Slamming

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding "Slamming"

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1. What is "Slamming"?
2. Is it illegal to be "slammed"?
3. What are the most common warning signs that indicate we might have been "slammed"?
4. I think we have been slammed, how can we really be sure?
5. We have been slammed, how do I fix it?
6. We have been slammed, I've fixed it, now what do I do about the charges for long distance calls on my local telephone bill from the company who slammed us?
7. We found out that we have not been slammed, but can we prevent from being slammed in the future ?

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What is "Slamming"?

"Slamming" is the unauthorized changing of a customer's current long distance service provider to another long distance provider. Slamming is generally done by companies who call you and try to trick you or one of your employees into saying "yes" to a confusing question. Sometimes even when you say "no" and hang up, a company will still try to "slam" your service.

A company that wants to "slam" your service will send an electronic order to your local telephone company requesting that the long distance Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") be changed on one, a few or all of your telephone lines. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]

Companies who slam are sneaky

If you have multiple lines, many times the slamming company will only "slam" one or two lines hoping that you will never notice the long distance charges billed on your local telephone company bill on those lines. If the slamming company "slammed" all of your business lines, your monthly bill from your real long distance company would decrease significantly which would probably cause you to discover that you had been "slammed". [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]

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Is it illegal to be "slammed"? What are the most common warning signs that indicate we might have been "slammed"?

Here are some common ways you might discover and/or determine if you have been slammed:

• You notice long distance call charges on your local telephone company bill from a company you have never heard of (and, of course, you are being billed at per minute rates that far exceed what your real long distance provider charges you).
  
  
• Your current long distance company provides you with a project account code feature and suddenly you (or your employees) report that they are no longer being prompted to input a project account code after dialing a long distance number (on some or all lines). Please note, that failure to get a project account code prompt (if you use this feature with your current long distance company) does not always mean you have been slammed, your long distance company could be having a problem with this feature. If this occurs and you are using Lightyear's project account code feature, call us first at 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829 before taking any corrective action(s).
  
  
• Your current long distance company calls you to inform you that you have been disconnected from their service. Please note that your current long distance carrier can usually only see that you have been disconnected; they cannot tell which long distance company has slammed you. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]
  
  

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  I think we have been slammed, how can we really be sure?

  Here are some common ways you can determine if you really have been slammed. You may need to do one or more of the following to find out exactly which of your long distance services, if any, have been slammed.

• Perform a "700" Test - Dial 1-700-555-4141 to hear a recorded message that will tell you which long distance company you are currently presubscribed to. When you dial 1-700-555-4141, the recording only tells you the current long distance company for the line from which you dialed 1-700-555-4141 from. Make sure to do the "700" test from each of one of your lines to determine which lines may have been slammed.

• Call your local telephone company and ask them to tell you (for each line) who your current long distance company is. If IntraLATA presubscription is available in your area, don't forget to ask your local telephone company to tell you (for each line) who your current long distance company is for IntraLATA (local long distance) calling is as well. It is possible, although somewhat unusual, to be have been slammed for InterLATA, but not InterLATA service or vice versa.

• Call your long distance telephone company (if Lightyear call us at 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829) and ask to check your lines to see if they are in a confirmed status and showing recent long distance calls. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]

We have been slammed, how do I fix it? (read this very carefully, make sure to follow the instructions in the order that they are listed !)

1. VERY IMPORTANT! - If you have been slammed, FIRST call your real long distance company (if Lightyear, call us at 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829) and get a representative to tell you the Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") that your local telephone company should have on your line(s); tell the representative that you believe you have been slammed and ask the representative to send a new order to your local telephone company to switch your service back.
   
   Please note that if your long distance company is a Switchless Reseller, the Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") that they give you may not be associated with your carrier's name (this is why you must do the above first). Example, you are a Lightyear customer and your calls are being carried for Lightyear by WorldCom using WorldCom's Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") of 0555.
   
   Please also note that if you are a Lightyear customer, the correct Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") for your service depends on your geographical location. Lightyear uses several different Carrier Identification Codes ("CIC's") including:
   
   0555 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of WorldCom or Wiltel
   
   0811 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of Vartec
   
   5957 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of Lightyear
   
   IF YOU ARE A Lightyear CUSTOMER, CALL US AT 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829 BEFORE PROCEEDING SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE CORRECT CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODE ("CIC") FOR YOUR COMPANY !
   
   
2. Call your local telephone company and tell them that you would like to change the long distance carrier on all of your lines for both InterLATA and IntraLATA (if desired and IntraLATA presubscription is available in your area) calling. VERY IMPORTANT: MAKE SURE to give the local telephone company representative the Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") that your long distance company told you to use (see above). Make sure to tell the local telephone company representative that you were slammed and that you are placing this order to switch back to the correct long distance company so that the local telephone company will not charge you their standard per line long distance switching fee.
   
   FINALLY AND VERY IMPORTANT: Ask the local telephone company representative to add a "PIC Freeze" to all of your lines concurrently with correcting the Carrier Identification Code ("CIC"). A PIC Freeze "locks" the Carrier Indentification Code ("CIC") on all of your lines in such a way that the local telephone company will reject any and all future electronic order(s) to change your long distance service. Once you have a PIC Freeze in place, the only way to change your long distance carrier is to call your local telephone company and place a verbal order for the change.
   
   There are no one time or monthly recurring charges from your local telephone company to have a PIC Freeze. Please keep in mind that the local telephone company is NOT making these changes when you speak to him/her, he/she is placing an order to have the changes made. Since you have been slammed, ask the local telephone company representative when the order will be completed and if he/she can expedite it.
   
   IMPORTANT: On the day after your order was supposed to be completed by the local telephone company, make your "700" test calls again to make sure they really did complete your order. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]
   
   

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   We have been slammed, I've fixed it, now what do I do about the charges for long distance calls on my local telephone bill from the company who slammed me?

   Contact your local telephone company. They will probably suggest that you call the company that initiated the charges and can give you the number if that's not clear from your bill.

   Call the company in question, explain that that they slammed you and that you want either (depending on just how much you want to fight) a) a full credit for all of the calls billed to you or b) a credit in an amount which would cause you to be billed at the per minute rates you are receiving from your real long distance company (this is generally called a re-rate credit).

   If you meet resistance, tell the company that you intend to:

• dispute the charges through your local telephone company
• report this situation and their practice to the Federal Communications Commission ("FCC") http://www.fcc.gov and
• report this situation and their practice to the Public Service or Utility Commission in your state
  
  
  Then call your local telephone company again and register your dispute. They will instruct you to pay only the amount of your bill that is not in dispute and place the charges from the long distance company that slammed you in a pending credit status. When/If the long distance company that slammed you promises a credit, make sure to watch your will local telephone company bills closely to make sure you receive it. Sometimes the long distance company that slammed you will promise a credit, but will never issue it figuring you will forget about it. Keep in mind that the credit(s) may take more than one billing cycle to appear on your bill.

  Also keep in mind that the long distance company that slammed you may still try to hold you responsible for the charges and could even contact a collection agency or use other means to seek payment if they disagree that they slammed you or if they can prove that you authorized the switch. Your local telephone service, however, should not be affected since you have called them to register your dispute. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]

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We found out that we have not been slammed, but can we prevent from being slammed in the future ? (read this very carefully, make sure to follow the instructions in the order that they are listed !)

1. Call your long distance company (if Lightyear, call us at 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829), tell the representative that you plan on adding a "PIC Freeze" with your local telephone company and ask he/she to tell you the correct Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") that your local telephone company should have on your line(s).
   
   Please note that if your long distance company is a Switchless Reseller, the Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") that they give you may not be associated with your carrier's name. Example, you are a Lightyear customer and your calls are being carried for Lightyear by WorldCom using WorldCom's Carrier Identification Code ("CIC") of 0555. Please also note that if you are a Lightyear customer, the correct Carrier Identification Codes ("CIC") depends on your geographical location. Lightyear uses several different Carrier Identification Codes ("CIC's") including:
   
   0555 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of WorldCom or Wiltel
   
   0811 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of Vartec
   
   5957 - recognized by your local telephone company under the name of Lightyear
   
   IF YOU ARE A Lightyear CUSTOMER, CALL US AT 502-721-9690 or 800-320-6829 BEFORE PROCEEDING SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE YOU KNOW THE CORRECT CARRIER IDENTIFICATION CODE ("CIC") FOR YOUR COMPANY !
   
   
2. Call your local telephone company and first ask the representative to tell you what the Carrier Indentification Code ("CIC") is on each of your lines for both InterLATA and IntraLATA calling. Make sure this matches what your long distance carrier told you (see above). Since you have not been slammed this should all match up. Ask the local telephone company representative to add a "PIC Freeze" to all of your lines. A PIC Freeze "locks" the Carrier Indentification Code ("CIC") on all of your lines in such a way that the local telephone company will reject any and all future electronic order(s) to change your long distance service. Once you have a PIC Freeze in place, the only way to change your long distance carrier is to call your local telephone company and place a verbal order for the change.
   
   There are no one time or monthly recurring charges from your local telephone company to have a PIC Freeze. Please keep in mind that the local telephone company is NOT adding the PIC Freeze as you are speaking, they are placing an order to have the PIC Freeze added. Ask the local telephone company representative when the order will be completed and if he/she can expedite it.
   
   
3. Even after you have added a PIC Freeze:

• Don't sign any confusing documents that come in the mail or over the fax from unfamiliar phone companies, regardless of what they promise.
• Clearly tell phone solicitors that you do not wish to change your long distance telephone service.
• Look at your phone bill carefully each month. Remember, if you think you have been slammed, follow the instructions above. [Back to Slamming FAQ Table of Contents]