LESSON
Scan for specific information
READING
GET READY
Diana calls customer service about an unexpected charge on her cable bill.
Have you ever had an unexpected charge? What happened?
READ
Listen and read the article. What do all these people have in common?
Call Them on That!
Lili Lu was shocked
when her phone
bill arrived; it was
$24 more than
usual. The worst
part was, she didn’t
know why. “I hadn’t
called anyone, not
even my mother in
China.” Raj Singh
had a similar
experience. His
phone bill was $28 more. “It was tricky,” he said,
“I trusted the company. I paid the fees for three
months before I complained.”
Lili and Raj were crammed, and they’re not alone.
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
estimates that 15 to 20 million U.S. households
are victims every year. Cramming is when
companies put extra charges on your bill. Those
charges are not approved and are confusing
because they look legitimate. In fact, only 1 out
of every 20 victims may notice, which shows you
how real the charges look.
Ana Gomez agreed that it was misleading.
“When you see the words ‘service charge’ or
‘calling plan’ you don’t really think about it.”
Those sound “normal.” Raj also noted that the
charges were tiny. “Two dollars here or three
dollars there. I didn’t really notice.” Companies
do that deliberately because small charges are
less noticeable, but they add up.
Lili warns everyone to look carefully. “I keep a
list of my calls now. It’s like homework! If I don’t
do my homework, I’m going to lose when my
bill comes. If I don’t know what the charge is for,
I want it removed. I need my money more than
the phone company needs it.” Lili also suggests
reading carefully before signing up for any new
services. The fine print is important. Ana agrees.
“Sometimes those charges are hidden in that
small writing!”
These victims offer some advice. Think before
you sign up for trial offers on the Internet.
People forget to cancel the trial and get
charged for the service the next month. Lili said,
“I didn’t even sign up for the service. The free
coupon service was a ’gift.’ I didn’t know the gift
was for only a month. I wanted to save money
by downloading grocery coupons. I saved a few
measly cents with the coupons, but it cost a lot
more on my phone bill!” Raj, Lili, and Ana agree
you should not be afraid to call the company or
complain to the FCC. The charges start small,
but they cost a lot over time. Raj said, “Don’t get
crammed. Call them on it!”
Scanning
is looking at a reading quickly to find specific
information. Move your eyes across the page, focusing
only on specific information such as names, numbers,
dates, or key words.
Reading Skill
6
82
UNIT 6
