| Can you spot the hidden fees in prepaid phone cards?
04/09/2009
Calling out of the country can be costly. So how about 3, 5 or 7 cents a minute? That`s what is promised with some prepaid phone cards. But, once you find out you`re not getting what you paid for, the money is gone.Take the case of Diamond phone cards. For just a few bucks, the card says you can call Mexico for 400 minutes. The Federal Trade Commission says you really only get 106 minutes. They... |
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| Paying by Phone Slowly Coming to the U.S.
04/09/2009
You can talk, play, surf the web and now you can pay for stuff with your cellphone. Nokia announced a new mobile payment service Wednesday, called Nokia Money, that will allow consumers to send money, pay bills and recharge pre-paid phone cardsall using their cell phones.The Nokia Money service is likely to debut in Asia and Africa in early 2010. The company hasn`t commented whether it will... |
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| Recycled cells help soldiers call home
04/09/2009
For the past two years, residents in the Lady Lake area have helped provide more than 1 million prepaid calling-card minutes to soldiers serving overseas.This year, Lady Lake Police Chief Ed Nathanson, who initiated the Help Them Call Home campaign locally, would like to see even more. Once again this year we are going to come together and ask everyone to consider donating their unwanted cell... |
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| Avoiding Calling Card Scams
01/06/2009
Prepaid phone cards represent telephone calling time you buy in advance. You pay from $2 to $20 or so to buy local or long-distance calling time. The cards can be convenient, but the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation`s consumer protection agency, says that some prepaid phone cards can have hidden costs and may not deliver the number of calling minutes they advertise. Because you pay in... |
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| Sprint Prepaid calling card plan investigated
01/06/2009
A Sprint-brand prepaid calling-card plan is under investigation by state phone regulators over a reported decision to prevent consumers from recharging the cards if they`re used in Alaska and over such service problems as dropped calls and blackout times.The Regulatory Commission of Alaska said it has opened a formal investigation into the practices of STi Prepaid LLC, which provides service... |
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| AT&T Considering Cheaper iPhone Data Plan, BusinessWeek Reports
01/06/2009
American wireless giant, AT&T, may soon offer another tier of mobile broadband service for Apple iPhone customers, according to a recent BusinessWeek article citing people with knowledge of the company`s thinking.AT&T currently only offers an unlimited iPhone data plan for $30 a month, but is contemplating a cheaper alternative plan, with bandwidth limits, for a monthly price of around $20. This... |
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| Residents warned about paramedic phone scam
21/05/2009
The city Emergency Services Department is warning residents about a fraudulent telephone solicitation involving the purchase of a medical identification card for paramedic servicesThe department said residents have reported receiving calls from someone who claims that residents need to buy an identification card that is required by ambulance personnel. The caller says that paramedics require the... |
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| California Gets Judgment Against Calling Card Company
21/05/2009
Los Angeles-based Total Call International, Inc. can no longer charge hidden and deceptive fees for its pre-paid calling cards, according to California Attorney General Edmund G. Brown Jr.Total Call International has raked in profits by advertising bargain basement prices then charging exorbitant fees when their cards were used. This new agreement, said Brown, safeguards consumers by forcing this... |
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| AT&T Considering Cheaper iPhone Data Plan, BusinessWeek Reports
21/05/2009
American wireless giant, AT&T, may soon offer another tier of mobile broadband service for Apple iPhone customers, according to a recent BusinessWeek article citing people with knowledge of the company`s thinking.AT&T currently only offers an unlimited iPhone data plan for $30 a month, but is contemplating a cheaper alternative plan, with bandwidth limits, for a monthly price of around $20. This... |
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| Louisiana House approves new fee for phone cards
21/05/2009
People who buy prepaid cell phone cards should pay a 60-cent fee each time they buy a new package of minutes to pay for upgrades to the statewide 911 emergency system, the Louisiana House voted.Cell phone and landline customers who pay monthly already have an 85-cent fee with each bill. The money goes to local 911 systems, which are undergoing improvements intended to allow emergency workers to... |
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