Scam Type
Utility Scam
Business Name Used
Online Savings
Date Reported
Oct 24, 2022
Victim Postal Code
90034
Total Dollars Lost
40
Scam Description
During the first month of the summer of 2022, the vast majority of phone calls I got on my landline were saying sign up with us to save on your AT&T bill. (I almost signed up for a supposed discount — not sure which company since didn’t get that far in the process — in the last 2 or 3 years, but was told you don’t qualify because the doorbell at the gate of apt. complex can ring the landline.)
So I got call after call during June and July 2022, and finally talked further to one OS caller who said I do qualify even if a doorbell by apartment complex gate can ring my landline. So in late July, I signed up with ONLINE SAVINGS (OS) whose envelope says is from a P.O. Box 280109 in Oakdale, MN 55128 (but my OS bills come from P.O. Box 980185, West Sacramento, CA 95718-0185) to save on my AT&T long distance. Someone from OS told me today that OS contacted AT&T on July 29th to inform them that my long distance was switched to OS. I spoke with two people at AT&T this afternoon. Neither had heard of Online Savings, and one asked her cohort who might know plus tried to find mention of them on the AT&T computer system, but the person she asked hadn’t heard of them and she found no mention of OS in the AT&T computer system.
Anyway, my AT&T bill stayed exactly the same (except went up one dollar in August due to inflation), and I have sent two checks for $19.99 apiece to OS. I got my third bill, but do not plan to pay since I am obviously being double-billed and OS has nothing to do with my landline line (except for double charging me for doing nothing — apparently they never “notified AT&T” on July 29th as claimed).
I’m sure there are likely thousands who have signed up with OS, and I am amazed AT&T hasn’t received more inquiries and complaints about them enough to notice in their system at least to beware of the OS scam.
I was only able to reach one human at OS today — who was “Emma”. I even apologized to Emma that my voice was loud and angry since I was sure she is not a key instigator of the scam, and she claimed “it is not a scam”. Then I called AT&T twice. So I tried to call OS back (at 2 or 3 #s I see listed for them on my bills / “agreement”), but all of them switched me to a voicemail that said I should call back during normal business hours which are Monday through Friday until 8 PM Central time. I was calling in the 4 o’clock hour Pacific time today (Monday) and that is well within the hours that OS should be staffed.
Apparently if people mention the “scam” word or are unenthused about paying two long-distance bills for one landline each month, they get transferred to the voicemail where one cannot speak with a human — or seek to cancel the agreement. And some consumers may figure if they can’t reach someone at OS to formally cancel the agreement, that perhaps they should send a check of $19.99 for the most recent monthly bill.
About an hour and a half ago, I wrote a letter to Online Savings (and will send a copy to the CPUC, FCC, Better Business Bureaus of CA & MN, and to my state and federal legislators’ offices) telling them to cancel my agreement with Online Savings.
I just read the legalese of the “Online Savings Services Agreement” several times over and noticed an odd thing — rather than giving an OS phone number to call to cancel the agreement, the legalese says, “BY ENROLLING IN, USING, OR PAYING FOR THE SERVICES, YOU AGREE TO THE PRICES, CHARGES, TERMS AND CONDITIONS, DO NOT USE THE SERVICES, AND CANCEL THE SERVICES IMMEDIATELY BY CALLING YOUR LOCAL TELEPHONE COMPANY AND TELLING THEM THAT YOU WANT TO CANCEL ONLINE SAVINGS’ SERVICE. PLEASE ALSO CALL ONLINE SAVINGS AT 1-800-345-7556 FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.”
If you notice the legalese in the paragraph above, it mentions to contact your local phone company and tell them I want to cancel the Online Savings service. However, the AT&T people I spoke with have never heard of OS, and see no indication that they are mentioned in the AT&T computer system. One at AT&T that I spoke with also found no indication that AT&T was contacted by OS on July 29th to take over my long-distance service — as claimed.
So, OS does not give a phone # for cancellation of the supposed OS “services” — only to tell AT&T that I want to cancel the Online Savings’ Service. Then it gives an OS phone # for additional info — but I am on the “blacklist” at this point because I was not happy about being double-billed and used the “scam” word while talking to Emma at OS.
This Online Savings company has apparently been around since 2005 — I wonder if they have ever done anything with even one AT&T customer’s long-distance service, or whether they just collect $19.99 checks each month until the consumer catches on to their scam. Please seriously investigate and hopefully shut down such a disgraceful scam company !!!
