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			How to Save Money on your Local Phone Bill by Logan Stanfield Article Rating = 3.43 (36 votes)

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Category: Home and Apartments My knowledge comes from my job as a service rep for the dominant local phone provider in North and South Carolina. Since regulations vary widely between states, this is hardly intended to be all encompassing. Additions and suggestions are welcome. Rule number one: The only thing required for service is your line charge and a few mandated charges. Everything else is optional and can be removed. (Don't bother wasting anytime on charges like "Number Portability" or "Universal Service." Some things you can't get rid of.) - Remove the "Equipment Maintenance Protection" if it's on your bill. This optional plan is one of the items the phone company wants you to set up and then forget about. EMP's cost is unnecessary because phones are so cheap at retail stores these days. - Remove the EMP's best buddy -- "Inside Line Protection" from your account in whatever forms you find it on your service. Line Maintenance may be a good idea if you are going to move in to a new place, but if no problems arise after a month, go ahead and axe that critter off your account. You'll save over the long run without it, even if you do have to pay for a service call. - Be smart about the package of features you have on your line. If you have anything other than a plain line, needle your sales rep into giving you a dollar for dollar comparison. Example: You say, "I want local service with Caller ID and Call Waiting." Your phone co. sales rep says I recommend the Super Package for just $32.00 per month! You get Caller ID and Call Waiting for one flat rate, plus Star69 and 3way calling comes free! It's the best value. You say, "Sound's OK, set it up." But, if all you want were Caller Id and Call Waiting, you'd be paying for more than you need. Why? Because the line charge is about 15.00 dollars in this case, and then just add 7.00 for Caller ID and 3.70 for Call Waiting. Total? $25.70. The problem is that 'best value' doesn't mean 'cheaper'. Ever notice that at the movie concession stand the 'best value' drink is always the biggest? It doesn't make sense to pay for a bigger size if you aren't that thirsty. Packages aren't always bad, but they do need to be justified. - Why do you have a long distance carrier? If you have a cell phone you ought to be getting free LD minutes. If you don't have a cell phone you ought to have a pre-paid LD card on your person in case you need to make a call on the go. The rates on those cards, by the way can be less the .05 cents a minute if purchased in a $20.00 increment. At the very least you can use a ten-ten number like 10-10-220 or 10-10-321. Use any of that stuff, and you no longer have to pay MCI or AT&T $5 to $10 dollars a month for the right to make a long distance call. Also, it doesn't make a nickel's difference in your local service to not have long distance as opposed to having it. Yes, long distance company sales reps do lie to keep your business by telling you your local service will go up if you remove them from the account. - Have you thought about buying phone equipment from the phone company? Don't. Installment billing options may be attractive, but in general the phones they offer are obscenely overpriced. A retail store is a better option. Having something shipped to my house has never struck me as convenience. - If you don't need to make calls to 900 numbers, then have them blocked. In general it's free to do so, and you can avoid some nasty surprise charges. I don't care if you don't suspect anyone will call, if you don't need it - then block it! Lastly, read over your bill every month. About the author... Submitted By Logan Stanfield Description Phone Company Sales Rep Web Page not available Other Articles in this Category How to Defrost a Freezer with Less Effort by Allison Ashby How to get good TV reception without spending a lot for full cable. by Arnold Kim How to Care for Poinsettias by weldong Intro to Feng Shui (it can change your life) by bluesunshine How to French Polish Old Furniture by Bernard Lindner Feng Shui - A mystical belief or a natural science? by cshaul How to Stop Telemarketers - The Do Not Call Registry by Anonymous How to Organize your Paper Files by John Campbell How to arrange fresh cut or artificial flowers by Margaret Sinclair How to "Unsqueak" a Door by Abel Cuadros Other Sites Storkin.com - Baby and Pregnancy Tips and Discussion iPhone Games at TouchArcade.com iPhone Apps at AppShopper.com Health Articles Menopause Symptoms HIV/AIDS Symptoms West Nile Symptoms Diabetes Symptoms Pregnancy Symptoms Read other Articles - click here.