SLAMMING COMPLAINTS DROP IN STATE

Southwestern Bell Telephone says telephone slamming complaints in Missouri have dropped in the past three months.

Slamming is the deceptive and illegal practice in which a consumer or business local or long-distance telephone service provider is switched without the customer's permission.

Southwestern Bell Telephone conducts a "Hang Up on Slamming" customer education campaign to alert customers of the practice. Inquiries about slamming have dropped from 4,798 in March to 2,708 in June, officials say.

But telephone customers should inspect their bills closely, watching for any changes or additional charges.

Phone slammers often disguise authorization forms as contest entry forms which may show up at local fairs. By signing up for what they think is a free prize, people may actually be signing a consent form for a change in long distance carriers, telephone officials said.

Although slamming reports to SWB decreased during the second quarter of the year, the total for the first six months of 1998 is only slightly lower, statewide, than the same period in 1997.

The total number of Missouri complaints or inquiries to SWB has averaged more than 4,000 a month from January through June of this year, with a total of 24,554. During the first six months of 1997, 25,535 complaints were logged with the Missouri Attorney General's office.

But many slamming complaints lodged to SWB were not reported to the attorney general's office.

"We have had about 700 complaints," said Michelle Harris, of the communications department. Some of those complaints have led to lawsuits against five out-of-state telecommunications companies.

The lawsuits, filed by Attorney General Jay Nixon, says the companies used deceptive practices to add telecommunication services to customers' phone bills without their knowledge or consent or to change customers' long-distance carriers without their consent.

With the increase in consumer education, Southwestern Bell has seen a significant drop in its slamming complaints. In its five-state service area, the company reported a 37 percent decrease in complaints over last year.

This is the first significant drop Southwestern Bell has recorded since the slamming problem emerged as a major consumer issue about three years ago.

But, it's still a big problem, said Jack Farmer, a spokesperson for SWB. Even with the drop, almost 30,000 SWB customers in five states called the company in June, seeking help on slamming.

"The decrease in slamming complaints is great news," said Lisa Wilder, vice president of external affairs for SWB. "We will continue to educate customers and serve as their advocate until slamming is eliminated. We still believe that one slam is one too many."

In Illinois, telephone customers now have extra protection from companies switching their long-distance carriers or billing them for unwanted services, thanks to anti-slamming/anti-cramming legislation signed recently by Gov. Jim Edgar.

Slamming changes a customer's long-distance provider without notice while cramming ads additional services to a customer's bill without a customer's permission.

The new law, signed by Edgar, requires customers to be notified within 10 days if a new service is added or a company switched. It also forbids the use of sweepstakes boxes in conjunction with soliciting changes to a customer's telephone service.

The law gives the Illinois Commerce Commission more power to investigate complaints and order fines or refunds. Violators are subject to fines up to $1,000, to be paid into the Public Utility Fund. The ICC also will have the ability to revoke a carrier's authorization to do business in Illinois.