Read the Fine Print Before you Sign Up
Long Distance Costs You Need to Know About

Long distance phone companies have many ways to confuse their customers. Most of the time, the customer never even realizes the hidden charges and deceptive billing practices (such as full minute round-up). Here are just a few ways that your phone company can make an extra profits on your calls.

1. Monthly Fees
Many phone companies have discovered the monthly fee as a great way to disguise their attractive long distance rate. Check it out for yourself. AT&T, MCI and Sprint are famous for their $4.95 monthly fee. The same with Excel and Lifeline. You're must pay those fees every month whether you make any long distance calls or not. None of the companies we represent charge a monthly fee for their long distance. When you figure in the monthly fee, you're paying a much higher rate per minute that what is being advertised.

2. Rounding up the Call
The big phone companies have been taking advantage of people for years by rounding their calls up to the next minute. For example, if you pumped 1.1 gallons of gas, but had to pay for 2 gallons, you would not be happy, true? Or, if you purchased 1.1 pounds of steak, but had to pay for two, this would not make sense. With the most long distance phone companies, there is no change!

If you make a 61 second call with most long distance carriers, you'll be billed for a full two minute call. At a l0¢ a minute rate, that's 20¢ for a one minute and one second conversation. They've kept the change! With the companies we represent, you only pay for the time you use. Our plan uses six second billing. Six second billing can save you as much as 40% on your monthly long distance bill. Take advantage of these very real savings. The more calls you make, the more you save.

Our minimum call billing is 18 seconds. So, if your connection is an answering machine, and you hang up, that call is only going to cost you 2-4 cents instead of even a minute billing! Real savings!

3. Inflated In-State Rates
This is a great way to really confuse the customer. Offer a seemingly low out-of-state rate, then hit the customer with a high in-state rate. Most people never know the difference until they get the bill. Our in-state rates are much lower than our competitor's - check them out on the Rate chart.

4. Nights and Weekends
Many long distance plans offer low rates after 7:00 at night but their daytime rate is outrageous. Or, you can get 5¢ weekends, but pay high rates the rest of the week - plus pay a monthly fee and have your calls rounded up to the next minute! Our programs offer the same long distance rates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Your low rate is an all-the-time rate. No games, no gimmicks.

5. Short-Term Promotions
Some companies use low rates and specials to gather a lot of customers quickly. Three months later it all comes to a crashing end and your rate goes back up to their standard rates. They're counting on the fact that most people don't pay that much attention to their phone bill and they can probably get away with it for a few months. It's a pain to switch long distance carriers. Most people just don't want to be bothered, even if it costs them money. Our plan is not a promotional gimmick.

6. The $100 AT&T Check
AT&T is famous for luring they're customers back to their service with a nice big check. Why do you think they can afford to do this? It's simple. They've been overcharging their customers for so long they can afford to be generous once the customer leaves. They're simply giving the customer back the extra money they've been taking for years. But consumers are wising up. AT&T has lost a lot of market share because they aren't that competitive any longer. Say no to AT&T with your checkbook! Where was AT&T when you were paying too much for long distance? Cashing your checks every month!

7. Dial Around Codes
Another rising trend in the industry is to dial a prefix before you place your call. The television is inundated with 10-10-321 and millions of other prefixes. Just so you know, many of these dial around codes are just AT&T, MCI and Sprint selling their wares through another vehicle. Lucky Dog is another name for AT&T. 10-10-321 is MCI, 10-10-297 is Excel/Telco. One way or another, they're going to trick you into becoming their customer.

These programs have many hidden costs. Some require your call to last for at least three minutes or in some cases, up to 20 minutes (Vartec usually has a 10 minute minimum). You have to keep your eye on your watch or set a timer to make sure you don't run overtime. And, with a 3 - 20 minute minimum, how many answering machines do you need to connect with in a month to lose the "savings" of those nickle 1010 programs?

And how about that 3 cents with a 39 cent connect charge? How many 3 minute phone calls in a month will it take to run your phone bill up higher than ever before?

Are you really saving money with these types of programs? Why not get a low rate all the time with no fees and 6 second billing?

8. Calling Card Surcharges
Many of the calling cards on the market today charge expensive front-loaded surcharges that make their low rates not so low after all. AT&T's cards have a surcharge of .89¢ for the first minute and then 31¢ a minute for the call. Be careful with these cards. They are not the best way to make a long distance call when you're on the road. We offer low priced calling cards with no company surcharges (except when you call from a payphone - 29¢ per call is added for calls you make from payphones).

9. The Calling Unit Billing
This is the latest gimmick on the market and maybe the biggest rip-off of all. Is it safe to assume that 6.9¢ means 6.9¢ a minute? Not any more. Several unscrupulous companies are using calling units instead of per minute rates. A 30 second call could mean 6.9¢ x 2.5 calling units. One of our clients (who is now saving with us on all 11 of their phone lines), could not get a straight answer when they asked what a billing unit was. They didn't want them to know! You wind up paying more than l7¢a minute for that call and you never know about it! Even their fine print is confusing. Unless you know what to look out for, you will get burned by these companies.

10. Low Per-Minute Rate with a Connect Fee
One of the latest scams is a super-low per-minute fee with a "connect fee". Since the average long distance is not very long, this actually costs you more money! Keep in mind that connect fees apply even if you get an answering machine, in which case you'll actually be paying WAY too much for one minute.