[Asterisk-biz] LiveVOIP: Deceptive Billing Practices

[Don Dawson]

Yes, Livevoip is full of it. And I will be canceling soon.
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: AR Tarzi 
  To: Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion 
  Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 3:19 PM
  Subject: Re: [Asterisk-biz] LiveVOIP: Deceptive Billing Practices


  I tried using them (LiveVoip) but my credit card company would NOT authorize them! I have always been grateful of their authorization policy.
  Although I won't "plug" their name, they've been my first (and best) plastic funds provider (member since 1981).
    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: Nabeel Jafferali 
    To: 'Commercial and Business-Oriented Asterisk Discussion' 
    Sent: Friday, June 03, 2005 18:36
    Subject: [Asterisk-biz] LiveVOIP: Deceptive Billing Practices


    Hello.

    I have been a LiveVOIP customer since November 2004 and have used them for
    all of my US/Canada calling and some of my international calling. I have
    been relatively happy with their call quality, but, as I explain below,
    their billing practices are deceptive at best.

    Since I became a customer, I have received a few invoices from time to time
    that specified "domestic minutes" (that always matched for the number of "NA
    & 800 minutes" in the online CDR multiplied by their per-minute rate of
    $0.012) and a separate line entry for "international minutes".

    Now, for the international minutes, I was never able to see the per-call
    charges anywhere. On their online CDR, you can see the number called and the
    duration (but *not* the per-minute rate nor the call charge). I, of course,
    assumed that the rate I would be charged would be the rate advertised on
    their website (http://www.livevoip.com/LiveVoipRatesNov.xls.pdf).

    Noticing the invoiced amount to be a little higher that expected in May, I
    pressed LiveVOIP to send me CDRs including the charges for the international
    calls. They quickly sent me all the CDRs since I became a customer.
    Surprisingly, every single international call was charged at a different
    rate that what is advertised on their site. For example:

    UAE - Dubai
    +9714
    Advertised: 0.2026
    Billed: 0.31428

    Tanzania - Dar es Salaam
    +25522
    Advertised: 0.134
    Billed: 0.311952

    Pakistan - Karachi
    +9221
    Advertised: 0.1616
    Billed: 0.26772

    As you can see, the differences are not small - they are greater than 100%
    higher in some cases.

    I wrote to LiveVOIP and was told their TOS specifically says that the rate
    on the billing is correct and supersedes any advertised rate. Now, right
    away, IMHO, this is deceptive and fraudulent.

    However, in my book, I would have accepted it if they at least had a
    real-time billing portal where I could see the charges of the calls I made
    yesterday to be able to monitor if their rates have changed or not. On the
    contrary, with their billing system, you would only ever know if the rates
    have changed if you took the initiative to ask them for your detailed CDRs.

    My repeated requests for a refund on the overcharged amount resulted in my
    account being suspended, without a clarification on what the actual
    international rates are.

    Now, the amounts I have been overcharged are minor, since my usage is not
    significant. However, I thought I should send this to the list to warn
    anybody who is considering using LiveVOIP for international calling.

    Although their rates for the US/Canada are somewhat fixed and billed
    correctly, I will still advise my friends and associates to avoid using a
    company that has such deceptive practices.

    Nabeel

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