| Hispanic Institute Case Study on US Prepaid Calling Cards |
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The Hispanic Institute is a non-profit organization with focus on the study of Hispanic economic contributions, media monitoring, consumer fraud and citizenship organization. Calling Card Study is just one of the independent projects conducted to determine if the calling cards' promised minutes are actually used up when making calls. The study involved 45 calling cards used to call countries like Mexico, Guatemala and other countries in the Hispanic region. There are five areas of study, namely: the Call Completion Rate ( or CCR), the Average Post Dial Delay (or PDD) in seconds, he Average Listening Quality ( or the PAM Listening Quality), the Percentage of minutes provided versus minutes in one call and the Percentage of minutes provided versus minutes in the last call. Results show that out of the 45 cards tested, only 15 cards, including IDT BOSS-WSH Mexico, attained the goal to maximize all the time that they can provide for a single call. Four cards or 27% of the total number of cards provided the whole amount that the customers are aware of and IDT BOSS-WSH Mexico tops the list. While only six or 40% provided at most 50% of the available time. Seven of these cards have 0% completion rate and they cannot reach their specified call destinations. The other eight cards have 50% or less Call Completion Rate. Through this study, it is known that the Hispanics are greatly affected by consumer fraud in the communication industry. These are just few of the cards used to call the region. Phone card companies are having shortages with the actual number of minutes provided than what they advertise. Customers in the region are already aware what phone card brand to purchase and to patronize. IDT BOSS-WSH Mexico is just one of the 15 cards that belong to the top 10 in the list and can be trusted. And the study can prove that this card is useful and reliable when calling Hispanic relatives and friends from the U.S. |
| Prepaid Phone Card Tips: Points to Ponder |
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After you have chosen and acquired the right phone card for your need, there are still some important things that you need to do. You have to remember making some checklists and take note of some points before you can use your card. First thing first! You have to confirm that you have a valid PIN especially if you are going on a travel. You also have to confirm from the retailer and service provider that the card is usable in your place of destination and that the access number is correct as given. All you have to do is dial the access number and follow the next instruction. Just be sure that you do not make a call so that your credit will not be subtracted. If you have the access number available in the card, yo can save from your calls because there are extra usable minutes. Sometimes, the cards that you already choose has additional fees and charges. To acquire a lower rate, you have to buy a card with smaller amount for you to consume in one call. This will help you avoid additional fees imposed in the card. When you are making calls longer than your usual calls, make sure that your card does not include additional fess like taxes when you exceed the predetermined calling time. This kind of card is not good because it limits you from making just one call in a card. All cards contain a pay phone fee. As much as possible, restrict your calls to fixed phones so that you will have longer available talk time in your card. Take note also about the minute rounding system in every phone card. If you make a call is less than a minute, your call will be charged to the next minute. Consumers should choose cards with one minute rounding to avoid charges and shorter talk time. It is always good to be observant to be aware with even the small things when making calls. It is for your own good to know every detail of the phone card you are using. |
| A Virtual Prepaid Calling Card Service |
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Pingo is a virtual prepaid calling card service that aims to give consumers and businesses an experience that they will not surely forget. Their offer includes a reasonable rate with good calling card quality and customer service Some companies impose extra charges like connection fees and calling local access numbers. Pingo makes a difference since the it has no additional service charges. Users only pay a nominal monthly maintenance fee. It will help ensure that the services will not be altered. There are no hidden charges for the services that they rendered. Pingo calling card service ensures its consumers that they got the convenience as promised. Pingo RateWatcher is a part of the service that gives you the detailed information especially on the calling rates for every country that the service is available. It always thinks of the customers to get the best deal in the offer. When a new user signs up for Pingo services, there is a $5 free calling card to try. There is also a reward if a friend is referred to sign up. More privileges are ready to those who are interested to be affiliate partners of Pingo. This calling card service of Pingo helps consumers to save up to 90% of their monthly phone bills in making international calls. There's no harm in trying. If you find that this service doesn't suit your needs, then you can quit. But there is not enough reason that you will stop experiencing this calling card service. There are already a lot of users that can testify that Pingo is true to what it has promised. More and more internet phone card minutes show that Pingo is widely used. |
| Choosing Between Phone Cards and Virtual Calling Cards |
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During the past decades, people were in search of a way to avail of convenient and cheap international calls. Phone cards offer convenience and lower calling rates for businessmen, ordinary consumers and travelers even though mobile companies and discount long distance carriers are about to meet the same needs from consumers. There are a lot of choices for the types of cards that you are going to use. Two of these may choices are available in the market today. There are phone cards that are accessible in department stores, gasoline stations, malls and the internet. While there are also cards that can be found and bought in the internet but you are won't actually have that piece of plastic card. They are referred to as virtual phone cards. Regular phone cards, when purchased, already have the available information printed on it. Usually, phone cards are prepaid that you pay the credit in advance. The rates are cheaper. When the minutes are already used up, you can buy a new card, call a number or log in the internet to recharge for the amount that you wish. But there are times that you are not able to use up all the minutes that your card contains which you already paid upon purchase and your money will be wasted. The information in a virtual calling card, when purchased, are sent over the e-mail. A virtual calling card is a post paid calling card service and is also rechargeable over the internet. The difference is you only pay for what you have consumed in your calls. But you will pay for a little higher calling rates. Virtual calling cards are convenient when you travel. Prepaid phone cards have the cheapest international rates. What will you choose? It depends on what you need and the kind of service that you want. |
| Your Choice of a Long Lasting Prepaid Phone Cards |
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Phone cards can now be found in retail stores and shopping centers that makes it already convenient. Phone card companies offer competitive brands and consumers have a lot to choose from. With the availability of the internet, other companies opt to sell their products over the web. Search engines are very helpful so you can easily find a variety of phone cards with different calling services as your choices. As most consumers prefer convenience over the card quality, charges are made a bit higher than what is supposed to be the price. Online purchase is quite better since retail stores cannot compete with the price that is offered in the web. And they are most likely to offer high quality phone cards for your needs. Choosing the phone cards may be easy with their availability but picking the right card that you need might consume some of your time. So what are the things that you usually consider as far as deciding for the card that suits your taste? You must know your purpose. Where are you going to use the card? How long are you going to make a call? For international calls, choose a card that has a longer talk time but also has a low per minute rate if you are always having longer calls. Avoid cards that offer extra charges for connection and per calls if you are making shorter calls. The quality of calling service should also be considered as much as its convenience. Be sure also that your card brand has a good customer service that is available for 24 hours. Now, you are not only sure that you have a clear connection and longer talk but you also save an ample amount of money for your next calling transactions. |
| Prepaid Phone Card Companies and International Calling Card Complaints |
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A prepaid phone card is a piece of card you purchase to make long distance phone calls. It can be used anywhere at anytime and, there is no bill because you pay in advance. Travelers, overseas workers, people who frequently call overseas, and those who haven’t selected a preferred long distance telephone company are the major consumers of prepaid phone cards. They are appealing to them because they are sold in convenient places like newsstands, post offices and stores. These cards are also easy to use. In each card, a toll-free access phone number and a personal identification number (PIN) are usually printed. You have to dial the access number and then enter the PIN for you to start making phone calls. The remaining balance on your minute will be prompter. In using phone cards, the rates may vary dramatically for international calls depending on the country that you call or how you make the call. Prepaid phone cards usually have rates that are lower compared to a telephone company’s basic international rates. Phone card companies have this call or billing history to track down the calls made and the remaining balance through the card’s PIN number. You can add time to some prepaid phone cards, and the added cost can usually be billed to a credit card. If you don't want to recharge your card, you can dispose it already. As prepaid phone cards are becoming popular, some common complaints are becoming evident. Access numbers and/or PINs sometimes don’t work or are always busy. Call rates are sometimes higher than advertised, or contain undisclosed fees. There are even cards that charge you even when your call does not go through and sometimes they have poor quality connections. If ever you come across any of this problems, try calling the customer service number provided with the card. If that doesn’t work, call authorities that concerns phone cards. You can also file a complaint so that these companies will learn their lessons and they will stop fooling consumers. |
| Filing Complaints On Your Prepaid Phone Card Provider |
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Prepaid phone cards today offer convenient modes of calling domestic or international locations for consumers. These cards, which are sold in groceries, neighborhood convenience stores, hotels, and specialty shops, are valued in a number of denominations, which are priced according to the number of minutes they have in them. These cards are made with built-in PIN numbers, wherein callers need to access the PIN numbers first before they make a call. As there are a lot of prepaid phone card types sold out there, consumers are advised to select the card that they feel is appropriate for their specific call requirements, and to completely check the details and services that are afforded by the cards, to ensure easy access and adequate user satisfaction. Important Tips To Consider Before Buying A Card Before consumers buy a phone card, they should consider how they'd be using it. Select a card that would offer you the best value for the kinds of calls you wish to make. At pay phones, use the cards for long distance calls, and in most cases, coins are cheaper for local calls. Phone cards are one of the few methods of making long distance calls at pay phones that do not accept coins. If you are going to use one to call friends in another country, select one with a low per-minute rate to that country. Prepaid cards often have varying rates for calls in the U.S., however some have high rates and per-call surcharges for calls overseas. Some cards are sold to people who call certain countries frequently,so their rates to specific countries may be somehow much lower.
Buy A Prepaid Card With A Toll-free Hotline Number Consumers need to find out if a card has a toll-free 24-hour customer service number with operators to answer questions and respond to complaints. Some US states require all prepaid phone card companies doing business in the state to have this service. Many minor complaints can be resolved by calling the customer service number, which is indicated on the back of the card.
Be Aware Of Deceptive Phone Card Practices There have also been some circumstances where unlawful or deceptive sales techniques have involved prepaid phone cards. Some card dealers, and providers, fail to inform consumers about fees, surcharges and other costs, and some hide these charges in small, hard-to-read print. Around 10 US states have implemented laws that require complete disclosure of prepaid phone card costs. In all states, deceptive and unfair trade practices are illegal, even if no specific rules cover prepaid packaging. If you are the victim of prepaid phone card fraud, try taking with the company first. An industry organization, the International Prepaid Communications Association (IPCA), operates a toll-free hotline for customers who have queries with or questions about these.
Where To Report Card Fraud In most US states, a public utilities commission or public service commission regulates local phone service and responds to consumer complaints. Check out the state regulatory agencies in the local phone directory, or contact the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners' web site for a listing of all state agencies. Consumers could also report fraud to the state Attorney General (AG) and/or your state or local consumer protection agency. A list of state AG offices can be found on the National Association of Attorneys General web site, or you could locate their numbers on the government section of the local phone directory. |
| Understanding Phone Card Rates & Billing |
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As you have already purchased the phone card that suits your need, you are ready to make your first call. And you know that when you have placed a call, the number of minutes that you have consumed will be deducted from the available time in the card. The same goes with the monetary value of the card. Phone card companies usually have the call history feature that records the call that you make and how long does it take for every call. The record includes the number of minutes you consumed, connection fee and the remaining balance that you have. You can check the account balance by calling the access number and entering the card's PIN. When you are about to run out of minutes, you will be notified if your card has this feature. During the card's last two or three minutes, you will be interrupted in your conversation to give you the warning. When you make a call, there are times that you get a busy signal. You should not be charged by a single cent if this happens. There are two reasons why you got a busy signal while making your call. Either your access number gives you the busy signal because there are a lot of users that calls during the time that you tried to make a call. If this situation continues then you are advised to choose and change another calling card. Sometimes, the destination that you are calling can give you the busy signal. This is no longer a responsibility of the phone card company. You can try calling back again. There are certain circumstances in you call destinations that may affect the signal like time zones, customs and peak periods. If you are calling and that there is no answer, you will not be charged. When you get disconnected, you have do dial again. There may be surcharges in the card that you purchased like connection fee whenever you reconnect. You will be charged also by the minutes that you consumed. For frequent disconnection, be sure to report the case to the customer service for them to address the problem. If the problem continues, better choose another card to use. The call per minute are expected to be the same all throughout the day and it is referred to as flat rate. But if there are surcharges, the rate per minute is based on the length of the call that you make. Some phone card companies have this kind of system. It is therefore recommended that you better get to know the card that you purchased so that you won't encounter the same problem again and again. |
| On the Web: Cheap Phone Cards |
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Phone cards have been popular among consumers today. You, as one of them, choose this medium to communicate with your friends, family and business associates who are far from you at the moment. You preferred using phone cards than the nearby local pay phones in a way that they are cheaper. Money saving is a concern whenever you are making purchases especially on calling matters. Finding the right phone card for your need is easy nowadays since they are available already in stores and even on the web. This makes phone cards accessible to every individual who intends to make a call to their loved ones. The internet makes it even more convenient for you to choose and purchase the phone card for your own intentions. Online searching provides you with a variety of phone cards 24 hours, seven days a week. You also have the necessary information about the cards displayed in your computer screen. And you can avail these cards at reasonably lower prices. Usually, consumers who are making constant travels are the one who are in need of this service. If you are one of them, you have to know the different card types that you need in making your calls. This will help ease your longing for your loved ones and also to check the business that you left behind. When you are making frequent calls, you cannot afford to spend a lot of money. That's why, you have to check for cards that are available online since they provide you with better options. International phone cards have many different features for you to remember. These cards are cheaper for making international calls and domestic long distance calls. They also contain permanent PINs, toll free numbers and local access numbers that are important for you to start a phone call. They can be used in your home or office telephones and on mobile phones. The web therefore offers you the opportunity to a selection where you can compare each card and then consider one card for making international calls. You'll just need to be wise and pick the right card that matches your calling needs and purposes. |
| How to Avoid Calling Card Scams |
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Unluckily, not all phone card companies are honest enough to their customers. What they always think is the the money and the profit that they can get with their products. Here are the following things that make fool of the phone card customers. The company should provide the full disclosure of information to the customers. Any questions regarding phone cards should be answered truthfully before a customer buys the product. Phone cards that have very low calling rates may have hidden charges to cover up some amounts. Some phone card companies charge a connection fee every time you make a phone call. This is true to phone cards with very cheap rates. Other phone card companies impose a maintenance or service fee to covert the maintenance cost of the service provider and the network that handles the card. But if the maintenance fee is nominal, it will not be a big concern. While some other companies let the customers pay for the taxes by adding fees to the cards that they purchased. Extra fees are also charged while making phone call from or to mobile phones, pay phones, school and hotel phones. Sometimes, when you are making a call, you cannot reach the next whole minute and it is rounded off. The best minute rounding is one minute because it is cheaper. Although it is not necessary, checking the company's background will be helpful in doing business with them. It will ensure you that it is an honest, stable and reputable company. Your money is also secured if the phone card company is not broke. When you purchase a phone card in the web, it is always likely that they will send you the PIN immediately or through and electronic mail. If you do not receive the PIN for the first time, it is quite forgivable. But if the mistake goes on to the second and succeeding purchases, it is high time for you to contact the customer service to report your case and get the PIN that was not sent to you. If your PIN is not delivered, then the phone card that you bought is a fraud. Always check the phone cars expiration date. Phone cards with low rates has a shorter period before it expires. If your phone card runs out of credit, your phone card company automatically recharge your account and payment is done through your credit card. This is not advisable unless you made an agreement with the phone card company that they can do this. Because there are companies that offer a service without account expiration unless you requested to cancel your own account. Consumers are therefore advised to be keen and careful in buying a certain phone card for their calling purposes. Always check the brand and the company if they are reliable. Testimonials from friends are also useful. |
| Prepaid Phone Card Companies and International Calling Card Complaints |
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A prepaid phone card is a piece of card you purchase to make long distance phone calls. It can be used anywhere at anytime and, there is no bill because you pay in advance. Travelers, overseas workers, people who frequently call overseas, and those who haven’t selected a preferred long distance telephone company are the major consumers of prepaid phone cards. They are appealing to them because they are sold in convenient places like newsstands, post offices and stores. These cards are also easy to use. In each card, a toll-free access phone number and a personal identification number (PIN) are usually printed. You have to dial the access number and then enter the PIN for you to start making phone calls. The remaining balance on your minute will be prompter. In using phone cards, the rates may vary dramatically for international calls depending on the country that you call or how you make the call. Prepaid phone cards usually have rates that are lower compared to a telephone company’s basic international rates. Phone card companies have this call or billing history to track down the calls made and the remaining balance through the card’s PIN number. You can add time to some prepaid phone cards, and the added cost can usually be billed to a credit card. If you don't want to recharge your card, you can dispose it already. As prepaid phone cards are becoming popular, some common complaints are becoming evident. Access numbers and/or PINs sometimes don’t work or are always busy. Call rates are sometimes higher than advertised, or contain undisclosed fees. There are even cards that charge you even when your call does not go through and sometimes they have poor quality connections. If ever you come across any of this problems, try calling the customer service number provided with the card. If that doesn’t work, call authorities that concerns phone cards. You can also file a complaint so that these companies will learn their lessons and they will stop fooling consumers. |