are not told of the connection surcharges associated with its use. In all actuality, the user pays 50.00 minimum fee, but other associated fees which are not disclosed to the consumer are then taken out leaving a very small balance for actual phone use. In addition the representative states that there is a minimum of 50.00 for the use of service, but according to your website the minimum payment to begin service is 25.00 this is also not disclosed to the customer.

The unsuspecting consumer then thinks that this is a more cost efficient way to receive calls from their loved ones when it really is not. I can give you an example, I had 20.00 left on my card and planned to replenish once a week, however before I could do that a block was placed on the phone. I checked my balance and I had a call from the facility, it was a dropped call so immediately after getting this call I checked my balance and the dropped call left me with a balance of 7.00 dollars, it took 13.00 off my pre-paid account which never put back.

Global Tel Link is supposed to provide you with a rate of the accepted call, and your website states that most billing rates are provided during the introduction of the attempted collect call. If the rate is not offered, contact the Billing and Customer Service Department, however the consumer does not know this until after the outrageous calls come in and customer service does not provide this information voluntarily when the consumer begins using their service. I am willing to pay the money I owe, but I want my account seriously looked into, I am sure that with all the people out there it will not be hard to file a class action lawsuit. I am very serious about this matter.

Replies
Customer Satisfaction
By -

UPDATE: I have researched this issue & I found a simple way for my fiancée to call me for only $1.85 per 15 minute call versus the $17.30 per 15 minute call I was being charged before my research. Where there's a will, there's a way. God bless you all. P.S. Be sure to come back here and post a comment. I would really like to know how many folks are benefiting from my research.

I was very upset when I kept receiving notifications being called to my cell phone that my account had dropped below $20.00. The reason I was upset is because I get charged for each incoming call to my cell phone, regardless as to whether or not I answer my phone. CBS continues to notify you every single day until you add more money. This was frustrating, I do not need to be notified more than ONE time.

Day 1: my 1st call to CBS resulted in my being told that there is nothing that can be done about this. I requested that a supervisor call me. I also added $200.00 to my account. Day 2: 10:11AM I received another notification to my cell phone. I immediately called CBS to complain. I wanted to speak to a supervisor. I had over an hour of very bad experiences dealing with CBS representatives. CBS rep ** (ID is **). Both calls resulted is a disconnection & I had to call back. I started informing each rep that I was also monitoring & recording my calls for quality assurance. I got each name & rep ID number.

I also informed them that I placed a call to ** to call me. (11:09AM) She is the Customer Satisfaction Manager for Securus Technologies. (I found her on the Internet) Her number is **. The CBS reps have never heard of her but she is the one responsible for the call I received from the CBS Supervisor ** (ID **) at 1:29PM. I simply left a message for her to call me. Instead of her calling me personally, she did even better, she emailed the CBS Supervisor requesting that he call me ASAP.

In the meanwhile, before ** called me, CBS Rep ** (ID **) was most helpful to me and she simply turned off the automated notifications on my account (something that could have been done on Day 1 by the 1st CBS Rep. and saved me hours of time & frustration).

** was very kind & caring. He assured me that he will address my bad experiences with all those Reps involved.
**, She is the BOMB! She deserves a promotion for a job well done! The 1st rep on Day 1, (I did not get her name) she needs better education. CBS Rep ** & CBS Rep ** (ID is **) needs to learn how to properly transfer a call. I can relate & sympathize with your bad experiences with CBS. If your frustration gets out of hand (as mine did), contact **. Customer Satisfaction Manager for Securus Technologies. Thank you & God bless.

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Poor Customer Service
By -

MINNESOTA -- Beginning the last week in October, I began attempting to place $100 on my prepay account. Each time I attempt to do this through your automated service it is rejected. I am then referred to a live person who tells me that my card was rejected because of a mismatched address typed in by one of your representatives. I have verbally repeated the address on the credit card bill and then been told I have to wait and to call back tomorrow because of the 24 hour rule regarding attempts at using the same credit card. I attempted four times last week and twice this week and it is only Tuesday.

I have contacted the credit card company three times and received verification of my address by mail. They are very puzzled by your actions also. I have requested that your representative use the entire zip code including the
last four letters and been told that you do not do this. I have spent hours on the phone attempting to rectify this situation. My time is valuable also.

Most importantly, the inmate that I am contacting has no access to her family and friends. We have to write to her to explain how once again the phone company has blocked the line. Since phone companies that do
business with non-institutionalized customers do not impose the rules and regulations regarding payments that you do, I believe you are punishing inmates and their family and friends. The inmates are a vulnerable population who have little or no legal rights to recourse.

I was told by one of your supervisors that your company has the most sophisticated anti-credit card fraud system in the country. Do you have this system because you assume that anyone who has a friend or family member in prison is likely to attempt to defraud you? That is called bias, punishing a whole group of persons because of a belief and then making that belief into a company policy.

When I told your supervisor that one of his customer representatives had admitted that your company had made an error when they sent me a bill for $168.00 that was not mine, the supervisor told me that, "I will not admit that our company made an error". He told me to send it to the complaint department. I received a response from a person who would not give me her position and did not write in complete sentences.

How many people have to complain before something is done about this company, their policies and their poor customer service. The price for a 15 minute phone call is $7.00. When I asked the customer representative, she did not know the rates and could not explain why the rates were so high. I am more than willing to join a class action lawsuit. If anyone else is interested, please post a complaint letting me know and we can try to find a way to figure this out. My daughter is newly graduated lawyer and could probably help us figure this out.

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Advertisement
Their Mistake, My Problem
By -

I have used CBS services for over 5 months without a problem, until today. I have used their check by phone prepaid system twice. The first check by phone in March 2004 processed with no problem and then one in April 2004 in which I was told I didn't have to verify my checking account information because I did a check by phone the month before. I haven't received a phone call from my loved one lately so I decided to call them and see what the problem was. Come to find out they restricted my line.

The Rep. stated the April check came back from my bank and advised me to call a different 800 #. I called the new number and was informed my check came back to due my bank being "unable to locate account". I advised the woman that I didn't understand why when they had processed my check the previous month. She confirmed my information and CBS had left the last 2 digits of my checking account # off when they tried to cash the check. THIS WAS NOT MY ERROR. She then informed me I had to send certified funds to her office then they would contact CBS to open the line again.

I then asked why I was being penalized for CBS's error. All she could say is that there was nothing more she could do for me. I hung up with her and called CBS back. Waited a 1/2 hour this time. Finally got a Rep. on the phone, explained that it was THEIR ERROR my check came back, not MINE. She said there was nothing she could do and I would have to send in money orders only in the future. THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE! I then asked for a supervisor. She put me on hold for 10 minutes and came back stating one wasn't available. I advised her I would wait on hold until one was available.

The Supervisor got on the phone. He said he understood my frustration and that it wasn't my error, but he couldn't do anything either. They wouldn't allow me to do checks by phone any longer. WHAT A BUNCH OF CRAP! So I asked for HIS manager. He gave me a fax number and address of the "Director of Customer Service" so I could lodge a complaint there. In the mean time, I cannot get calls from my loved one and its THEIR FAULT!!!

WHAT TYPE OF CUSTOMER SERVICE IS THIS??? I am writing this here as well as going to fax and mail a letter of complaint to the Director. It's a shame that I abide by the terms they set forth and still get SCREWED! My question is why I am held responsible for THEIR mistake? If I get a satisfactory response from the Director I will update this at that time. If not, I will report a legal and formal complaint with the Better Business Bureau. I hope no one else has to deal with this.

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Correctional Billing Services Rating:
65 reviews & complaints.
Contact Information:
Correctional Billing Services
PO Box 650757
Dallas, TX 75265-0757
1-800-844-6591 (ph)
www.securustech.net
customer_service@correctionalbillingservices.com
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