Erroneous Directory Assistance Charge

[Bergen]

My most recent Verizon bill had a charge ($2.49) for a 'Directory Assistance' call that I'm certain was not made, and this is not the first time this has happened.  A quick search for 'Directory Assistance charge" on this forum comes back with multiple posts about the same problem:  Verizon, what gives?  Like many of the other people who have posted, my family does not use directory assistance on our landline.  We look phone numbers up on the computer.   Just knowing that many other people have had this problem, and been told "if the charge appears on your bill, the call was made" without any supporting detail makes me a very unhappy customer.  Foul, Verizon.

[ElizabethS]

Just a friendly reminder, this is a forum where users help other users. It looks like your issue may require a Verizon representative to review your account details. Please visit our Support page for a variety of ways to contact Verizon, including “Ask Verizon,” our virtual chat agent, and customer support phone numbers.

[deb1500]

I did the online chat and was told the same exact thing!!  And I was told I need to call since they can't help me.  With the strike going on, that shouldn't be a problem lol.  Who even uses directory assistance when there are free things like Google.  These charges are bogus!!

[ElizabethS]

You will get service, if you call. 🙂

[steelcity1]

This is the 4th month I have had erroneous directory assistance charges on my phone bill. I have been able to contact Verizon to have the charges removed and was told if it happened again to call back and they will credit the fee. Well I have my new phone bill and guess what? another DA call. I tried to contact Verizon but due to the strike I'm not being patched through to customer support. This is ridiculous. Is there any way to block these calls?

[ElizabethS]

What department do you get when you call?

[InflatedBills]

Since Nov. 2015, I've received 4 bills with fees for Directory Assistance services that could not possibly have been used:

Nov. 2015 -- 3 calls @2.49 each = $7.47

Feb. 2016 -- 2 calls @ 2.49 each = $4.98

Mar 2016 -- 10 calls @ 2.49 each = $24.90

May 2016 -- 12 calls @ .$2.49 each = $29.88

TOTAL for 411 Calls NOT MADE  = $65.23

In addition, on another invoice (maybe Dec. 2015), there were 4 calls to 800 numbers placed between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. during a single evening. Details not showing on my e-paperless invoice, but I believe total charges were about $4.10. Customer Service agent I spoke with about the fees told me they were all placed to "burner" cell phones for gambling services in Detroit and Cincinnatti. 

What's interesting about all of these fees is that they're charged against a landline in a summer bungalow used by a couple of senior citizens. We "open," or start using the house, in June and usually close it for the winter on Columbus Day weekend in October. We actually get a useful telephone book annually. More, we've not made a call to Directory Assistance since perhaps 2008. And lord knows, we're asleep long before 11 p.m., and not calling some bookie in Detroit at 4 a.m. 

My bill is on auto-pay so I don't pay a lot of attention to it. However, I checked the May invoice, saw the 12 calls to 411, contacted Verizon and rec'd a credit for the $29.88 (plus taxes). Got the corporate line that this was a one-time courtesy and couldn't be offered for the other, earlier, Directory Assistance calls ... nor any such calls made in the future. Can't wait to see what the next few months hold. Wondering if solving this issue is going to require contacting the FCC, PUC or whatever regulatory agency is responsible for monitoring the accuracy of telco invoices. 

[strengthcoach]

be sure to file a compliant with the FCC