Correctional Billing Services Consumer Reviews - Page 3

TEXAS -- Correctional Billing Services are nothing but pirates. My conversations with a supervisor at their 1-888-241-1290 # in Canada was most interesting. I was declined a collect call from an inmate in Texas because I had not set up an account with them in the amount of $50.00 plus a handling fee of $8.00. My phone service provider assured me that they had not put a collect call block on my phone and did in fact accept third party billing. Our little friends at T-Netix had decided to do so from the correctional facilities they contract with to monitor calls.

No notification, no agreements with me as to rates that will be paid, no quality assurances, no contract other than they want you to know that you will indeed be held hostage by the desperate feelings you have for that loved one that happens to be incarcerated, and pay any and all monies they see fit to rob you of. Folks this is extortion at its finest. How many inmates and their families have to suffer under these fanciest business practices?

Time to call your local Reps and Senators. If we all took the few minutes to do so each and every day and maybe start picking up a pen to write depriving correctional billing the upfront monies they so desperately need we may end up changing things for ourselves. Let's do a little telephone boycott. Anyone interested in joining me? I know many inmates and their families... it would not take much effort.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA -- Well folks, seems that even though Evercom AKA Correctional Billing Services claims that it is not a monopoly which yes is against the FEDERAL LAW. Several companies that are affiliated with them are Global Tellink, Quest just to name a couple. They have phones in 80 to 95% of the jails and prisons in this country, Ma Bell had about the same numbers and they were busted.

For all you folks that have the compassion of Saddam Hussein, be very careful of being so self-righteous, but by the grace of God go you, if you have ever driven drunk and yes that means just one drink, gotten a traffic ticket then you too are a law breaker, and when you find yourself sitting there longing to hear a loved one's voice because you killed someone after that cocktail party or hit that child on a bike because you were too busy talking on a cell phone (which is illegal in several states) then you and your family will become victims of this legalized scam.

SAN BERNARDINO, CALIFORNIA -- OK. It's like this. Correctional Billing supposedly doesn't have a contract with AT&T. OK explain this to me. A friend of mine had Verizon phone service yet when his bill came in correctional billing was being billed on behalf of AT&T. I have the bill right here in front of me. It says AT&T and gives Correctional Billing Services Number to call.

Another thing I don't have a block for third party billing yet my fiance still can not get through. What gives. There is no difference to where my friend's wife is at and my fiance so that couldn't be the problem. OK tell me. What's up. I don't understand why they wouldn't have a contract with AT&T. It seems to me that if AT&T could bill Verizon they would have no problem billing one of their very own customers.

The bill doesn't lie. It's in black and white. So if I don't have a block of any kind I know I checked with AT&T and had all blocks removed tell me why am I still not able to receive calls. I think guys are making what is a difficult time already for most of us having our partners in custody even more difficult to handle. I hope you're never in our places, and if you ever are I hope you go through exactly what we go through. FAIR IS FAIR!

INDIANA -- I have been with Correctional Billing Services for a little over a year. And I feel as though this company is a BIG RIPOFF! I have had SOOOO many dropped calls to where it has stolen my joy of talking with my son through this company! I have called and even begged these people to give me my calls back or at least my money back. But I was told to dispute the calls and I will get my money back. Well I have did all of what I was told to do and I still NEVER got a dime or my calls back! I have even contacted the Better Business service on them.

But I don't know how to go about handling this situation with the BBS. I even told the BBS how Correctional Billing Services tell you if your call is dropped after 1 minute and 36 seconds. They say that it was a 2 minute call. And anything over a 2 minute call you can't get that call back unless you fax in a dispute form.

But once you go through all of that faxing and disputing Correctional Billing Services STILL does not grant you back your money or your call. I am so fed up with this company, and I wish that it was another reliable company that I could go through to talk to my son. So if there is ANYONE OUT THERE who can help me out with the BBS, and find a new correctional phone company that I can use? Please feel free to contact me so that I can handle this matter!!!!

Hi... I am having a problem. When my brother calls me collect, it always shows up as the same number. Well it cut us off on a phone call the other day (it didn't give a message, the call just went blank). After that, he has called but it is showing up as all kinds of different numbers/area codes.

Also, the biggest problem, when he calls me, it will go almost all the way through the recording and once it gets to the point to say "to accept this call, press" IT QUITS. It never lets me press anything. It doesn't hang us up, it's like the line goes blank. He called me through someone else and said that on his end it is saying "your call was answered but positive acceptance wasn't received." How do I fix this??? Has this happened to anyone else before?

DALLAS, TEXAS -- When any one of you are ready to file a class action suit against them please email me. They are always making it where your calls are dropped anything time they want and its money lost. Talking about no third party, we know that we will lose our money if there is someone else on the line we are not trying to lose our money to them. And than they charge you $6.95 cent to add the money on and you have to put at at least $ 25.00 on there. When we have dropped call that are over a minute we have to give them permission to listen to our calls. NOT RIGHT. They never want to return you your money. I pray they go out of business.

DALLAS, TEXAS -- This is the 3rd time this has happened to me. I set up an account with my number and some other numbers for friends and family to receive calls from my son. Another inmate made calls to a number on my account and funds were deducted from my account to pay for those calls (over $15.00). I called and wrote and emailed and was told that since the phone number accepted the call I was responsible. I was told I would have to "block" that facility. I did.

When my son was moved again, I then blocked the facility he was moved from, but AGAIN calls were made by another inmate and AGAIN I was charged ($27.00) and was told that now I had to block the prison from EACH on the numbers on my account, not just my account. I have been using Correctional Billing Services for several years and NEVER was any information given to me regarding safeguarding my account. When I specifically did what they told me to in blocking facilities... then when another incident happens, the rules change.

It is particularly disappointing as I asked each time if my account was protected and was told absolutely; which was not the truth at all and has cost me money I cannot afford and deprives my son from talking with his family and friends. Something needs to be done as the billing service REFUSES to make any adjustment AND the representative wouldn't let me speak to her supervisor at first, then kept me waiting over 30 minutes to talk to the supervisor who said there wasn't anyone above her who could help me and wouldn't give me a name of anyone else to talk to about the problem.

I just had a phone conversation with Correctional Billing Services for an elderly lady I know. She faithfully pays her 2 to 3 hundred dollar CBS charges to Verizon to keep in touch with her family member. CBS says that she has reached her credit limit, however, there is no contract, no account number and no verification anywhere as far as the representative is concerned as to what was paid, when it was paid, and who paid. Oh and according to the representative that wrote the article CBS is only paid one a month in one lump sum. If that is the case then how do they know who deserves what credit limits?

According to the representative CBS owns 85 to 90% of the prison systems phones and/or lines. What representative did not research is What Does Monopoly Mean? A situation in which a single company or group owns all or nearly all of the market for a given type of product or service. By definition, monopoly is characterized by an absence of competition, which often results in high prices and inferior products.

With that said if there are any lawyers out there that feel like taking on a career making challenge JUST LET THE PEOPLE KNOW. This is a business issue people and since the press seems to want to tidy up corporate America maybe we the people can give him a helping hand.

By the representative's own admission this company knows they have the ability to make people do what they want because they have control. The system really needs to allow citizens of loved ones who have made bad decisions options. Instead of offering just CBS maybe offer three separate providers. It was done to Ma Bell so why not CBS?