Unauthorized Service Charges

If a company switched without your permission (slamming) or charged for things you didn’t order (cramming), please follow the steps below to resolve your issues.

Were you charged for things you did not order? This is called cramming. If you believe you have been charged for phone services you did not order — either by your phone company or by a third party, please follow the steps below to resolve your issues. 

Were you switched from one phone company to another without your permission? This is called slamming. The new company charges may show up on your local phone bill, or you may get a separate bill from the new company. If you believe this has happened to you, please follow the steps below to resolve your issue.

Contact the company directly to report or dispute any unauthorized charges or changes. To contact an electric, gas, phone, or water utility, use the customer service phone number printed on the front page of your bill. Be sure to have a complete copy of your bill in front of you and that you are not charged any fees for “switching back” to any services you originally had. 

If you cannot resolve the problem by talking with the company, call us, and we can walk you through the process of disputing a bill.

  • For problems with energy, phone, or water utilities, call 1-800-649-7570.

  • For problems with moving companies call 1-800-366-4782.

  • For problems with limousine services, airport shuttles, scheduled bus operators, or chartered bus operators, call 1-800-894-9444.

Please be aware that we regulate privately owned electric, natural gas, phone, water, and sewer utilities. Unfortunately, we cannot help you resolve issues with publicly owned or municipal utilities, such as SMUD or the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.


Consumer Affairs Branch

E-Mail
consumer-affairs@cpuc.ca.gov 

Telephone
Main: 1-800-649-7570
Fax: 1-415-703-1158
Monday-Friday, 8.30 a.m.- 4:30 p.m.  

Mailing Address
California Public Utilities Commission
Consumer Affairs Branch
505 Van Ness Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94102