Ripoff phone companies, from NY Times: Phoning Home: The $32.39 Surprise

[MattH]

Article

I haven't used an airport pay phone in years, and can't remember the last time I made a collect call, since I mostly use my cell phone.  And when I'm visiting relatives in an area where my cell phone does not get a signal, I use a prepaid calling card.  But for those of you without cell phones, or with young relatives who might use payphones, beware of ripoffs.  The only safe method of payment for long distance calls from payphones is with a prepaid card as this article demonstrates.

[22_broke_and_in_debt]

It's not only in airports, and it's not only this no-name company. I just had a horrible flashback from January 2008. I was in Albany for work, and was unable to bring my cellphone into the building where I was. It was 8 degrees out, so needless to say the battery in the phone froze, and the car wouldn't start. Essentially stranded, I used my debit card to make a call from a Verizon pay phone. Two ten minute phone calls? $57.00. Yes, that's a five, and that's a seven. Never, ever, ever, will I use one of their pay phones again, and should anyone have to do it, pay someone $5 to use their cellphone and call (yes, pun intended) it a day...if not, use smoke signals.  

On the positive side, the $57.00 was cheaper than the possibility of losing my job...

Interesting article though, people need to be aware of the scams around them.

[KingAdrock]

Blech. If my phone is out of batteries or whatnot and I need to make a call, I'd rather just ask a nice person next to me if I could borrow their cell phone for a minute than call collect. Surprising people usually don't mind.