Some phone companies will take every opportunity to sneak ludicrous, unjustified charges onto your bill. The Boston Globe highlights the “cramming” practice in this story:

Mike Cunningham’s monthly phone bill is a crazy-quilt of fees, surcharges, and taxes, so it took nearly two years for him to notice “enhanced voice mail’’ charges of $14.95 and $13.22 tucked into pages five and six.

After reviewing statements back to December 2008, Cunningham found he had paid $567 to two companies whose names he didn’t recognize. Even worse, he had no idea what he’d bought.

“I said, ‘Holy mackerel,’ ’’ Cunningham said. “I called [the companies] and said, ‘What service are you providing and why are you billing me?’ ’

If you’ve caught your phone service provider cram-handed, let us know how you went about calling them out and getting the charges taken off.

Unwanted phone charges raising consumer ire [Boston Globe]
(Thanks, Michael!)

Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.