How to Change Long Distance Carriers
Changing your long-distance carrier is easy once you decide what you want from a long-distance provider. Determine your calling patterns. Research long-distance carriers to determine which best suits your calling needs. Subscribers nowadays can use a cellular phone, Digital Subscriber Line (DSL) telephone line or a broadband Internet connection such as Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) to make long distance calls.
Instructions
-
-
1
Determine your long-distance calling patterns. Check your old phone bills to find out your long-distance usage per month. Compare your calling pattern to the available prices on various long-distance plans to get an idea of your bottom-line monthly cost.
-
2
Sign up for service for your newly found long distance provider. In some states, a third-party verification is needed to change your service. That requirement is the result of a practice known as "slamming," in which customers' long-distance service was changed without their authorization or knowledge. Third-party verification has largely done away with "slamming."
-
-
3
Contact your old long-distance carrier to cancel your account to prevent any additional fees from accumulating.
-
4
Inform your local telephone company that you have switched long-distance carriers. Verify whether your new long-distance carrier will handle the switch or you need to get a PIC code, which you need to submit to your local telephone company.
-
5
Request for a PIC freeze. This also prevents slamming.
-
1
Tips & Warnings
Do not cancel your old long-distance service until you have verified that your new long-distance service functions properly to your satisfaction.
Normal processing time for switching from one long-distance provider to another usually takes one to 10 days.
Local telephone companies usually charge a PIC switching fee. Ask your new long-distance carrier if it will reimburse you for the amount, which is usually less than $10.
To verify which company provides your long-distance service, dial 1-700-555-4141 from the phone in question.
Be cognizant of "slamming." If you get slammed, you do not need to pay additional charges billed to your account as long as you inform the FCC within 30 days from the date you discovered the problem.
