what kind of lawyer to help with phone company charges

Full Answer

Where can I find legal help if I can't afford a lawyer?

Here's how to find legal help if you can't afford a lawyer: Contact the city courthouse. Seek free lawyer consultations. Look to legal aid societies.

What government agencies help consumers handle disputes?

Many government agencies and other organizations help consumers handle disputes. Here are some of the major ones. You can file a complaint with your state’s Attorney General's office. These offices investigate consumer complaints.

Can I get a free lawyer consultation?

Some attorneys will offer free consultations – usually by phone or videoconference. You aren't likely to come away feeling like you're ready to try your first case, but even if it's just a 15-minute call, you may at least get enough information to have a better sense of what legal morass you're in for.

Is it legal to harass someone over the phone?

They can be a frightening experience. The Federal Communications Act, specifically 47 U.S. Code § 223, as well as many state laws, prohibit telephone harassment and create legal remedies and enforcement mechanisms.

How can I fight my cell phone company?

File a complaint online or at 1-888-382-1222. Include the date of the illegal call, phone number, and the company's name in your complaint. You can also file a complaint about recorded messages or robocalls.

How do I dispute a charge on my cell phone bill?

Call the phone company responsible for your bill, explain your concerns about the charges, and ask to have incorrect charges removed. You can also call the company that charged you, ask them to explain the charges, and request an adjustment to your bill for any incorrect charges.

Can you sue a company for incorrect billing?

You can sue. If you've already paid a mistaken amount, or if you want to avoid affecting your credit rating no matter what, you can sue the company.

How can a third party vendor place a charge on a phone bill authorized or unauthorized do phone companies benefit from allowing third party vendor billing?

How can third parties put charges on my phone bill? Phone companies—both landline and wireless—enter into contracts with companies known as “billing aggregators.” The phone companies make money by allowing these billing aggregators to submit charges onto the monthly phone bills of the phone companies' customers.

What to do if you have been overcharged for a service?

Talk to the service provider. Politely point out that the final bill is higher than the quote. It's your right to refuse to pay the extra amount — unless you changed the scope of the job once the quote was confirmed. If they insist on the higher price, you can take a case to the district court or Disputes Tribunal.

Can I refuse to pay a phone bill?

If you just quit paying, your service will first get suspended and eventually cancelled. You will still have to pay for the phone plus whatever other charges you didn't pay. As noted above, your credit will likely also get ruined.

Can I sue a company for overcharging me?

A criminal case can also be initiated against a business and an employee for overcharging in California Superior Court. The punishment that may be imposed in these types of proceedings for allegedly overcharging a customer will generally depend on the amount of the overcharge.

How do I complain about overcharging?

Helpline number: You can dial the helpline number 1800-11-4000 or 1800-11-14404, to inform the authority any day between 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM except the National Holidays. Send an SMS: You can also register the complaint by sending an SMS to 81300 09809.

How do you challenge a bill?

How to Dispute a Bill For ServicesThings to Do To Prove The Validity of Your Dispute.Inspect the invoice.Check your accounting records.Look at the business contract.Contact the company.Collect proof to support your dispute.Requirements Creditors Must Adhere to When a Bill of Service is in Dispute.

How do I stop third-party charges on my phone bill?

Yes. You can permanently block third-party charges from appearing on your bill. Simply call 1-888-225-5837 and ask a TDS Advisor to add a third-party billing block to your phone account. Also ask for a collect-call block to stop anyone from calling you collect.

How do I block third-party charges on Sprint?

Questions about how third-party billing works?Go to sprint.com/mysprint and sign in.Select My Account menu, then select Preferences.Choose the My preferences tab.Review the Limits and permissions section. Select the Block Apps, digital media downloads & third-party charges link.Follow the instructions on screen.

What is phone bill cramming?

Cramming is the illegal act of placing unauthorized charges on your wireline, wireless, or bundled services telephone bill.

When Does A Phone Call Rise to The Level of Harassment?

Not every call is harassing under the meaning of the law. There is a difference between an annoying call and a harassing one. Telephone harassment...

What Other Factors Should I Consider Regarding Whether Calls Constitute Harassment?

Also take into account: 1. the timing of the calls: for instance, calls made in the middle of the night are more likely to be harassing 2. the freq...

Are There Any Exceptions to What's Considered Harassment?

Telephone calls arising out of family disputes, political squabbles, and business matters are less likely to be made into criminal matters. A restr...

What Should I Do If I Am Receiving Harassing Phone calls?

If you are a victim of harassment, you should contact the police. When the calls come in, make a note of the gender of the caller, the description...

What is cell phone fraud?

Cell phone fraud occurs when a person uses, tampers or manipulates your cell phone or your cellular service, without your permission.

How to protect yourself from subscriber fraud?

To protect yourself against subscriber fraud, be very careful when giving out your personal information. Make sure you only give out your personal information to legitimate businesses. To protect yourself against cloning, find out if your service has authentication services that prevent fraud.

What is subscriber fraud?

Subscriber fraud: someone uses your personal information to set up a cell phone account. Cloning fraud: someone copies the electronic serial number and telephone number of your cell phone, which lets them make a duplicate cell phone and the calls on that cell phone are then billed to your cell phone. Find the Right Consumer Lawyer.

What to do if you receive a harassing call?

If you receive a harassing phone call, do not engage in a conversation with the caller or divulge any personal information. Sometimes the caller is seeking a response from you, and not giving a response can discourage future harassing calls.

What is repeated phone call?

making repeated telephone calls where the conversation consists only of harassment, or. making a telephone call and using heavy breathing or silence with an intent to intimidate. Just one unwelcome call can be harassing, though a single misdial or "wrong number" call may not rise to the level of harassment.

Is a phone call a harassment?

Not every call is harassing under the meaning of the law. There is a difference between an annoying call and a harassing one. Telephone harassment occurs when someone intends to annoy, harass, or threaten you by: making a telephone call and using heavy breathing or silence with an intent to intimidate.

What is a BBB complaint?

You can also file a complaint with your local Better Business Bureau (BBB), a private, nonprofit organization. The BBB helps settle disputes that involve products or services, whether or not the business is accredited with the BBB. The BBB forwards your complaint to the business and gives it a chance to respond.

Does the CFPB advocate for you?

The CFPB will facilitate a resolution to your complaint, but it won’t advocate for you. Here’s how the process works: The CFPB will forward the complaint to the company. The company reviews the complaint and reports to the CFPB on what steps it has taken, or will take, to settle the issue you raised.

The Supreme Court has waged war on class action suits, but there may be a workaround to take the telecom companies to court

There are many affronts to basic concepts of justice to spring from the Roberts Court over the last 10 years. The declaration that racism isn’t a big deal anymore decision of course. Or when they declared open season on harassing your interns. And it’s impossible to forget the whole your boss can impose religious beliefs on you thing.

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George White

I get this question a lot. Let me explain Larrys answer. No one files charges on a criminal charge. Its always The State of Texas vs someone. If that were possible then we could not have any murderers. The dead person could never file charges. All you are is the complainant or victim. The police arrest you, not you.

Gary Churak

Make a police report and state you want to press charges. The State will handle the rest

Larry Lex Johnston

You need a lawyer called the District Attorney. First, you should call the police. Not sure of the non-emergency number, but the emergency number is 911. The reason that you only find defense attorneys is that we are the only ones that advertise.

What happens if you can't afford a lawyer?

In a criminal proceeding, if you can't afford legal assistance, a court will appoint an attorney for you. In a civil case, generally described as a dispute between two private parties, to get legal representation, you have to get creative. Here's how to find legal help if you can't afford a lawyer:

What is legal aid?

Legal aid societies are nonprofit organizations found in almost every corner of the country that provide free legal services to low-income people. While this is certainly worth exploring, the problem for many households is that the individual or couple makes too much money to qualify for help.

Can a lawyer represent you on contingency?

It's risky for lawyers to take cases on contingency, and they need to be confident a judge or jury will side with you, and that there's going to be something sizable awarded to you. While no legal expert will suggest you represent yourself, it is an option if you're in a financial bind.

Who is Geoff Williams?

Geoff Williams, Contributor. Geoff Williams has been a contributor to U.S. News and World Report since 2013, writing about ... Read more. Tags: personal finance, money, personal budgets, lawsuits.

Do attorneys give discounts?

An attorney might give you a discount. Also, many attorneys offer payment plans, so that you're paying monthly instead of one huge sum all at once. Of course, you could hit the jackpot and find a pro bono lawyer, or you might find someone willing to take your case on contingency.