e-crime

Q. Edgar of Malate writes: "On April 2000, I contracted the services of a cable company to install cable in my house. The service lasted for only a month. I called the company to follow up their disconnected services in our area. I was told our area cannot be serviced anymore. They even cited the reasons why.

"However, last month, a year after our cable was disconnected, I received a call from a law office representing the cable company. They demanded that I pay P3,000 for unpaid cable subscription and return the channel converter that was installed in my television set. Please note that I also paid for the channel converter.

"What should I do? Should I pay for undelivered service?"

A. You must have received a bill from the cable company prior to the phone call you received from the law office. Otherwise, the law office would have no basis for their demand. Most probably, there is a pending bill from the cable company that you have not settled yet. Check out that particular cable bill or the last bill that you received from the company. What did the bill indicate? If the bill is for the service during the time when the cable connection was actually functioning, then it is your obligation as a consumer to settle the bill, even if the cable connection was subsequently disconnected.

However, if the bill is for services after the cable company discontinued its services in your area, then you should file a complaint with the National Telecommunications Commission, which has jurisdiction over cable services. Write a complaint letter to the NTC One-Stop Public Assistance Center, 2/F BIR Road, East Triangle, Diliman, Quezon City. NTC is a member of ConsumerNet, a network of government agencies with consumer-related functions for the speedy resolution of consumer complaints.

We would like to clarify though that if the service was temporarily disconnected due to the non-payment of previous bills, the consumer is still liable for the payment of the bills after disconnection.

Q. Stephanie Glili of Atlanta, Georgia, USA, sends this e-mail: "I sold a merchandise to someone in the Philippines. After I mailed the package, I found out the person was using a stolen credit card. When I contacted him, he told me that he likes to steal money from people and that I was just one of his victims.

"I did a search on eBay and found out that he bought lots of expensive stuff on eBay. I really do not care about the money but I hope someone will stop him so he will not be able to do this again. Can you please forward this letter to the proper authorities?"

A. To protect your interest as a vendor on the net, you should have first verified ownership and approval of the credit card before mailing the purchased item/s to the buyer. In this case, we have referred your letter to the Intelligence Special Operations Division of the National Bureau of Investigation.

(You may send your consumer complaints and comments to the Bureau of Trade Regulation and Consumer Protection, DTI Bldg., 361 Sen. Gil Puyat Ave., Makati City. Call us at our consumer hotlines at 896-5740 or 890-4938 or e-mail us at www.e-reklamo.net.ph)