Is There A Phone Carrier That ONLY CHARGES for International Calls That Actually Connect?

[Seni Seven]

I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
connects.

Which phone services are those? It helps if they provide mobile service
with a large coverage area geographically.

Note to self: It seems the model for phone service has changed, and that
they will charge the consumer just for creating a dial tone.

[George Grapman]

Seni Seven wrote:
> I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
> international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
> connects.

I have never heard of a phone company that charges for calls of any
type that are not completed. Some cell providers might charge if you let
the phone ring more than 30 seconds but I would flee from a form that
did that.

>
> Which phone services are those? It helps if they provide mobile service
> with a large coverage area geographically.
>
>
> Note to self: It seems the model for phone service has changed, and that
> they will charge the consumer just for creating a dial tone.

I work in telecom. You pay for the dial tome whether you use it or
not.If you get charged for anything else aside from fees and taxes when
no calls are made you are being defrauded but my guess is you are just
confused.

[Seni Seven]

George Grapman <sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote in misc.consumers:

> Seni Seven wrote:
>> I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
>> international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
>> connects.
>
> I have never heard of a phone company that charges for calls of any
> type that are not completed.

Now you have. They are called "MetroPCS" and I nearly fell out of my
chair when I realized what the CSR at MetroPCS said to me: "Yes, there is
a charge even if you don't connect."

> Some cell providers might charge if you
> let the phone ring more than 30 seconds but I would flee from a form
> that did that.

It takes more than 30 seconds for the MetroPCS recording to say to me:
"You are making a call at the rate of zero dollars and five cents per
minute plus tax and fees...."

So a FEE will ALWAYS be charged because the connect time includes the
recording.

I got them primarily because they were cheap on connected calls to my
target country, Turkey...cheaper than anyone else.

I now have to amend that since it is FREQUENTLY the case that calls don't
make connections to Turkey.

>>
>> Which phone services are those? It helps if they provide mobile
>> service with a large coverage area geographically.
>>
>>
>> Note to self: It seems the model for phone service has changed, and
>> that they will charge the consumer just for creating a dial tone.
>
> I work in telecom. You pay for the dial tome whether you use it or
> not.If you get charged for anything else aside from fees and taxes
> when no calls are made you are being defrauded but my guess is you are
> just confused.

I am not talking about the subscriber monthly rate.

I am talking about getting charged for making a call that never connects.

I have METRO PCS $45 dollar plan, which lets me call anywhere anytime for
as long as I want and I don't get charged per call.

Not so with international connections. I even get charged just for
dialing the number.

If you know of a carrier that does NOT have the same policy and has
reasonable per-minute rates to the target country, I am enthusiastically
sitting here for your reply.

[George Grapman]

Seni Seven wrote:
> George Grapman <sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote in misc.consumers:
>
>> Seni Seven wrote:
>>> I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
>>> international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
>>> connects.
>> I have never heard of a phone company that charges for calls of any
>> type that are not completed.
>
> Now you have. They are called "MetroPCS" and I nearly fell out of my
> chair when I realized what the CSR at MetroPCS said to me: "Yes, there is
> a charge even if you don't connect."

You should run from them as fast as you can.

Have you considered using a phone card? You will pay air time after
dialing the 800 number but the entire call, from the view of your
carrier,will be domestic.

[Seni Seven]

I'll look into it. If the charge on this "domestic" call on a phone card
ends up still being greater than my estimation of the times I call on the
other service with no connect, then I'll probably stick with the service I
now have. What my current wireless service is charging me on these
international calls is in effect air time, which they don't charge at all
on the domestic side of my plan (of course, their coverage area sucks,
even within their designated coverage area).

I am skeptical that an 800 phone card would not kick in a special rate for
an international call, unless the call itself is basically being charged
at a per-minute rate so high that it would cover the most expensive
international call possible anyway.

[George Grapman]

Calling the 800 number for the phone card will incur the same per
minute rate you pay for domestic calls. If you are talking about the
rate on the card then,yes, some countries cost more than others. Find
someone who calls Turkey (look for maybe a Turkish restaurant or even a
consulate) and ask which cards they use.

[LDC]

On Thu, 17 Jan 2008 18:58:13 GMT, Seni Seven
<OneWhoL...@humanitarian.ca> wrote:

>George Grapman <sfge...@paccbell.net> wrote in misc.consumers:
>
>> Seni Seven wrote:
>>> I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
>>> international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
>>> connects.
>>
>> I have never heard of a phone company that charges for calls of any
>> type that are not completed.
>
>Now you have. They are called "MetroPCS" and I nearly fell out of my
>chair when I realized what the CSR at MetroPCS said to me: "Yes, there is
>a charge even if you don't connect."
>
>> Some cell providers might charge if you
>> let the phone ring more than 30 seconds but I would flee from a form
>> that did that.
>
>It takes more than 30 seconds for the MetroPCS recording to say to me:
>"You are making a call at the rate of zero dollars and five cents per
>minute plus tax and fees...."
>
>So a FEE will ALWAYS be charged because the connect time includes the
>recording.
>
>I got them primarily because they were cheap on connected calls to my
>target country, Turkey...cheaper than anyone else.
>
>I now have to amend that since it is FREQUENTLY the case that calls don't
>make connections to Turkey.

On OneSuite.com the rate to Turkey from the US is 15.5 cents per
minute. (Istanbul is a little less.) There is a call setup fee of
around 3 cents. There are no other fees or charges.

Is MetroPCS cheaper than that?

[Logan Shaw]

Seni Seven wrote:
> I am looking for a phone service that will attempt to connect my
> international calls and ONLY CHARGES me for the call if it actually
> connects.
>
> Which phone services are those? It helps if they provide mobile service
> with a large coverage area geographically.

Where I live, the local cable company (Time Warner Austin, in Austin,
TX) has started offering an add-on for their phone service called
"International OnePrice". You pay $19.95/month more, and your first
3000 minutes per month of international calls (to a certain set of
countries) are included.

So I guess that technically counts, because they aren't charging you
for the call if it doesn't connect, and they aren't charging you for
the call even if it does connect (unless you go over 3000 minutes in
a month). I'm mainly mentioning it in case something like that is an
option.

- Logan