So what gives? $19 in charges/fees/taxes/whatever you call it for a fifty-two cent call? Arrrrrrrgh!
Now I only use long distance very seldomly, as you can see. So what do I do, get rid of long distance service entirely and use a calling card? Use a cell phone? Make long distance calls from work? Or are there other providers that charge a lot less? Any thoughts from the SDMB crowd would be great!
The curse of long distance. One thing I can tell you is that using your cell phone will be worse.
When I travelled to the states last summer, I kept my cell phone on all the time in case there was an emergency with my son back in Canada. I also used it to call him every second day, as well as to call my brother every few days.
Well, imagine my surprise when my bill was over 1,000.00. I didnt know that when I used my cell phone out of my own country I got charged: long distance fees, roaming fees, tax on the roaming fees.
I knew I would get the long distance charges but since most of the calls were quite short I wasnt concerned. The tax and roaming charges are what killed me. When I contacted my mobility company here, the woman said “you are one of many who has learned this lesson”. Nice of them to include that piece of info in my cell phone package.
As far as regular home long distance, I used to pay 30.00 a month flat fee for 500 minutes to the U.S. and 800 in Canada. Since I dont call the states as much any more, I switched to our local plan which is a flat 20.00 per month unlimited in Canada and 18 cents per minute to the states. Not bad actually.
Arent you glad you posted this thread
We are, each of us angels with only one wing,and we can only fly by embracing one another
The short form of your answer is yes…$19 for two phone calls. Basic service ain’t cheap…Hell, my basic service alone is around $35 because of all the services I have. I don’t mind it; I like to talk on the phone and love Caller ID.
However, two months back a 9-minute phone call–costing an eye-popping $56–showed up on my bill that got my tit in a vice in a hurry. I don’t know what the hell happened; I most certainly didn’t make that call. (I was asleep at the supposed time it was placed.) Weirder still, it was listed as a calling card call–yet when I called my calling card company, they told me my card had never been so much as activated, nonetheless used. It took three calls to GTE, and two to the “Entertainment” company where the call was placed, to get this damn thing taken off my bill.
I about died when I saw the total on the bill. I’m still wondering what the scam was.
My spouse moved back in town and forgot to change her ISP dialup to the local number here after relocating the PC. $511 buckaroos (even 0.10 a minute adds up), and that doesn’t count the calls that were made up till I read the bill. Yes, they were legit calls, it just sucks that it happened. No sympathy from the Phone Co. either.
A point in every direction is like no point at all
milroyj, I asked this before. The general consensus was you can cancel long distance & use a calling card instead. Way cheaper, if you ask me. Find out what happens if you GET a long distance call that way, if you can.
Oblio, I hear ya. When my girlfirend moved up here from Indianapolis, her computer one day decided it missed its old connection at Indy.net and called them up. $200 long distance bill for a single phone call.
Another girl I know got a new ISP and since their dial-ups were all in the area code, she thought (idiot) that they were all local calls. She learned differently after her $1,400 phone bill arrived.
“I guess one person can make a difference, although most of the time they probably shouldn’t.”
Or are there other providers that charge a lot less? Any thoughts from the SDMB crowd would be great!