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We realize
there are many choices when seeking a long distance carrier or other telecom
products. We have prepared this guide to advise you of common costs and
practices, helping you be a better educated shopper.
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Shopper's
Advisory - Long Distance
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| Time
of day and days of week: Our plans offer the same rate 24 hours
a day, 7 days a week. Why would you be interested in a plan that provides
discounts only during the evening or on weekends? Why have to wait
to get a decent rate? With our plans you can make calls whenever you
want to and always get the best rate. Period. |
| Look
beyond the Interstate rate: While the "Interstate" rate
is important, long distance is more than just calls from one state
to another. Most plans only address Interstate when a large portion
of the calls most people make are In State or International. We offer
complete packages of competitive rates whether you dial Interstate,
In State or International. |
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Time
increments and minimums: Look for 6 second increments with the
shortest minimum per call. Minutes are broken into 6 second increments
by long distance companies. Beware of calling plans that offer,
say, 60 second increments with 1 minute or greater minimums. If
you place a very short call or reach an answering machine you will
be billed at the minimum call length. This can add up.
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| Monthly
fees, minimum charges: Most companies apply some sort of minimum
fee if your usage is very low, or in some cases, to offer the best
rates to customers who will use their services quite a bit. However,
an out-and-out monthly fee affects your call rates. Don't be misled.
If a company is offering you 7 cents a minute and applies a flat $6.95
a month fee your real cost per minute is higher! In this example a
customer using 100 minutes per month would really be paying 14 cents
a minute. A minimum usage fee, as in our plans, is only charged if
your usage is less than a certain amount (e.g. $1.99 if your combined
bill is less than $20 a month). |
| Value
is not simply the lowest price. What good is low cost if the quality
or service is unsatisfactory ? All of the companies we partner with
provide the highest quality. The long distance carriers are on fiber
optic networks just like the ones you use now, and in some cases the
very same ones. Customer service is prompt and available by phone
or web. |
| Toll
Free numbers: Toll free numbers are useful. If you are a business
a toll free number makes it easy for your customers to get in touch
with you. It also makes it easy for you to call your own office. If
you are an individual, toll free is useful if you have children in
college or are willing to pay for the incoming calls of family or
friends. Our plans provide toll free at the same low rates as outgoing.
Watch out for monthly fees or surcharges. All companies must charge
a surcharge when a calling card call is made from a public pay phone. |
| Calling
cards: These are useful when you are traveling but the per minute
call rate is higher than if you placed the call from your home or
office phone. You will dial a toll free number and be prompted for
your code and the number you wish to dial. These are convenient to
have and provide peace of mind. Be on the lookout for surcharges per
call or monthly fees. This is an area where some the best known carriers
charge especially excessive amounts. |
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Stand
Alone Calling Cards/Phone Cards
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| Connection
charge : A fee added to every call placed. These fees only make
sense if you always make lengthy calls and they are offset by a very
inexpensive rate. Generally, steer clear. |
| Call
Increments: A lot of times, in the small print, you might see
call or billing increments of 2 minutes or 3 minutes. This means that
calls are rounded up to nearest 2 or 3 minute increment, regardless
of how long you talk. With a 2 minute increment a call last 2 minutes,
10 seconds costs you for 4 minutes. Look for the shortest possible
increment and minimum call length. |
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Maintenance
or Service Fee: Something as innocent sounding as 69 cents a
week means almost $36 a year. For what? If a card is of great value
to you and charges a small monthly fee you can see the value in
it. A card like Cognidial charges $1 a month service fee but only
in months you have call usage.
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