READ THE FINE PRINT!

Long distance phone companies have a million ways to take advantage of their customers. Most of the time, the customer never even knows he's become a victim of their unscrupulous ways. Here are just a few ways that your phone company can make an extra big profit on your account.

1. Monthly Fees
Many phone companies have discovered the monthly fee as a great way to disguise their attractive long distance rate. Check it out for yourself. AT&T, MCI and Sprint are famous for their $4.95 monthly fee. The same with Excel and Lifeline. You're going to be forced to pay those fees every month whether you make any long distance calls or not. None of the companies we represent charge a monthly fee for their long distance.

2. Rounding up the Call
The big phone companies have been taking advantage of people for years by rounding their calls up to the next minute. Here's an example. You go into a donut shop and order a cup of coffee and a donut. It comes to $1.35. You hand the cashier two one dollar bills and he kindly thanks you and begins to wait on the next customer. Hey buddy - where's my change? With the big phone companies, there is no change!

If you make a 61 second call with AT&T, MCI, Sprint, Excel or Lifeline, you'll be billed for a full two minute call.  At a l0¢ a minute rate, that's 20¢ for a one minute and one second conversation. They've kept the change! With the companies we represent, you only pay for the time you use. ACCXX & PNG have six second billing. One second or six second billing can save you as much as 40% on your monthly long distance bill. Take advantage of these very real savings. The more calls you make, the more you save.

3. Inflated In-State Rates
This is a great way to really confuse the customer. Offer a seemingly low out-of-state rate, then hit the customer with a high in-state rate. Most people never know the difference until they get the bill. Our in-state rates are much lower than our competitor's - check them out on the Rate chart.

4. Nights and Weekends
Many long distance plans are specifically geared to confuse the customer. They offer low rates after 7:00 at night but their daytime rate is outrageous. Or, you can get 5¢ weekends, but pay high rates the rest of the week - plus pay a monthly fee and have your calls rounded up to the next minute! It's all a big game and you're the victim. Our programs offer the same long distance rates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Your low rate is an all-the-time rate. No games, no gimmicks.

5. Short-Term Promotions
Many companies are using low rates and specials to gather a lot of customers quickly. Three months later it all comes to a crashing end and your rate goes back up to their standard rates. They're counting on the fact that most people don't pay that much attention to their phone bill and they can probably get away with it for a few months. It's a pain to switch long distance carriers. Most people just don't want to be bothered, even if it costs them money. These short term promotions usually become long term nightmares!

7. Dial Around Codes
Another rising trend in the industry is to dial a prefix before you place your call. The television is inundated with 10-10-321 and millions of other prefixes. Just so you know, many of these dial around codes are just AT&T, MCI and Sprint selling their wares through another vehicle. Lucky Dog is another name for AT&T. 10-10-321 is MCI, 10-10-297 is Excel/Telco. One way or another, they're going to trick you into becoming their customer.

Many of these programs have many hidden costs. Some require your call to last for at least three minutes or in some cases, up to 20 minutes. You have to keep your eye on your watch or set a timer to make sure you don't run overtime. Have you noticed that the fine print on the television commercials only stays up for a few brief seconds? It's what you don't know that can hurt you. Are you really saving money with these types of programs? Why not get a low rate all the time with no fees and 6 second billing?

8. Calling Card Surcharges
Many of the calling cards on the market today charge expensive front-loaded surcharges that make their low rates not so low after all. AT&T's cards have a surcharge of .89¢ for the first minute and then 31¢ a minute for the call. Be careful with these cards. They are not the best way to make a long distance call when you're on the road. We offer low priced calling cards with no company surcharges.

9. The Calling Unit Scam
This is the latest gimmick on the market and maybe the biggest rip-off of all. Is it safe to assume that 6.9¢ means 6.9¢ a minute? Not any more. Several unscrupulous companies are using calling units instead of per minute rates. A 30 second call could mean 6.9¢ x 2.5 calling units. You wind up paying more than l7¢a minute for that call and you never know about it! Even their fine print is confusing. Unless you know what to look out for, you will get burned by these companies.