[Asterisk-biz] LiveVOIP: Deceptive Billing Practices

[AR Tarzi]

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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