Telephone bills

Telephone Bill

In 2004, I moved from one apartment to another, in New York City. There was no telephone connection in my new apartment. I requested the installation from Verizon, and had to pay the sum of $208.39, plus tax, in order to install the new phone.

Verizon, aware of the enormous sum required all at once, allowed me a year to pay off the installation fee. I would add that I am a disabled citizen and the amount was verty large,or me, as is the ongoing bill.

I live in New York City where charges are higher than most other cities. However, by my reading of each month’s bill, some charges and taxes appear twice and three times on the same bill-it appears that the company is charging taxes upon taxes. The public seems unaware of this but I would like a better explanation than I received from Verizon. When I questioned them, they said that as a Verizon customer I am also paying for service to be extended to other areas in the city that don’t currently have telephone lines installed. It would appear that I and other customers are paying for capital expansion of service to persons and probably corporations that either should be paying for this service themselves or the expansion should be part of the capital outlays of a very rich corporation-Verizon itself.

I would point out some of these “extras” that I am charged for:

1. Dial tone-$9.85 -my common sense tell me that I already paid for this at the time of my installation.
2. “anticipated damages”-because I am responsible for any damage for which I may be responsible, whether it happens or not, I have to pay a maintenance fee of $3.99
3. In addition to the above , I am charged:
• Federal tax USF $0.68
• Surcharge $0.39
• Federal tax $0.22
• FCC line charge $6.39 (in addition to dial tone above)
• NYC & State tax $0.62
• 911 $1.00
(Whether used or not)
• Federal Tax $1.44
• State & Local tax $4.35
• Surcharge $2.95

When I inquired about all the fees, surcharges and duplicative taxes charged, the telephone company rep told me that the second set of charges are for each and every feature I received. But I don’t understand each separate item being charged tax and then the whole bill is charged an overall tax. It seems they are taxing the taxes. My total bill is $48.98 and of that amount the taxes and fees amount to $18.95; 39% of the bill is taxes and fees-more than 1/3.

I remember that the late President Reagan “de-regulated” all the communications companies. However, in my opinion, this deregulation does not give these companies the right to gouge and confuse their customers with hidden, unexplained and apparently redundant charges. This is not to even mention my paying for services to “out of reach” potential users-if that explanation made any sense.

I can’t believe I am the only citizen complaining about the billing practices of telephone companies. Please advise what if anything I can do about this public scam.

Thank you for your considerations.

Ms. Nehama Jury