AT&T drops charges from phone bill

By NANCY PARADIS

© St. Petersburg Times, published July 11, 2000

I need help understanding the AT&T portion of my phone bill. Both my February and April bills include charges from this company. I do not make long-distance calls. I cannot afford them. I do need my phone for local calls, though, to make doctors' appointments, call for transportation, call 911, etc.

I called AT&T and tried to explain my problem, but I could not hear or understand everything that was said to me. I am very hard of hearing. I was told someone would get in touch with me in 24 to 48 hours. No one did.

I gladly pay for services I use. If I have to be charged, is there any way I can stop using AT&T? Lillian Schroeder

Response: Kay Jeffries, AT&T executive appeals manager in Lee's Summit, Mo., said that in May 1997, the Federal Communications Commission adopted rules that mandated that telecommunications carriers pay into a federal program called the universal service fund. This fund helps provide affordable telecommunications services for low-income customers and customers in rural areas. It also provides discounts on Internet access for eligible schools, libraries and rural health care providers. She said AT&T expects its fund expenses to be at least $1.9-billion this year. Given the competition within the telecommunications industry, AT&T cannot afford to absorb these costs and therefore began recovering them from its customers in July 1998, she said, adding that all telecommunications companies are doing this. This monthly universal connectivity charge is waived only for customers enrolled in the AT&T lifeline program, a condition for which is enrollment in the state's telephone assistance program for low-income customers.

Until April, customers were billed a flat fee of $1.38 per month for the universal connectivity charge. Your April bill reflects the billing period from Jan. 24 through March 24, or two months, and you were charged $2.76. Beginning with the April billings, however, the monthly amount changed from a flat fee to 8.6 percent of state-to-state and international calls as well as any service charges. Since you make no long-distance calls, you will no longer be charged the universal connectivity charge.

With regard to the monthly usage minimum charge of $3 you have been paying, Jennifer Boyer, media relations representative with AT&T, said that charge was dropped as of the July billing.

Your billing from AT&T reflects one other charge, the carrier line charge. That charge will move to the GTE (Verizon come August) portion of your phone bill. Even though you don't make long-distance calls, you could if you wanted to. You can also receive them. Because of this, the FCC allows phone companies to collect the carrier line charge. This is one charge you won't be able to avoid.

The answer to your last question, whether you can switch long-distance carriers, is yes. You can even elect to have none at all, and this may be the best option for you. You would still be able to make long-distance phone calls, either by using a prepaid calling card or one of the 10-10 services.

If you have further questions about the AT&T portion of your phone bill, call (800) 222-0300.A non-specific sale

On June 23, I purchased a TV for $299.99 plus tax. Within a week, I saw a picture of a TV for sale from the same store for $199.99. This ad is a perfect description of the same set I purchased.

I went back to the store and confronted an employee, who took my papers of the ad and my receipt. He showed them to the manager, who said he would not give me a refund because that particular store did not stock the same model as the advertisement shows.

I feel that this is false advertising and I deserve to be compensated for the difference in price, as the store's low price guarantee states in the same circular. Clifton Dwyer

Response: Since the ad does not give a brand name or model number and in fact states that models may vary by store, there is no way to determine if this is the same set you purchased. The only way to make a comparison is by model number. Even a brand name on the TV in the advertising circular would have helped.

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