Legal Question in Consumer Law in Maryland

Re: Billing dispute

You have three options for resolving the dispute. First, you can arbitrate per the terms of your long distance company agreement. This should have been sent to you in your bill insert, especially if you use the long distance carrier for interstate long distance service. Sometimes an arbitration agreement may require that you arbitrate the dispute in a state other than your home state. This requirement may make arbitration expensive. For this reason I would not recommend arbitration especially for residential long distance service.

Your second option is having the Federal Communications Commission's Consumer Bureau investigate the dispute regarding your interstate long distance service rates. The FCC has jurisdiction over interstate long distance service. This may prove a lot less costly. The FCC's website is at www.fcc.gov.

Finally, you may contact the Maryland Public Service Commission to help resolve the intrastate portion of your long distance bill. The Maryland PSC has jurisdiction over intrastate long distance service. You may call their consumer complaint section at 1-800-492-0474 or 410-767-8028.

Allowing the FCC and Maryland PSC to resolve the complaint will prove to be less costly than the arbitration route.