Pay Phone Calls
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW BEFORE
MAKING A CALL FROM A PAY PHONE OR PUBLIC PHONES
Consumers who make calls away from home should be aware
that the long distance and local rates charged from
payphones and phones in other public areas like hotels,
motels, hospitals and airports can vary. Operator service
providers provide long distance service and, in some
cases, local telephone service from public and pay telephones.
When you place a call from a public phone or pay phone,
the operator service provider serving the telephone
usually handles the call if you dial "0" before
dialing the telephone number. In order to avoid surprises
when you receive your telephone bill, here are three
simple rules which the Federal Communications Commission
recommends all consumers follow:
- Stop before making the call.
- Look at the printed information
on or near the telephone. Federal Communications Commission
rules require each public telephone provider to post
on or near each telephone – in plain view of
consumers – the name, address, and toll-free
number of the operator service provider.
- Listen after you dial the number
you are calling to determine which operator service
provider is handling your call. The operator service
provider must orally identify itself to you at the
beginning of the call before the call is connected
and billed. You will then be told how to learn the
total price of a telephone call – including
any surcharges – by simply pressing no more
than 2 digits, such as the pound key, or by staying
on the line. This gives you the opportunity to hang
up on high rates and to "dial around" the
operator service provider by following your chosen
long distance company’s instructions for placing
calls from public telephones (e.g., dial 1-800-XXX-XXXX
to reach your chosen long distance carrier; punch
in your access code; etc.)
Other things to keep in mind when making calls from
a pay phone or public telephone include:
- You have the right to place calls from a public
telephone through the long distance company of your
choice by dialing an access code, sometimes referred
to as "dialing around" the operator service
provider. "Dialing around" may mean dialing
an 800 number, a local number that begins with 950,
or a seven digit access number known as a 101-XXXX
or 10 10 XXX number. Federal law prohibits blocking
800, 950, or 101-XXXX/10 10 XXX access numbers to
long distance companies from public telephones.
- Operator service providers must connect an emergency
call to the appropriate emergency service immediately
and at no charge.
- Operator service providers cannot knowingly bill
for unanswered calls.
- No matter what type of calling card you use, the
only way to be sure that your call will be carried
by your chosen long distance company is to follow
your long distance company’s dialing instructions
for placing calls from public telephones. Using your
preferred long distance company’s calling card
will not, by itself, guarantee that that company will
carry the call. Check with your preferred long distance
company and ask for instructions on how to place a
call through that company from a payphone and what
the rates or charges are for calls placed from payphones.
They may not be the same as the rates you pay for
calls you dial directly from your home.
List
of Authorized Payphone Providers