Customer Information
Coin telephones are maintained for customer convenience and necessity in making local and long distance calls. You should consult specific calling instructions on each coin phone before attempting to place a call.
Calls dialed 0 will be routed automatically to the long distance company serving the coin phone that you are using. The name of that long distance company is required to be posted on the coin phone.
If you dial 0 + the long distance company serving that coin phone should identify itself and answer any questions you may have about rates and billing. Be sure you understand the rates charged before placing any long distance calls.
Texas law provides certain protections for a person who receives a telephone solicitation at a residence.
A telephone solicitor must:
- identify himself or herself by name
- identify the business on whose behalf he or she is calling
- identify the purpose of the call; and,
- identify the telephone number at which the person, company, or organization making the call may be reached.
A telephone solicitor may not call a residence before 9 a.m. or after 9 p.m. on a weekday or Saturday or before noon or after 9 p.m. on Sunday.
If a telephone solicitor uses an automatic dialing/announcing device, the machine must disconnect from your line within 30 seconds after termination of the call.
Exceptions
The requirements above do not apply to telephone solicitations made at your request, or solicitations made in connection with an existing debt or contract, or calls from a telephone solicitor with whom you have a prior or existing business relationship.
If you use a credit card to purchase consumer goods or a service from a telephone solicitor other than a public charity (an organization exempt from federal income tax under the Internal Revenue Code, ?501 (c) (3)), the seller must:
- offer a full refund for the return of undamaged and unused goods within seven days after you receive the goods or service (the seller must process the refund within 30 days after you return the merchandise or cancel your order for undelivered goods or services);
or - provide you with a written contract-fully describing the goods or service being offered, the total price charged, the name, address and business phone of the seller, and any terms and conditions affecting the sale.
Complaints
The Attorney General of Texas investigates complaints relating to a violation of this law, which is found at the Business and Commerce Code, Chapter 37. If you have a complaint about a telephone solicitor whom you believe has violated this law, contact:
Consumer Protections Division
Office of the Attorney General of Texas
P.O. Box 12548
Austin, Texas 78711
(512)-463-2070
Another law found at Public Utility Regulatory Act ?55.151 and ?55.152, requires a telephone solicitor to make every effort not to call a consumer who asks not to be called again. Complaints relating to a violation of this law are investigated by the Public Utility Commission of Texas. If you have a complaint about repeated solicitation from a telephone solicitor you have asked not to call you again, contact:
Office of Consumer Protection
Public Utility Commission of Texas
P O. Box 13326,
Austin, Texas 78711 -3326
(512)936-7120 or 1 -888-782-8477
Hearing and speech impaired individuals with text telephones (TTY) may contact the commission at (512)936-7136.
Be advised that you may have additional rights under federal law. Please contact the Federal Trade Commission or the Federal Communications Commission for further information on these additional rights.
Your Rights Concerning Customer Proprietary Network Information
In compliance with the Federal Communications Commission’s Rule 64.2008, GVTC maintains certain information about your account. This information, when matched to your name, address, and calling or originating billing telephone number, is known as your customer-specific “Customer Proprietary Network Information,” or CPNI for short. Examples of your CPNI include the type of line you have, technical characteristics (like touch tone or rotary service), class of service (business or residential), current telephone charges, long distance and local service billing records, directory assistance charges, usage data, and calling patterns.
The FCC has adopted a rule which states that, upon your request, we may not use your customer-specific CPNI to market certain telephone services or features to you. In other words, if you request that our CPNI be considered “restricted”, GVTC would be prohibited from using your CPNI to market to you certain telephone services or features that may be available to you from other sources. The only exception to the above prohibition is if you, the customer, initiate contact with us and inquire about these services or features.
It is important to note that restricting your customer-specific CPNI will not eliminate all of our marketing communications with you. We may continue to use your customer-specific CPNI to contact you regarding telephone services and features we offer that are not available to you from another source. We may also continue our marketing contacts that are not based on your customer-specific CPNI.
If you wish to have your customer-specific CPNI considered “restricted”, please call our Business Office at 830-885-4411 or 1-800-367-4882 or stop by our office at 36101 FM 3159 (1/4 mile north of Hwy 46 in Smithson Valley) and talk to one of our service representatives during our normal business hours. Simply tell us that you wish to restrict the use of your customer-specific CPNI. There will be no charge for restricting your customer information, and the restriction will remain in effect until you notify us otherwise.
As a telephone customer of GVTC you have many important rights and responsibilities to ensure fairness between you and the telephone company. You may, at any time, review these rights and responsibilities within the information pages of the current issue of the GVTC Telephone Directory or at any one of our offices. Requested copies are available at a reasonable cost to the customer. Should you need any additional information, please feel free to call our Business Office at 830-885-4411 or 1-800- 367-4882, Monday through Friday between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
This statement sets all your billing error rights with respect to telephone-billed purchases made using interstate "900" pay-per-call services that are billed to you through GVTC.
The rights and obligations of you, the customer, and of GVTC and the applicable Long Distance Carrier, who are billing entities, set out here, are provided under the federal Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act.
This is the procedure that you must follow to notify GVTC of a billing error and the steps that we or the applicable Long Distance Carrier must take in response to your notice:
You may provide notice of a billing error to GVTC by telephone or in writing. If you write, you should:
- give us your name or the customer's name, and telephone number to which the charge was billed.
- tell us the date and amount of the error, and the type of error you believe occurred; and
- tell us why you believe it was an error.
You should contact GVTC first, because we have an agreement to receive billing error notifications from customers. You may elect to provide a notice to the applicable Long Distance Carrier but they may ask you to contact us directly.
A customer who orally communicates an allegation of a billing error is presumed to have provided sufficient notice to initiate a billing review.
You have the right to withhold payment of any "900" disputed amount pending completion of our billing review, and any action to collect any disputed amount will be suspended pending completion of the billing review.
If it is determined that no "900" billing error occurred, your rights and obligations are as follows.
We will transmit to you an explanation setting forth the reasons why it has been determined that there was no error. If there was an error - even a partial error or an error different than what you asserted - your account will be adjusted appropriately. If you request, we will provide a written explanation and copies of any documentary evidence of the customer indebtedness.
This action will be taken within two billing cycles (two months) after your notice is received. If you send your notice to the applicable Long Distance Carrier, instead of GVTC, there may be an additional time of up to ten days to complete the necessary responsive action.
The applicable Long Distance Carrier will notify the provider of the service of the disposition of the billing error investigation and the reasons for that disposition.
GVTC will notify you in writing of the time when payment is due of that portion of the disputed amount that is determined not to be in error. Payment must be made in the normal course of billing or as otherwise provided, but not less than ten days after the request for payment is made.
Once GVTC and the applicable Long Distance Carrier have complied with Federal Trade Commission {FTC) rule ?308.7(d) regarding a claim you make of a billing error, there is no further responsibility by GVTC or the applicable Long Distance Carrier under that section if you continue to make substantially the same allegation. You cannot be charged for a billing review.
The provider of the "900" service, the applicable Long Distance Carrier, or GVTC may take action to collect the sum outstanding that is determined not to be the result of a billing error if you continue to withhold payment of the disputed amount once the billing review is completed.
Failure to pay the amount determined not to have been the result of a billing error may be reported to a credit reporting agency or subject you to collection actions. Should your account be reported as delinquent, the report will specify any disputed amount due to any "900" billing error claims. If the dispute is subsequently resolved, that fact will be reported to all who received the initial report that the account was delinquent.
If either we, as your billing entity, or the applicable Long Distance Carrier, as a billing entity, fails to follow the billing and collection procedures prescribed by the Federal Trade Commission rule ?308.7 implementing the federal Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act, we are obligated to forfeit any disputed amount, up to $50.00 per transaction.
GVTC is a billing agent for the following entities:
- Guadalupe Valley Long Distance
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) also requires disclosures to telephone subscribers, which are as follows:
Your local exchange and long distance service cannot be disconnected or interrupted as a result of your failure to pay charges for interstate pay-per-call service charges for interstate information services provided pursuant to a presubscription or comparable arrangement, or charges you have disputed for interstate tariffed collect information services.
You can obtain blocking of access to services offered on the "900" service access code where it is technically feasible at no charge within 60 days after you subscribe to a new number and it becomes effective. Other requests for blocking and requests for unblocking will be subject to a reasonable onetime fee. Our tariffs include the terms and conditions that apply. You have a right not to be billed for pay-per-call services not offered in compliance with Federal laws and regulations established under Titles II or III of the Telephone Disclosure and Dispute Resolution Act.
Your access to "900" services may be involuntarily blocked for failure to pay legitimate pay-per-call charges.
Selecting a Telephone Company
Your Rights As A Customer
Telephone companies are prohibited by law from switching you from one telephone service provider to another without your permission, a practice commonly known as"slamming."
If you are slammed, Texas law requires the telephone company that has slammed you to do the following:
- Pay all charges associated with returning you to your original telephone company within five business days of your request:
- Provide all billing records to your original telephone company within ten business days of your request.
- Pay the original telephone company the amount you would have paid if you had not been slammed.
- Refund to you, within 30 business days, any amount you paid for charges during the first 30 days after the slam and any amount more than what you would have paid your original telephone company for charges after the first 30 days following the slam.
Your original telephone company is required to provide you with all the benefits such as, frequent flyer miles, you would have normally received for your telephone use during the period in which you were slammed.
If you have been slammed, you can change your service immediately back to your original provider by calling your local telephone company. You should also report the slam by writing or calling:
The Public Utility Commission of Texas
P.O. Box 13326
Austin, Texas 78711-3326
(512) 936-7120 or in Texas (toll free) 1 (888) 782-8477, fax (512) 936-7003
email address:[email protected]
Hearing and speech-impaired individuals with text telephones (TTY) may contact the commission at (512) 936-7136.
You can prevent slamming by requesting a preferred telephone company freeze from your local telephone company. With a freeze in place, you must give formal consent to ~lift" the freeze before your phone service can be changed. A freeze may apply to local toll service, long distance service, or both. The Public Utility Commission of Texas can give you more information about freezes and your rights as a customer.
To address consumer concerns about unwelcome telemarketing calls, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have established a national Do-Not-Call Registry. The registry applies to all telemarketers (with the exception of certain non-profit and political organizations) and covers both interstate and intrastate telemarketing calls. Commercial telemarketers are not allowed to call you if your number is listed on the registry. You can register your phone number for free, and it will remain on the national Do-Not-Call Registry for five years. You may re-enter your number onto the list when the five years have passed, and you may remove your name from the list at any time. The Do-Not-Call Registry will not prevent all unwanted calls. It does not cover the following: Calls from organizations with which you have established a business relationship; Calls for which you have given prior written consent; Calls which are not commercial or do not include unsolicited advertisements; Calls by or on behalf of tax-exempt non-profit organizations. Consumers may register their residential telephone number, including wireless numbers, on the national Do-Not-Call Registry at no cost by telephone or on the Internet. To register by telephone, consumers may call 1-888-382-1222. For TTY call 1-866-290-4236. You must call from the phone number you wish to register. You may also register by Internet athttps://www.donotcall.gov. Inclusion of your telephone number on the national Do-Not-Call Registry will be effective three months following your registration.
Do-Not-Call Solicitor Notification
As you are likely aware, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have established a national Do-Not-Call Registry. As part of the do-not-call initiative, the FCC requires us to notify customers who use our service for making telephone solicitations (telemarketing calls) regarding the national Do-Not-Call rules and regulations. We recognize that few of our customers use our services for telemarketing; however, because we do not have records indicating which customers may do telemarketing, we are contacting all business customers. If you are a company, individual, or other entity that makes telemarketing calls, it is very important that you familiarize yourself with the operations of the national Do-Not-Call Registry and the rules requiring checking of the national Do-Not-Call Registry as part of making telemarketing calls. Unless you fall under one of the exceptions established in the FCC/FTC rules (such as the exception for telemarketing by charitable organizations or for prior business relationships), you may not make telemarketing calls to numbers included in the national Do-Not-Call Registry. Before you rely on one of the exceptions, you should consult the rules. For information about the regulations, you may visit the national Do-Not-Call Registry athttps://www.donotcall.gov. You can find the FCC and FTC rules governing telemarketing and telephone at 7 C.F.R. §64.1200 and 16 C.F.R. Part. 310, respectively.
Placing charges on your phone bill for products or services without your authorization is known as "cramming" and is prohibited by law. Your telephone company may be providing billing services for other companies, so other the company's charges may appear on your telephone bill.
If you believe you were "crammed", you should contact the telephone company that bills you for your telephone service and request that it take corrective action. The Public Utility Commission of Texas requires the billing telephone company to do the following within 45 days of when it learns of the unauthorized charge;
- Notify the service provider to cease charging you for the unauthorized product or service;
- remove any unauthorized charge from your bill;
- refund or credit all money to you that you have paid for an unauthorized charge; and
- on your request, provide you with all billing records related to any unauthorized charge within 15 business days after the charge is removed from your telephone bill.
If the company fails to resolve your request, or if you would like to file a complaint, please write or call:
The Public Utility Commission of Texas
PO Box 13326
Austin, Texas 78711-3326
(612) 936-7120 or toll-free in Texas at (888) 782-8477
Hearing and speech-impaired individuals with text telephones (TTY) may Contact the commission at (512) 836-7136.
Your phone service cannot be disconnected for disputing or refusing to pay unauthorized charges.
You may have additional rights under state and federal law. Please contact the Federal Communications Commission, the Attorney General of Texas, or the Public Utility Commission of Texas if you would like further information about possible additional rights.
Lifeline and Link-Up Services Available
To assist qualified low-income customer’s obtain and maintain local telephone and/or broadband service, several payment or discount assistance programs are available from your local communications company. Under these assistance plans, qualified low income applicants may be eligible for a discount up to $13.15 off their monthly local telephone and/or broadband bill. The Federal Lifeline Program provides assistance to a single telephone or broadband service at the applicant’s principal place of residence. If you receive benefits through Federal Public Housing Assistance Medicaid, SNAP, Supplemental Security Income, Veteran’s Pension Benefit and Survivors Pension, or if your annual household income is at or below 135% of the federal poverty guidelines, YOU qualify for Federal benefits. The State Lifeline Program is designed to help qualified low-income individuals pay the monthly cost of local telephone service. If you receive benefits through Medicaid, Federal Public Housing Assistance, Supplemental Security Income, Low Income Home Energy Assistance, SNAP, Health benefits coverage under the State Child Health Plan, National School Lunch Program-Free Lunch Program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), or if your annual household income is at or below 150% of the federal poverty level, YOU qualify for State benefits. If you already have local telephone and/or broadband service, there is no charge to switch you to the Lifeline Service. You can call the local business office at (830)885-4411 or 1-800-367-4882 to find out more about these assistance programs. You can also apply for Lifeline discounts by calling toll free 1-866-454-8387 or obtain information by visiting the Lifeline Support website athttps://www.lifelinesupport.org.
A collect call is a telephone call for which you will pay all charges for that telephone call. Customers should be aware that when they receive a collect call, they will be asked to accept or reject this type of call. Unless you are willing to pay those charges, do not accept the phone call.
GVTC encourages customers to be certain of the caller's identification prior to accepting collect calls. If the caller's identification is not recognized, the customer should reject the call.
Before a collect call is connected you have the right to either accept or decline the charges. You should request the rate and charges of the collect call prior to accepting the charges. Once the collect call has been accepted, you will be billed for all charges connected to that phone call.
It you are billed for a collect call that exceeds a $35 charge for a call less than five minutes in duration, you should contact GVTC at:
GVTC
36101 FM3159
New Braunfels TX 78132-5900
Tele: 1-800-367-4882 or 830-885-4411
Fax: 830-885-2400
or the
Public Utility Commission of Texas - Customer Protection
P.O. Box 13326
Austin, TX 78711-3326
Tele: 1-888-782-8477 or in Austin 512-936-7120 (TTY 1-800-735-2988)
Fax: 1-512-936-7003
E-mail address:[email protected]
Internet address:https://www.puc.state.tx.us
If you believe you have been billed for unauthorized collect call charges, the particular call or calls in question may be deducted from the bill upon notification to GVTC, until the charges have been verified or adjusted. The balance of the bill is due and payable by the due date.
The Public Utility Commission of Texas has directed telecommunications providers to provide this notice to customers regarding your rights when accepting collect calls, as there have been instances where collect calls have been placed for fraudulent reason. The company is required to monitor customer calls based on fraudulent collect calls. Therefore, if you believe to have been victimized by such practices you are encouraged to report it.
| AT&T Wireless | Docket #25896 | Approved 6/17/02 |
| Cingular Wireless | Docket #28538 | Approved 10/17/03 |
| SBC | Docket #30333 | Approved 11/4/04 |
| Sprint Spectrum | Docket #25050 | Approved 12/31/01 |
| Verizon Wireless | Docket #23826 | Approved 4/17/01 |
| Youghiogheny Comm. | Docket #32601 | Approved 4/25/06 |
| Sprint Communications Company L.P. | Docket #33961 | Approved 3/23/07 |
| Dobson Cellular Systems | Docket #35090 | Approved 12/19/07 |
| Five Star Wireless | Docket #35205 | Approved 1/24/08 |
| Nextel of Texas | Docket #36046 | Approved 9/5/08 |
| T-Mobile West Corp. | Docket #36671 | Approved 2/27/09 |
| Time Warner Cable | Docket #37160 | Approved 7/14/09 |
| T-Mobile West, LLC | Docket #41105 | Approved 1/18/13 |
| Cingular Wireless PCS, LLC | Docket #40994 | Approved 12/14/12 |
For information regarding these dockets, please go to: https://www.puc.state.tx.us