News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1/28/98 Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

OKLAHOMA CITY -- The Oklahoma Corporation Commission is paying more attention to long distance carriers who are disregarding the rights of their customers. This morning in a 3-0 vote, Commissioners Ed Apple, Bob Anthony and Denise Bode found that the long distance carrier Business Discount Plan, Inc., which serves small business customers, has violated Oklahoma Corporation Commission rules which prohibit telephone ‘slamming’. Slamming is the switching of a consumer’s long distance carrier without permission.

"We (the Commissioners) put the telephone companies on notice then that if they don’t start paying more attention to their customers, we will start paying more attention to them. That is what this is about" said Commissioner Bode, referring to a Commission hearing last October about deceptive and illegal telephone marketing practices.

The Commission ordered Business Discount Plan, Inc. to pay a $13,000 fine for violating its slamming rules. In addition, the Commission put Business Discount Plan, Inc. on notice that if the company continued to use deceptive and illegal marketing practices, its ability to do business in the state of Oklahoma would be greatly jeopardized and any fines may significantly increase.

"The rights of Oklahoma consumers are to be taken seriously and held in the highest regard. Business Discount Plan, Inc. is hereby put on notice that it is the intent of the Commission to move toward the most severe penalty allowed under law…the Commission will not hesitate to assess the maximum penalty permitted by law should similar deceptive and illegal long distance marketing practices continue. The Commission views the fine as more than reasonable. However, the Commission is not precluded from calculating a fine for slamming differently in the future if the facts and circumstances so warrant," the Order said.

In addition to the fine, Business Discount Plan, Inc. was ordered by the Commission to revise the verification script it reads to potential customers when confirming that the customer wants to change long distance carriers so that it reads more clearly. Also, the company is required to notify all of its estimated 20,000 Oklahoma customers of the Commission’s ruling and that the company will pay for switching a customer’s service back to their original long distance carrier if the customer believes they have been slammed by Business Discount Plan, Inc.

"The Commission encourages Oklahomans who believe they may have been slammed to contact the Commission’s Consumer Services Division at (405)521-2331 inside the Oklahoma City metro area or at 1(800)522-8154 outside the local calling area" said Bode.