Gone are the days when one all-powerful company controlled the telephone business and consumers' options were limited to paying up or disconnecting service. Today we can all benefit from plenty of competition in the industry and choose between countless local and long-distance providers willing tailor a calling plan to suit our particular needs. To make the most of each calling dollar, however, it's necessary for each consumer to understand his or her phone habits and use this information to compare plans.
Michelle Jones is a graduate of the University of Georgia and holds a master's degree in clinical psychology. In 1997 she began working for Consumer Counseling Credit Service (CCCS ) in Atlanta, a charity that provides free counseling and money management assistance to financially distressed families and individuals. Today she is the organization's Vice President of Counseling. Here she offers strategies for saving money on your home phone bill:
- Review past 3 bills.
At least once a year, says Jones, you should gather your bills from the previous three months and review them.
- Eliminate unused services.
Check to see if you can trim any redundant services and eliminate any services that you don't need or use.
- Customize your calling plan.
Work with your provider's customer service representatives to find a plan that's consistent with your calling habits. Estimate how many minutes of local and long distance calls you make a month and try to find the least expensive plan that meets your needs.
- Research long distance offers.
Look into changing your long distance company. Check around and find out what various providers have to offer and try to find a plan that fits your lifestyle. For example, if you're long distance covers you from coast to coast, but all of your long distance calls are within the state, you should change plans.
- Use e-mail.
If you have a lot of friends and family who live out of state, try sending emails instead of making expensive long distance phone calls. Email is a great way to stay in touch. You can even send photographs back and forth so you can see each other, which you can't currently do with a standard phone.
For more information about telephone calling cards and home telephone service plans, check out the following organizations or websites:
CCCS
www.cccsinc.org
ABTolls
www.abtolls.com
Ohio Consumer's Council: Choosing a Long-Distance Provider
www.pickocc.org
Yahoo Directory: Phone Cards
dir.yahoo.com
Federal Communications Commission: For Consumers: Telephone
www.fcc.gov
Calling Advice.com
www.callingadvice.com
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