ILD Teleservices Corporate Information

And what might this be? As the complaints in this section show, ILD Teleservices is the name that appears next to mysterious charges on consumer phone bills. That's because ILD, among other things, is a "billing clearinghouse" for companies that bill for their services by placing charges on local phone bills. (Read the company's response to its critics here).

Since its inception, this has been an area that has been open to abuse. There have been thousands of complaints about billing clearinghouses passing on phony and inflated charges for everything from collect calls to psychic readings, a practice known in the industry as "cramming."

ILD's Web site provides no clue to consumers as to how they might dispute inaccurate charges. However, it is one of seven clearinghouses that belong to something called CERB, the Coalition to Ensure Responsible Billing. CERB members subscribe to "stringent, pro-consumer policies for ensuring that only legitimate charges appear on consumers' bills."

One of CERB's standards is "Consumer Satisfaction." This section states:

Consumers must be able to easily and quickly discuss problems. Members are committed to monitoring consumer satisfaction particularly with regard to any disputes or inquiries that may arise. Members will provide quick and thorough responses. Members shall provide on request:

• The name, address, phone number and fax number of the service provider.
• The nature of any charge.
• The method of authorization.
• Information as to how a consumer may cancel a service or product.

CERB members are also supposed to aid in solving dispute and are required to:

• Provide a toll free customer service number.
• Provide dedicated staff to respond to consumer inquiries.
• Provide a full and timely investigation of any dispute.
• Initiate a credit or respond to the consumer within 30 days of the consumer's dispute.

Thus, any consumer whose local telephone bill includes an unauthorized charge from ILD should immediately call the toll-free number next to the charge to find out what the charge is for. If the charge is unauthorized, the consumer should politely insist that the ILD representative investigate further and report back in 30 days.

If ILD fails to do so, consumers should file a complete report using the ConsumerAffairs.com complaint form, with copies to the Federal Trade Commission and their state Public Utilities Commission.