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ZPDI: Zero Plus Dialing

ZPDI illustrates what happens when Congress is so busy trying to please warring lobbyists that it overlooks the consumer.

ZPDI • Feds Settle with BSG/ZPDI/Billing Concepts • Disputed Collect Calls • Expensive Collect Calls • Calling Card Calls • Hotel Room Calls • Scam Calls from Mexico • "Regular Carrier Unavailable" • Calls through Opticom --- • Congressional Action Needed to Stop ZPDI • You can fight back • ZPDI: What Can Consumers Do? • Consumer complaints about ZPDI and WXT Communications • Who's Behind ZPDI?

A little history: More than 70 years ago, Congress passed the Communications Act of 1934, which established a very orderly system that regulated telephone service, broadcasting and other public-service utilities. Everyone paid pretty much the same price and everyone got pretty much the same reliable, relatively inexpensive service.

It wasn't until 1996 that Congress once again stirred itself and, after decades of furious lobbying, passed the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which basically deregulated telephone service, cable TV and broadcasting as far as consumers are concerned, leaving in place just enough regulation to protect the big players who employ all those lobbyists.

ZPDI is a creature of the new "market-driven" telecom universe -- you know, the one that's brought you rising cable rates, bankrupt DSL providers and, oh yes, all the new local phone service competitors. (See ZPDI: Behind the Screen)

What can you do?

• Fight back. We have reports from consumers who've done it and won.
• Write your Congressional representatives. Unless you live in Washington, D.C., you are represented by two Senators and one Member of Congress. To get their addresses, type your Zip code in the box above. More on this topic.
• Complain loudly, publicly and bitterly to ZPDI's "partners." ZPDI is a billing agent for companies and institutions that own the telephones in hotels, hospitals and prisons and for payphones located in stores, airports, schools and on street corners. The owners of the phones are getting a big cut and you should let them know you don't like it.

Here are a few sample complaints. You'll find many more in the categories listed to the right.

ZPDI • Feds Settle with BSG/ZPDI/Billing Concepts • Disputed Collect Calls • Expensive Collect Calls • Calling Card Calls • Hotel Room Calls • Scam Calls from Mexico • "Regular Carrier Unavailable" • Calls through Opticom --- • Congressional Action Needed to Stop ZPDI • You can fight back • ZPDI: What Can Consumers Do? • Consumer complaints about ZPDI and WXT Communications • Who's Behind ZPDI?

Susan of Las Vegas, NV April 14, 2009

Susan of Las Vegas NV (04/14/09)
I have a phone for my elderly father of 78. He showed me the Embarq phone bill with a charge from ZPDI on March 10, 2009 at 9:33PM Phone number called from charged 14.11. I called ZPDI and spoke with Jacob with broken English and told him that there was no such call accepted by this phone and that the charge was fraudulent. He kept telling me that the call was made by a hospital/jail/ hotel. I asked well which one was it, then he says it was a cell phone. I told him my father is only one using the phone and he goes to bed at 9PM. He said that someone accepted the charges and that the bill was accurate.

I asked for his name, ID # and billing address. I then asked for supervisor and he hung up on me. ZPDI is associated with American Roaming Network. which American Roaming Network is the largest Un-Registered Roaming Service in the U.S. they process over 16 million unbillable calls each month generated by the major U.S. mobile carriers. We process calls that are considered unbillable by carrier and are typically generated by un-registered or inactive mobile phones.

MY question is this. HOW CAN YOU MAKE A LEGITIMATE PHONE CALL FROM AN UNREGISTERED OR INACTIVE MOBILE PHONE? I then called the number on the phone bill from which this so called LEGITIMATE CALL came from. It goes straight to a recorded message for American Roaming Network and states that if you have received a call be advised it may be from an unregisterd number this is not the phone # of the caller this is a number that is available when the caller ID of the caller is not available.

IT IS FRAUD FRAUD FRAUD.. Nothing is settled.

Angelina of Greer, SC April 3, 2009

Angelina of Greer SC (04/03/09)
i contacted the number and spoke to a man, did not give name. told him we have gotten billed 38.11 for an 8 minute collect call, i told him we recieved no such call. he said yes we did and owe the co. 38.11, 20.00 connect fee plus 1.68 minute. i then contacted bellsouth. explained the situation and they would remove the bogus bill from our account and automatically file a dispute. plus they have a collect block on our line but the company says they are still going after us..

i am on a fixed retirement income and have serious health problems, i have serious asthma and they are really upsetting my health. what ever happened to making money honestly.

Jeanie of Wilmington, NC April 1, 2009

Jeanie of Wilmington NC (04/01/09)
I have had over 200 in collect phone calls fraudulently billed to my home telephone number. They were billed on behalf of American Roaming Net, which is some sort of subsidiary of the Zero Plus Dialing Inc. The number that appears on my phone bill for all seven phone calls reads from DELRAY BCH FL. Come to find out, this is some sort of a fake phone number through which the Am. Roaming Net customers make their collect calls.

When I contacted Carl (he would not give his last name) at American Roaming Net, he indicated that the actual cell phone call originated from Columbia, SC. I don't know anyone in Columbia, SC from whom I would accept even one collect call, much less seven of them, to the tune of 208.89! However, Carl insisted that I must have accepted the collect charges because my phone company (AT&T) billed me for them.

I have called AT&T, Zero Plus Dialing Inc, American Roaming Net, and the North Carolina Public Services Commission. The best anyone of them has offered to do about this FRAUD (and it IS fraud), is a Mr. M. Jefferies from the Pub. Serv. Comm. said he would contact AT&T and twist their arm to give me a refund (my bills are all direct deposit, so the money has already been taken from my bank account). No one offered, even after I asked point blank, if they could tell me the name of the person who supposedly made these collect calls which I allegedly accepted. My husband (who is 88 years old) and I live in a retirement home. Several of the calls were made after midnight, and were more than 15 minutes in duration.

Now I could see myself forgetting one phone call, maybe. But not seven, and not at all hours of the day and night. My husband and I NEVER accept collect calls unless it is an emergency from one of our children... and that has not happened since we have lived here (over six years). What I don't understand, is how can someone have made it look like we accepted these calls and get it billed to our phone number? That has got to be illegal! I'd hate to think that other senior citizens were having this happen to them. I would love to see legal action taken against this company.

I am out 208.89! And on a fixed income, that is a lot of money! Not to mention the emotional trauma I have been through with CARL (from American Roaming) basically insinuating that I am a liar because I must have accepted those phone calls. It is unbelievably frustrating to know that you are in the right and having someone insist that you are wrong. Very frustrating indeed.

Mary of Spokane Valley, WA March 30, 2009

Mary of Spokane Valley WA (03/30/09)
I have been receiving collect calls from the local jail for several years and the calls were paid by Less Concession Allowance I retired from US West and Pacific NW Bell which is now Qwest. Then in December, 2009, I received a bill from Qwest with six months of calls from ZPDI for calls from the jail in the amount of over 600.00. Now I had received bills in the mail every month for these six months, August to December and they were minus by concession. ZPDI DOES NOTHAVE THE RIGHT TO GO BACK SIX MONTHS AND CHARGE ME FOR THESE CALLS BECAUSE QWEST SOLD THE PAY PHONES TO THEM. If my concession was taken away, I should have been notified. Also if ZPDI would have sent me a bill in August I would have known my calls were not paid by concession. How can they go back six months?

I am living on Social Security and my meager 500 a month retirement from Qwest which they just took 105. off my retirement for medicare. I can not afford this plus another 200 plus in January bill. This is not fair. I try to talk to Qwest and they say they can't do anything for me.l

Chris of Saint Charles, MI March 28, 2009

Chris of Saint Charles MI (03/28/09)
ZPDI is trying to charge over 100 for two collect calls that lasted a total of 12 mins. They provided no advanced rates or mention of connection fee's when these calls were made. They have been very unco-operative when contacted. Currently we are fighting these outrages charges through our phone provider, AT & T.

100+ of additional charges that showed up on our phone bill.

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