slamming, n. Telecomm. (chiefly U.S.).
Brit. /ˈslamɪŋ/, U.S. /ˈslæmɪŋ/
[‹ slam v.4 + -ing suffix1.]
The switching of a customer's long distance telephone service provider without the customer's authorization. Cf. slam v.4
Slamming is usually effected by the dishonest acquisition of a customer's signature (often on a completely unrelated document), or verbal agreement (again, often to a completely separate question) by a telephone service provider, and a subsequent claim that this constitutes authorization to begin long distance service provision.
| 1987 Atlanta Jrnl. 15 Aug. c6/3 Salesmen sometimes told potential customers they were from the ‘phone company’, implying they worked for Southern Bell... Other salesmen signed up respondents who spoke little or no English—a technique called ‘slamming’. 1991 InternetWeek (Nexis) 25 Feb. 15 A bill to prod the FCC into taking action on slamming—switching long distance customers to different carriers without authorization—was introduced in Congress last week. 2002 Yahoo! Internet Life May 67/1 [The company] settled with the FCC for $3.5 million for ‘slamming’. |