Take
a moment to review the most frequently asked questions.
Chances are
that
your question is addressed below.
Then if you still
have questions,
contact customer service We'd be happy to answer any questions that you may
have.
Just click on a question and the
answer will expand
Why Can't I Fax
With Any Flat Rate Plan?
While most all flat rate plans will support casual faxing, there is a
distinct difference between casual faxing and broadcast faxing. And if you
contact your current long distance provider and ask them if you can fax with
their plan, chances are, they will say yes. But if you tell them you will be
broadcast faxing, and you will have to explain to them what it is because most
people don't understand what broadcast faxing is. (setting up your
computer to send faxes repetitively for several hours every day) well, now
that's a different story.
You see, the cost
for flat rate phone service is generally based on voice calls. Think about
it, how many people would actually talk 5000 minutes a month? Not
too many. Your provider is counting on it that you will use an average
number of minutes. So when you do use excessive volume,
well, you stand out like a sore thumb and in some cases, they will take you off
of the flat rate plan and put you on a per minute plan and trust me, you won't
be happy when you get a hefty phone bill at the end of the month. Some
providers will just cancel your service without you knowing.
Important: If you do contact your current provider and ask
if you can broadcast fax, make sure that write down the date, time, full name of
person you talked to and a direct phone number to reach them ~ or better yet,
get a recording device "you have to tell them they are being recorded"
and record the conversation with them. Take my word for it and protect
yourself.
Do I have to change my long distance carrier?
No. That's the beauty of it. You access the network and make your calls or send your faxes via a local or toll-free access number that acts as a local or toll-free call and therefore by-passes your current long distance carrier.
If you opt for the unlimited broadband service, you don't even use your existing phone
line
,
but you must have a high-speed Internet connection or DSL to
have broadband. The reason that you utilize a high-speed Internet
connection is to route calls to the closest “gateway” back to
fiber optic service. This is also referred to as “Managed
Internet.”
Can I make 3-way calls?
Yes. 3-way calling is included, however, you must have 3-way calling available on your phone line to take advantage of this feature. Contact your Local Phone Company to setup this service on your phone line. If you opt for broadband service, you will automatically have everything you need to make 3-way calls. Remember Broadband is a stand-alone system and has nothing to do with your existing telephone service.
I already have three way calling, Why do I need yours?
If you use the network to make the first call and your assigned long distance carrier to make the 3-way (second) call, you will be paying a per-minute charge for the second call. This could become costly, but with our plans, both calls that you make simultaneously are included in your calling plan. Neat
huh?
If I have a problem with my service, who do I contact?
This rarely happens, but in the event that you do have a problem, you can
contact customer support at 1-877-977-6748
What payment options are available?
ACH Electronic Check Draft, Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover
are all acceptable methods of payment.
If you do not have a credit card, most banks will issue a Visa
debit card. Debit cards are also an acceptable method of payment
and work just like a credit card.
Can I be billed for my flat rate service?
No. In order to keep costs down, which in turn keeps your rates down, monthly billing is not available at this time.
What is the monthly billing schedule?
Your monthly payment will be processed 3 days prior to your anniversary date. Your anniversary date is the day of the month that your service is activated. NOTE: If you plan to use a bank debit card or check payment, make a note for yourself to ensure that you have adequate funds in your account on your monthly anniversary date.
What is the cancellation policy?
You can cancel your service at any time but remember that your service is prepaid for the month and you will be active on the service through the period for which you have paid.
Note: New
customers that cancel their service prior to their first anniversary date
may receive a prorated refund.
All cancellation requests must be made at least 3 business days prior to your next billing date.
Do I need a computer to use this service?
If you sign up for either The Pioneer "local access" or
The Steadfast "toll-free access" ~ No, you do not need
computer.
These plans are phone-to-phone service just like what you
are used to, except that you do have to dial an access number, and
whether it's local or toll-free access, you can program it to speed
dial.
If you sign up for
The Vanguard "Unlimited Broadband", then yes, you do need a computer
as well as DSL or Cable internet connection.
Can I use the service when I travel?
Yes and No.
If you sign up for
The Pioneer "local access plan," you can get a travel PIN at no
additional cost, however, with this plan there must be a local access number in
the area you are traveling to in order for you to use the service.
The Steadfast
"toll-free access plan," is a great plan to have if you travel alot.
Reason being is that you use a toll-free access number for all calls so you
won't have to worry if a local access number is available, however, you should
check with customer service at 1-877-977-6748, prior to your departure to ensure that the toll-free
access number is the same in the area you are traveling to. If not, you
will receive an alternate toll-free number to use.
If you sign up for
The Vanguard "Unlimited Broadband Service," a travel PIN is
not available. However,
you could take your MTA with you and if you had access to a computer that had a
DSL or Cable internet connection, then your service would still
work.
Why do toll-free plans cost more than local access plans?
We must charge more to cover the increased costs of offering
toll-free access, which is purchased at low rates, but still on a per
minute basis. The benefit is that it allows us to offer our high quality flat-rate long distance service to anyone in the United States... regardless of where they live.
What if I sign up for a toll-free calling plan and a local access number becomes available in my area?
Customers currently enjoying our toll free calling will be sent an e-mail
advising them that a local access number is now available in their
area. We will work with those customers to change their
service to a local access plan which would go in effect on their
next billing cycle.
Do I have to dial a PIN number?
These plans "The Pioneer" and "The Steadfast" are ANI (Automatic Number Identification) Recognized. What
that means is although you must dial either a local access or
toll-free number (which can be programmed to speed dial) to access
the network, the system will
automatically recognize your registered phone line as a authorized
user on the network, therefore a PIN # is not required. If you opt for a travel PIN, you will have to enter your PIN # when prompted.
The Vanguard plan allows you to make calls using the traditional "1+ dialing.
Can I use the service on two different phone lines?
These plans "The Pioneer" and "The
Steadfast" offer Dual ANI
(Automatic Number Identification). What that means is
that you can register 2 phone lines for service. Whichever
line you use, the system will recognize your phone number as an
authorized user on the network, and you CAN use both lines simultaneously.
How can you provide a high quality service at these low rates?
Utilizing a technology called
VOIP... which stands for Voice over Internet Protocol. This
technology allows your calls to bypass the
traditional PSTN (Public Switched Telephone Network),
and instead are processed by our nationwide, private, packet-switched,
fiber-optic network, allowing us to offer you
true flat rate long distance calling… while eliminating per-minute charges forever.
Can a customer get cut off for using too many minutes?
Yes and No. Similar to how a cell phone works, you can check to see
"online" how many minutes you have used.
If you are running out of minutes,
you can contact customer service at 1-877-977-6748 and purchase additional blocks of time in blocks of 500
or 1000 minutes.