Securus agrees that it’s ripping customers off via outrageous prison phone fees
But will they take their own advice and stop charging customers to get their own money back?
by Leah Sakala, June 11, 2013
Yet another phone company is recognizing the broken nature of the prison phone industry, and this time it’s a big one.
In a letter filed yesterday with the FCC, the second-largest phone company in the prison phone industry, Securus, has agreed that, “certain practices, which serve to artificially inflate the cost of prison phone calls, are egregious and should be eliminated.”
Which practices? For example, Securus writes, charging customers extra fees to refund their money is “restrictive and unwarranted.”
The fact that Securus officials are speaking out against exploitative industry practices is great news. But will they take their own advice and stop charging customers $4.95 just to get their own money back? Only time will tell.
When you are paying $50 for unlimited phone, text, and internet; and paying $50 for four telephone calls, I’d say that more is at stake then just charging customers $5 for refunds. Let’s allow families to pay for simple unlimited calls from institutions….let’s say $15/month. That would allow people to stay in contact with their families, and be a fair rate for unlimited calling only. Text & Internet fees would be silly, as prison/jail phones are basically pay phones, and you know…whatever. Let’s make this affordable so that kids can talk to their parents, and families can stay together.
[…] companies have already improved their refund policies, and the second largest company, Securus, has agreed that calling rates are too high and that refund fees are “unwarranted.” We’ll have to see if the industry leader, Global Tel*Link — which was recently […]
This is laughable. A year later nothing has changed. How can agencies in the law enforcement field contract with a company that is criminal in its pricing practices and a system that is simply dysfunctional.