Phone Cards: Beware Of Bad Phone Calling Cards
With a diverse market and unlimited client potential the calling card industry continues to skyrocket. But as more companies come into the business, it’s more difficult to find phone cards that satisfy your communication needs. Most people go with the company that offers them the cheapest rates, but these cards can be actually more expensive due to hidden fees and charges.
Phone Card Regulations Proposed
So, before you choose the phone card that seems to be the cheapest available, be sure you know all the details of how that particular phone card works. First of all, be very sure that the phone cards have been purchased from a trusted company. You’ll find some phone cards undesirable due to getting a busy signal too often. When you call in, you will hear a recording that says the circuits are all and you should try to call up again later.
Other problems that might occur using prepaid phone cards are access numbers or pin numbers that don’t work, access numbers or pin numbers that are always busy, unreliable phone card companies that go out of business, being charged for a call that does not go through, bad connection quality, and charges deducted from your total minutes when you make a phone call using some calling cards.
One big complaint to consider is that some phone card companies have a service charge or connection fee for each call you make using the card. That means that you'll lose some minutes each time you use the card. This charge is usually from four minutes to eight or ten minutes per call made. If you have a phone card company touting their "three-cent a minute" rates, be aware of their service charges. If you're also losing an additional ten minutes for every connection you make, the rates go up considerably as the minutes you are using disappear quickly. So comparison shopping and reading the fine print to make sure you are not being charged a large fee per call is important when buying a phone calling card.
Rates offered by operators differ from state to state and country to country. Rates may also change depending on the time when you cal. Sometimes rates are higher at the time of peak traffic. Hence, check out when you are likely to call most and then decide on your phone card provider. Some providers may offer unusually low rates, but you can be certain that you will not get what you were told. An old adage states, “If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.” This saying is also true when it comes to buying a prepaid calling card. Here again, be sure to read the fine print and do some research on the company before you buy extremely inexpensive phone calling cards. Don’t be surprised by unexpected charges hidden in the fine print.
Another strategy used by phone card companies is that they give you a price "per unit" instead of "per minute." That means that there are different costs for different phone calls. You may pay only a penny or two per unit, but you may find that you're being charged several units per minute. In other words, you may be charged three cents per unit and think you are being charged for three cents per minute. Read the terms of the phone card carefully to be sure you know what you are paying for when you buy a phone card.
Be aware that some hotels block prepaid card access numbers or will charge extra fees if you use a phone card at their hotel. If you are planning on using your phone calling card at a hotel, check with the hotel to see if they allow phone card use, or charge an extra fee for using a phone card at their establishment.
What can you do if you have a complaint about your phone calling card? You have several ways of getting some help and advice. First, contact the company or local retailer who sold you the card. They may refer you to the company that owns the prepaid phone card for further assistance. If you still don’t receive the answer to your question or believe that you may have been taken in by a company with deceptive marketing or false advertising, you have several options, as well. Usually you can contact your local Consumer Affairs office or state Attorney General. The Better Business Bureau is another great source for information on calling card companies. They can tell you if there have been previous complaints about a company or product. The best office to contact if you have continuing problems with a phone calling card company is the Federal Trade Commission. They can be contacted via Internet on the US Government website.
With only a few exceptions, prepaid phone calling cards make a great deal of sense for those who call long distance or overseas frequently. Calling cards make long distance phone calls easy and inexpensive as well. And many phone calling card companies are easy to use as well as offer a great service to their customers. With a little research, you can own a reasonably priced phone calling card and be connected to your business partners, friends and loved ones throughout the world.