# Why did the phone company... **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 1, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041 "2006-06-01T18:04:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/1 "2006-06-01T18:04:50Z")
…send me a check for fifty cents? It doesn’t say what it’s for. I know I haven’t overpaid a bill. (In fact, it’s due in a couple of days.) Has this ever happened to anyone else, and do you know why? ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/2 "2006-06-01T18:16:50Z")
Are you sure it isn’t one of those “incentive to switch” checks for just a laughably small amount of money? Are there any terms on the back that if you endorse and cash the check they’ll change your LD provider or something? When I used to get checks trying to convince me to change my LD provider they were usually for $25-$75… but maybe they are trying to trick you for a smaller amount? ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/3 "2006-06-01T18:37:38Z")
Did some sort of tax law change in your state, or even at the federal level? Did they recently change plan charges, maybe mid-cycle in your billing? See if you can go online and view your account. There may be messages on statements that you missed about this. You should be able to view you rold statements online. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/4 "2006-06-01T18:42:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Did some sort of tax law change in your state, or even at the federal level? > > Did they recently change plan charges, maybe mid-cycle in your billing? Those sort of things would be dealt with by a billing credit. A check might be from some class action lawsuit that the phone company lost and they had to pay the customers 50 cents. If so, enjoy your windfall. ---
**Author:** ![A.R.Cane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ee7513/32.png) [@A.R.Cane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/A.R.Cane)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/5 "2006-06-01T19:33:27Z")
Before cell phones, I used payphones a lot. If I lost money in a pay phone I would call the operator and arrange for a credit. They would then send me a check, typically for small amount like that. Sometimes it would be a month, or more, by the time I received the check and I’d often forgotten about it by then. ---
**Author:** ![Moe\_Szyslak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Moe\_Szyslak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moe_Szyslak)\ **Post date:** [June 1, 2006, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/6 "2006-06-01T20:44:29Z")
Is the telephone company holding a deposit from you? I work for a telephone company and at least in some states, the company must pay annual interest on any deposits held over six months. And, I believe in some states, it cannot be applied to the bill, it has to be a check. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/7 "2006-06-02T20:49:13Z")
> [@Lips\_Obsession](#): > > Are there any terms on the back that if you endorse and cash the check they’ll change your LD provider or something? No, nothing like that. > [@A.R. Crane](#): > > Before cell phones, I used payphones a lot. If I lost money in a pay phone I would call the operator and arrange for a credit. They would then send me a check, typically for small amount like that. Sometimes it would be a month, or more, by the time I received the check and I’d often forgotten about it by then. Come to think of it, I did use a pay phone once and got no answer, but it kept my money. I believe I called the operator, and asked to have the coins released at the phone (I thought they could do that.) And I supposed they just asked for my address, I guess, and sent the check. It probably cost more to process the the whole thing than fifty cents. With cell phones these days, payphones in general have gotten pretty shoddy, and much less ubiqutous. They can range in price from 20 cents to 50 cents, and half of them don’t even work. And they limit you to 10 or 15 minutes. I’ve got to get an extra battery for my cell. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/8 "2006-06-02T21:45:28Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Did some sort of tax law change in your state, or even at the federal level? I know they just ended the phone tax that was being charged to fund the Spanish American war, but I didn’t think they were sending out refunds yet. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2006, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/9 "2006-06-03T02:07:31Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I know they just ended the phone tax that was being charged to fund the Spanish American war, but I didn’t think they were sending out refunds yet. The tax expires July 31, I believe. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/10 "2006-06-06T19:15:40Z")
> [@pkbites](#): > > I know they just ended the phone tax that was being charged to fund the Spanish American war, but I didn’t think they were sending out refunds yet. Well, I was too young to fight in the Spanish American war. Who won that war, anyway? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/11 "2006-06-06T19:26:13Z")
The last time somebody gave me $0.50 it was accompanied by, “Call someone who gives a shit.” ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/12 "2006-06-06T19:30:15Z")
As attested by a Nichols and May comedy sketch, at one the phone company would send you postage stamps to reimburse small amounts lost in a pay phone. ---
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/13 "2006-06-06T19:31:52Z")
“at one **time** the phone company” ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/14 "2006-06-07T00:24:55Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, I was too young to fight in the Spanish American war. > > Who won that war, anyway? Hearst? ---
**Author:** ![Will\_Repair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a698b9/32.png) [@Will\_Repair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Will_Repair)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/15 "2006-06-07T18:28:55Z")
You have to make a claim in a class action lawsuit, do you not? Sometimes a phone company will start charging a higher rate at the same time they ask the regulatory body for that increase. However if the increase is not granted, or not granted in full, then a refund is required. Just a thought, call to find out. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/16 "2006-06-07T18:36:44Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Well, I was too young to fight in the Spanish American war. > > Who won that war, anyway? Spain. That’s why the majority language in the USA is Spanish. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2006, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-did-the-phone-company/359041/17 "2006-06-08T00:17:25Z")
> [@Sunspace](#): > > Spain. That’s why the majority language in the USA is Spanish. 😃 Chevere! Bacano!