 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
General Long Distance Information Why is Long Distance So Confusing? For companies in the long distance business, the most frequently asked question
is, "How do regular people keep up with all of this long distance stuff,
anyway?!" Just think about newspaper coverage of telecommunications news: in January and February of 2002 alone, washingtonpost.com posted 163 news stories about telecommunications. That's about 3 stories a day, every day, about long distance, wireless, broadband and other telecommunications issues. Three newsworthy items a day! How can anyone keep up with that? Especially considering that so much if it seems irrelevant to us consumers. What should we make of headlines like:
Are these things relevant to us? Do we need to know them? Do we want to know them? The problem is that sometimes these issues are tremendously relevant to our lives, and other times they could be happening on Mars for all we care. While the FCC does a good job of informing the public about major changes in the law, there's no clearinghouse of information to help us keep up with the industry trends. That's why most of us ignore this type of news - there's too much to assimilate and not enough guidance to help us sort through all of the information. Long Distance Company Turbulence Again, how do we keep up with it all? It's impossible. Unless we hear our own long distance company's name in the headline, we tend to disregard the news and move on to news that is more relevant to us. Long Distance Rates There aren't easy answers to any of these questions; however, by using our Savings Finder tool to look at our available low long distance rates and doing a side-by-side comparison of the different rates and fees you can start to answer these questions. You can get started right now to find the best long distance plan for you! Simply tell us a little about your calling habits, and we'll show you how much you can save by switching! Back to top Why Do International Long Distance Rates Vary So Much? International telecommunications is made possible through the cooperation of local, long distance and international telephone companies throughout the world. Yet it's deceptively easy to make an international call from the U.S. - just pick up the phone, dial "011", then the designated country code, and then the phone number of the person you are trying to reach. The transfer of the communications from one end to the other is not so simple, however. Depending on what country you are calling, your call can be routed through several carriers in several different countries before you end up speaking to the party at the other end of the line. And each of these carriers may have different facilities, infrastructures and organizations, doing business in different ways. Because of all of these factors, international long distance rates are going to vary from country to country, and sometimes even within countries. In fact, there is often even a difference between international calls to mobile phones versus international calls to "land lines." The surest way to get the best possible price when calling an international
number is to either have signed up for a long distance calling plan that includes
that country or buy a pre-paid calling card. Whichever method you choose you'll be
sure to not have a costly surprise waiting in your phone bill every month. The short answer is: not much. The longer answer is: there's not much difference between these "big three" long distance companies. In 1980, after the telecommunications industry was deregulated, AT&T was broken up into several "Baby Bells" and long distance became a commodity. It was then that AT&T, Sprint and MCI/WorldCom quickly became the biggest long distance providers in the United States. Because long distance is long distance no matter how you package it, the main difference between the "big three" became the way the different companies are run and the different rates they charge. Some people believe that different long distance carriers offer different types of quality. In a few cases, this may be true; but for the most part all long distance companies, including AT&T, Sprint and MCI WorldCom as well as approximately 1,000 lesser-known long distance companies use many of the same fiber optic networks to transport their calls. While some long distance companies may claim that their service is of higher quality, there is actually very little quality difference between long distance carriers. At SmartPrice.com, sometimes AT&T, Sprint and MCI/WorldCom have the best rates and plans for customers; other times, they don't. It varies based on your individual calling patterns and where you live. To find the best long distance plan for you, simply fill out our Savings Finder tool! Help! I've Been Slammed!You open your phone bill and give it a quick once-over before pulling out the checkbook and grabbing your pen. Wait a second - what catches your eye, under the list of normal phone charges? That's not your usual long distance carrier. Someone has switched your long distance carriers without your permission. What happened? You've been slammed. Your "new" carrier has illegally switched you from your usual long distance provider to their rolls, without your permission! If it's any consolation, you're not alone. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), slamming is the single largest source of complaints filed, and it has been on the rise in recent years. American consumers filed 21,868 slamming complaints in 1999, up from 12,795 in 1996. What is being done about it? The FCC has recently strengthened the rules designed to combat slamming. In cases where the consumer has not yet paid the slammer, the consumer does not have to pay for service for up to 30 days. If you have paid, the slamming long distance carrier is required to forward the payment to your authorized carrier, which will issue you a refund or credit for any amount you overpaid. Additionally, an offending long distance carrier can be fined up to $40,000 per incident of slamming. One well-known carrier was recently fined over $4 million by the FCC for slamming consumers. With these new FCC rules, carriers that slam are more harshly punished, and authorized long distance providers now have incentive to go after the offending carrier. In addition, consumers usually receive compensation for being slammed. So, if you are slammed, fight back. What can you do to prevent being slammed? The best way to avoid being a slamming victim is to read your phone bill carefully each month. Know who your current long distance carrier is and be sure that their name, and not another long distance carrier's name, is listed each month. A second thing you can do is exercise caution when entering contests or responding to offers for "free" merchandise. Some unscrupulous long distance companies hide the fact that you are authorizing them to switch your long distance carrier by signing your name on the entry form. What do you do if you are a victim of slamming? If you are a victim, there are several things you should do. First, call your local phone company to let them know you have been slammed and ask that they return you to your original long distance carrier. Insist that they do not charge you for returning you to your original carrier. Second, call your original carrier and let them know that you have been slammed. Ask them to reconnect you to your original plan. You should not be charged for the reconnection. Next, call the long distance company that slammed you. Demand that all charges within 30 days of the slamming be removed from your bill. If the carrier is unwilling to waive the charges, contact the FCC. Finally, file a complaint with the FCC, who can then deal with the offending carrier, possibly prosecuting them under federal and state laws. You can file a complaint electronically at: http://www.fcc.gov/cib/ccformpage.html. Your keen eye when reviewing your bill and the harsher punishments being enforced by the FCC should help reduce the number of slamming victims in the future. Don't let a slamming incident keep you from getting the best long distance rates. You have the right to have any long distance carrier you choose! If you're ready to save up to $400 a year on long distance, SmartPrice.com will help you find the best long distance plan for you. Just get started with our Savings Finder tool, below, to start saving money today! How to Prevent Slamming: Institute a PIC Freeze The best way to keep from being slammed, or having a long distance company change your service without your permission, is to request a "PIC freeze" for your line. PIC, or pre-subscribed interexchange carrier, is the telecom industry's term for a long distance company. By "freezing" your PIC, you are asking your local phone company to ensure that your long distance carrier is never changed without your permission. It's easy to do and can save you a lot of time, money and headaches in the future. There are three easy steps to freezing your PIC:
Once you've requested a PIC freeze, your local phone company will put a block on your account. Your local phone company will ask you for a password, known only to you, that you will need to keep in a safe place. That password must be provided before your long distance carrier can be changed again. It's important to note that once you have a PIC freeze in place, not even YOU will be able to switch your long distance company without calling your local company and authorizing it. So before you institute that PIC freeze, make sure you've got the best long distance plan for you. You can start here to find the best long distance plan - and we'll even help you switch right here, online. Just tell us a little about your long distance calling habits, below! If you believe you are a victim of cramming, slamming or any other fraudulent billing practices by a long distance phone company, report the long distance carrier to the FCC. By Email: By Phone: By Mail: There's a lot of publicly available long distance information available on the Internet. Here are some recent articles from the Federal Communication Commission (FCC), the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Federal Consumer Information Center (FCIC). If you've gone through all of our site's long distance information resources and still have questions about long distance phone services, please feel free to give us a call at 1-888-865-6760. We don't know everything, but we'll try to help find the answers to your questions. Finally, the Federal Information Center can also help direct you through the
right channels when you have a question or problem. They can be reached at
1-800-688-9889 (toll free) or 1-800-326-2996 (toll free TTY). FCC and FTC joint policy statement on deceptive long distance advertising. FCC fact sheet on the advertising & marketing of dial-around and other long
distance services. FCC samples of misrepresentations and deceptions found in 10-10 (dial-around)
advertisements. FCC guide to saving money on your long distance bill How to file a complaint about telephone-related issues with the FCC. FCC tips on saving money when using a public phone (payphone) The FCIC's guide to saving money and avoiding problems with your telephone
service. State-specific long distance rate infrormation at SmartPrice.com
|
Free Quotes on Voice T1 and Voice DS3 Call Now
1-888-865-6760
Cellular and Wirelesss | Consumer Local & Long Distance | Consumer Long Distance | Calling Cards
© Copyright 2005 SmartPrice.com. All Rights Reserved.
All trademarks, service marks, and trade names featured are the property
of their owners and are protected under state, federal, and international laws.