Items tagged : phone

Zaptel: bad
They advertise very low calling rates on their website and calling cards but with all the additional charges shown below, it's like paying double the cost than a regular phone card.
Here are the additional hidden costs associated with using Zaptel:

Surcharge per call 10% + variable $0 to $1.00 connect fee based on calling destination

Service Fee $0.59 charged once after first use and once per month thereafter

Billing Increments 1 minute, connect fee is not charged until 2nd minute of connected call

Payphone Surcharge $0.99
Expiration Never expires if used at least once every 10 months

Pingo: best
www.Pingo.com shows all their cost up front.
You get exactly what you pay for.

Get 10% off when you sign up and also $5 of free talk time.

GO TO http://www.pingo.com/?coupon=10percent AND

GET 10% OFF and $5 of free talk time.

Coupon Code: "10percent"

I don't have a link, but I do have a couple things that often work:

1) Don't call supprt, call sales. The last thing a sales person wants is to talk to you or to have an unhappy customer. They will often put you into contact with someone that can help you. If not, they may talk to management about improving their support system. If they think sales are going to be hurt by poor service, they will be on your side to make things better.

2) Make it clear you are not a newbie (unless you are). Have a list of the common fixes, like making sure the power is on, and all the things you have done to resolve the problem and the results. The sooner you can get through the level-one suport questions the sooner you can get the problem escalated to level-two and talk with someone who knows more and can be more creative with solutions.

 3) If you are trapped in voice mail or the auto-attendant, try hitting zero even if it's not given as an option. This can often connect you with a live operator and you may be able to get them to connect you directly to someone that can help.

4) If you are calling long distance and can't get through or are waiting forever, try changing the last digit of the phone number by 1 up or down. Companies often have sequential numbers and you may connect with some who can help you reach someone in support.