Freedom Voice Systems

Review: My November [redacted] bill list a charge of $22.43. I disputed the charges and when [redacted] contacted Freedom Voice they claimed that I had subscribed to their service. I have never subscribed to Freedom Voice for anything.Desired Settlement: 1. A refund of my 22.43. 2.Freedom Voice to stop billing my credit card for fraudulent charges.

Review: On December 27th, 2013, there was an unauthorized bank charge of $140 to my account using my bank's routing number and my checking account number. I called my bank to discuss the issue. The ACH processing number was [redacted] from central processing center. The bank gave me the number ( 800-706-78390 that was associated with this transaction. I researched the number and it linked me to [redacted]. I contacted the owner of [redacted], and he stated that he no longer uses this number and that Freedom Voice (aka Call Catchers, aka freedomiq) assigned him the number and that the number was reassigned. I tried contacting the companies, but could not reach anyone.Desired Settlement: I would like Call Catchers, Freedom Voice, Freedomiq to take responsibility for the numbers that they issue out to their customers. I would like for them to identify who they issued the number of 800-706-7839 to. This has to be someone other than dogs and frogs because this customer no longer owns the number. I want them to refund the $140 that was taken from my checking account via a mailed check. Once they give the name of the individual who has this number (800-706-7839), I will contact my bank.

Business

Response:

Dear

I am terribly sorry that Ms. [redacted] has had this unfortunate experience with an ACH transaction.

Review: I signed up for services with Freedom Voice back in February. I would receive calls from numbers trying to reach a previous company that may have had the number before. As time went by, I realized I didn't really need the service but also wanted to see if it would work properly. Some of the features I was looking for wasn't offered. After making one payment for the time service was used, I decided to cancel the service, as I said I didn't really need it at that time and besides it really didn't have the features I was looking for. I spoke to customer service and I sent a written letter to cancel service. All this time, I'm thinking Freedom had cancelled my service, but today they charged my card for 21.92. I immediately called customer service and spoke with them regarding this issue. The rep stated the 21.92 was for two months of service. This man was telling me there was no cancellation ever done and the account is still being invoiced. Where and Why? I wasn't getting anywhere with him. After speaking with him, I hung up the phone because I couldn't take anymore of the stupidity. It looks like I will have to take this matter up with my bank as service was cancelled and they had no permission to be charging my card.Desired Settlement: 21.92

Business

Response:

Dear

Review: They send an automated email saying they will answer problem and never do. Our 800 # has not worked correctly for several months now and I can't get them to do anything but say their techs are working on it which is not true. They know how to collect the money from my account but will not tell me how to transfer my 800 # to another provider? I have never complained on anyone before. I can't even answer a call or return a call because it goes to the auto attendant.Desired Settlement: They should refund our money from the time this problem began and let us transfer our 800 # to a reliable carrier. They have promised my wife for months now that their techs were working to resolve our issues and nothing ever happens. This is costing us customers and service reliability. I want them to do something and need your help possibly?

Business

Response:

Thank

you for contacting us with our customer’s concern. We have been working

diligently to get this problem fixed for the customer since we were first

contacted by the customer on April 11, 2013 and have been in constant contact

with the customer up through today trying to resolve the problem. We have

suggested a couple of ways to fix this problem, the customer says he has tried

but each fix did not have the desired outcome. We are still working to

get this resolved.

Review: Freedom Voice offers a 30 Day free trial on it's services and advertises misleading monthly cost of $9.95. When you try to contact them to cancel there is no way to cancel. I have been left on hold for excessive amounts of time up to one hour, only to be hung up on by the computer. Several attempts have been made on my part but with no results.

They are charging my bank account excessive fees.Desired Settlement: Cancel the service without charging my bank account.

Business

Response:

Reference: State Complaint ID #[redacted] – FVS Customer #[redacted] - Revdex.com #[redacted]

Dear Ms. [redacted]:

Thank you for this opportunity to respond to this customer’s complaint. We sympathize with

her but we do not believe we are at fault in this situation.

On July 18, 2013 our customer did sign up for our free 30-day trial which is priced at $9.95.

When she signed up, she elected to have additional features such as Talk-to-Text transcription

($10.00 per month) as well as a specific vanity number which has a one-time $30 set-up fee.

Please refer to Attachment A (screen shot of the Preview Web Order page) and Attachment B

(screen shot of the Products tab) showing the Talk-to-Text and the vanity number.

On August 17, 2013 FreedomVoice issued an invoice via email (see Attachment C) to the

customer for $50.61 which was comprised of $9.95 for the FreedomStart Calling Plan, $10.00

for Talk-to-Text transcription, a one-time fee of $30.00 for the vanity number she requested,

and $0.66 in taxes.

On August 18, 2013 (which is outside of the 30-day free trial period) the customer did contact

us in an attempt to cancel the account. Our Terms and Conditions clearly state that the

customer must cancel before the 30-day free trial period expires. On August 19, in response to

the message from the customer, one of our Customer Care department representatives put in

a request to his supervisor for permission to credit the customer’s account even though the 30-

day free trial had expired. Permission was granted and on August 20 an email was sent to the

customer advising her that the credit was applied.

The customer is claiming that her credit card on file was charged for the $50.61 and that

FreedomVoice is charging her bank excessive fees. We are mystified as to this statement as we

have no control over what her bank charges her.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

I tried to make contact with this company over a period of four days. I couldn't get anyone to answer the phone. After several attempts

to cancel this agreement I felt I had no choice but to cancel my card.

Review: Several months ago, I requested by email that Call Catchers (aka FreedomVoice.com) cancel my account immediately. This began a back-and-forth email chain from their customer service department saying they couldn't cancel my account until I called an agent to "confirm" my account ID. However, they certainly were able to continue to send me billing notices to the same email address.

I had lost my form of employment so the checking account that my card was tied to quickly fell to zero and overdraft. However I still was getting 2-3 charge requests from Call Catchers every pay cycle, costing my account to go an additional $35 negative each time they attempted to bill me automatically. I finally called my bank and had them chargeback the latest charges, but most of the damage had been done. I have over $300 of fees associated with just charges being attempted by Call Catchers.Desired Settlement: I want Call Catchers to refund all charges made to my account, plus damages, and cancel my account entirely.

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com:

Review: This company is a billing scam. They offered a "free' one month trial of their fax service, but would not let me cancel the account before they started charging. I sent them an email from the email address I signed up for the service with, and they called me back at the phone number connected to my account, but refused to process a cancellation unless I provided them with credit card information or log in information. I have many credit cards, and did not want to list all of them to this company, and cannot remember my password for log in purposes. I would not feel safe using their website anyway, as I suspect they are a phishing outfit.

I do not want this service and cancelled within the 30 days. If they place a charge on my account it is fraudulent. I want to cancel and they will not let me do thisDesired Settlement: Do not charge me anymore for this service. I do not want it. I want to cancel.

Business

Response:

Mr. [redacted] signed up for a free

trial which was cancelled per his written request received on 3/7/15. Because

our billing department is closed on Saturday, our technical support team did

place a call to him as mentioned on the same date to process his request.

The credit card or log in information he mentions were a request for

security validation only. Because he was unable to validate the account, the

case was passed to our billing team to address on Monday.

On Monday 3/9/15 he received an

email confirmation that his balance due was $0.00 and is account was cancelled. [redacted] has not billed Mr. [redacted] for any service and as he requested his

trial account was fully cancelled.

Review: I have 2 Freedom Voice numbers for my business. Every month, they try to charge my card and say they can't charge it. I have personally spoken with numerous customer service agents who assured me that my correct card information will be saved and used for the next billing cycle. They continue to charge the wrong card, which is in dispute at the current moment, and keep telling me that they can't charge the card and I keep occurring the fees every month. So far, in the past 2 months, I have been charges $200.00 in fees because whoever I speak to, does not seem to understand what I am saying. I have no idea how they train their service agents, but I think they need to update their methods. Also, every time I speak with a supervisor, who states that the fees will be removed, I wind up still occurring fees and the numbers keep getting shut off even though I was guaranteed a solution to my problem and the bill is paid.Desired Settlement: I would like Freedom Voice to refund all late fees to my account due to faulty customer service practices. $50 to ###-###-#### and $ to ###-###-####

Business

Response:

Review: “I have 2 FreedomVoice numbers for my business.”Response:FreedomVoice has located two accounts for this customer.Account # [redacted] – Name: [redacted]. Phone number: ###-###-####. This account is currently cancelled for nonpayment as of 12/13/2014. This account has an unpaid balance due of $84.51 which includes $50 in outstanding NSF fees. Account # [redacted] – Name: [redacted] & Spa Services/Events – [redacted]. Phone number: ###-###-####. This account is currently active and reflects a $0 Balance. Review: “Every month, they try to charge my card and say they can’t charge it. I have personally spoken with numerous customer service agents who assured me that my correct card information will be saved as used for the next billing cycle. They continue to charge the wrong card, which is in dispute at the current moment, and keep telling me that they can’t charge the card and I keep occurring the fees every month.”Response:FreedomVoice requires a monthly recurring payment method on file (either ACH or Credit Card) unless the customer opts out of this with a $75 refundable deposit to be placed on Net 30. If at any time a payment is due and attempted, FreedomVoice sends a notification to the customer letting them know of the declined payment. After 7 declined payment attempts FreedomVoice places the account on a temporary hold until payment is resolved. Account # [redacted] – FreedomVoice received a signed ACH Deposit Form from [redacted] on 6/16/2014 with a voided check. The account was set to Auto Deduct from ACH Monthly on 6/17/2014. The account has remained on ACH since 06/17/2014. Customer has never attempted to update the payment method to a card on this account. We have had 3 NSF checks returned on this account. This account had been placed on hold for non-payment 8 times since 08/2013. Account # [redacted] – FreedomVoice received a signed ACH Deposit Form from [redacted] on 6/16/2014 with a voided check. The account was set to Auto Deduct from ACH Monthly on 6/17/2014. After 3 ACH payments were returned for NSF - Insufficient Funds, we asked the customer to update the account to a credit card for monthly processing. All attempts to pre-approve on the updated cards she provided were declined for mismatching billing information. We let the customer know that the cards she provided we unable to authorize payments. The customer was able to provide us with a card on 11/14/2014 but after the initial payment the card declined on subsequent automated payment attempts. Ms. [redacted] started processing one-time payments herself via our online portal in November 2014. She successfully updated the card on file on in the online portal on 1/16/2014. This account has been placed on hold for non-payment 32 times since 11/2011. Review: “So far, in the past 2 months, I have been charges $200.00 in fees because whoever I speak to, does not seem to understand what I am saying.”Response:Here is the breakdown of each account and fees incurred in the last 3 Invoices.Account # [redacted]11/3/2014 – No Fees12/3/2014 - $25.00 NSF – Non-Sufficient Funds (see attached)12/13/2014 Final Invoice - $25.00 NSF – Non-Sufficient Funds (see attached)Total Fees = $50.00 Account # [redacted]11/3/2014 – No Fees12/3/2014 – (2) $25.00 NSF – Non-Sufficient Funds (see attached)1/3/2015 – No FeesTotal Fees = $50.00 Customer had 6 Returned Payments for NSF (see attached). Customer should have been billed $150 in NSF fees. FreedomVoice agreed to waive 2 as a courtesy. FreedomVoice has only billed the customer a total of $100 for NSF on both accounts and she has only remitted payment for $50 in NSF fees on Account # [redacted]. Review: “I have no idea how they train their service agents, but I think they need to update their methods. Also, every time I speak with a supervisor, who states that the fees will be removed, I wind up still occurring fees and the numbers keep getting shut off even though I was guaranteed a solution to my problem and the bill is paid.”Response:On multiple occasions I, the Billing Supervisor, have been involved in requests for crediting of NSF fees. FreedomVoice agreed as a courtesy to waive the 2 initial NSF fees. When the 4 additional NSF’s were received, I notified [redacted] that we would be unable to credit any future NSF fees for her account. I have attached to this email all of the NSF notices received for Account # [redacted] and Account #[redacted]. During my escalated call on 12/12/2014 I let Ms. [redacted] know that I had gone back and reviewed the previous recorded call where she claims I told her I would credit all the NSF fees. I informed her that at no point in the call did I agree to waive any fees. I had also advised her on the earlier call that the additional NSF fees would appear on her next invoice on 12/3/2014. I let Ms. [redacted] know that the cost for the NSF fee is passed directly to any customer with these charges, regardless of a customer’s willingness to pay, in accordance with the Terms of Service that she agreed to when starting her service with FreedomVoice. At that point Ms. [redacted] stated she was going to port her phone numbers away from FreedomVoice and hung up. Since my last conversation with Ms. [redacted] on 12/12/2014, Account # [redacted] has been cancelled for non-payment and currently has an unpaid balance due of $84.51, including $50 in NSF fees, which we have written off as bad debt. Complaint’s Desired Outcome: “I would like FreedomVoice to refund all late fees to my account due to faulty customer service practices. $50 to ###-###-#### and $ to ###-###-####” Response:FreedomVoice has not charged the customer any late fees, therefore we are unable to process a refund for late fees. Based upon the documentation provided and the waiver of the intial NSF fees that FreedomVoice incurred, we have decided we are unwilling to honor her request for a refund of the NSF fees. Account # [redacted] – Phone number: ###-###-#### has been cancelled for non-payment as the customer has not paid for the $50 in NSF fees for 2 out of 3 NSF checks for this account or their monthly service. FreedomVoice will make no attempts to collect the outstanding balance on this account. Account # [redacted] – Phone number: ###-###-####. It is FreedomVoices desire to maintain the recovered costs from the 2 out of 3 NSF checks for this customers account. If you have any questions please feel free to call me directly at ###-###-#### Ext. [redacted]. Thank you, [redacted]Billing SupervisorCustomer Care

Review: On 5/28/2015 I purchase services thru freedom voice. and it gave me an error on line so I called in and I talked to a sales rep name [redacted]. [redacted] looked up my information and told me that they can not provide service to me. I asked him twice and he continue to tell me that I will not be getting service. After the fourth time asking [redacted], he then told the reason was because of me card. I knew that was a lie because my issuing bank would have called me. So I asked [redacted] for his supervisor. [redacted] then instantly told me no! I asked him 3 more times and [redacted] answer was "no, we can not provide service to you. I will be disconnecting the line." That is no way to speak to a consumer. I had to call back and ask for the manager. I spoke to [redacted], the sales manager for Freedom Voice. I told her what had happened and she insure me that she spoke to [redacted] about the matter. But [redacted] told me a different story. She said that Freedom Voice dose not provide service in my area. Which I know that is a lie because my cousin has service with Freedom Voice. I do not recommend Freedom Voice to anymore. Their customer services was horrible!Desired Settlement: The need to treat consumers with respect.

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com:

Thank you for contacting us with

this consumer’s issue. We have a sophisticated anti-fraud system in place

which was triggered when this consumer attempted to sign up for our

service. FreedomVoice reserves the right to refuse service to any

individual when prompted by our anti-fraud system with no explanation.

In these situations it is our

policy to not divulge why we are refusing service and to suggest that the

consumer try another provider. Even though the consumer doesn’t mention

this in his complaint, he was advised by the FreedomVoice supervisor to try

another provider.

Again, thank you for this

opportunity to respond.

Sincerely,

President/CEO

FreedomVoice Systems

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. Yes, the supervisor did say to try another provider. But the supervisor also lie to me. She said they can not offer me service because of my card. Then, turn around and said they can not provide services because of where I live. If they would have just mention that Freedom Voice has a sophisticated anti-fraud system in placeinstead of making a false statement I would have understood a little better. But instead, they treated a potential consumer as some kind of criminal. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

Regards,

Business

Response:

Dear Revdex.com:While we appreciate this

consumer’s concerns in regards to his attempt to use our service, we maintain

our right to refuse service to any potential consumer without giving out

details as to why.

The potential consumer was

only given a “reason” when he pushed for an explanation. We purposefully

do not give out information about how we detect possible fraudulent users so as

to prevent fraudulent users from figuring out a way around our system.

We respectfully request that

this complaint be closed.

Sincerely,

President/CEO

FreedomVoice Systems