I think I found a good deal on Long Distance Rates...

[brainsmile]

http://cognigen.net/opex/main.cgi?fcmi

They charge $0.041 for in-state charges and $0.049 for interstate charges. Does anyone have any comments on this company?

Thanks

[Kenas]

Hey man, i don't know this LD company, but the cheapest rate i found, is at the BigZoo, and they are very good i am with them for over 2 months. So, so far so good. The long distance rates are $.039 a minute.

[2canoe]

Make sure you factor in the extra charges such as PICC, USF, etc. These can be hard to understand, since different carriers use different terminology and billing practices (flat fee versus call based) to assess the fees. And watch out for monthly fees, especially if you are a low volume user.

An excellent resource for getting good insights into the industry and various plans is http://www.abelltolls.com. Sign up for their email newsletter and they will let you know when the carriers change, add, modify plans. An excellent resource.

[pd123]

It looks like there is a $2 service charge if usage is under $20. Also, I am not clear what they mean by $2 charge per account, so there may be $4 charge if I'm reading correctly. The following is from their site...

What OPEX has to offer... OPEX Product Details


Interstate Rate (Inbound Toll Free and Outbound) from 4.9 cents/min
Monthly Fee none*
Billing Increments 6 seconds
Minimum Call Length 18 seconds
Toll Free In-Bound Service Available Yes
Toll Free Service Charge
(In-Bound Service) $2.00/account (not per line)
Online Signup Yes
Online Account Access No
Instate Rates click here
International Rates click here
Calling Card Rate 16.9 cents/min

*$2.00 if usage is under $20.00

[pd123]

Originally posted by Kenas
...the cheapest rate i found, is at the BigZoo... I checked the site you recommend. Is this like IDT (parent company of Net2phone). IDT lets you use a phone and a debit card. It works OK, the problem is that they route the calls through the Internet and the connections are only fair and a bid muddy. Does BigZoo route throught the Internet?

[craigg]

I have used the Cognigen/ Opex service for over a year without problem. The rate is very low for interstate and their international rates are not bad. The calls are routed over traditional phone lines unlike some services that use internet routing, thereby I always get great connections. Hope this helps. :)

[franco46]

I also use BigZoo. At 3.9 cents per minute anytime, it is hands down the best deal there is. There is no monthly fee and because you use an 800 phone number for access, there are no annoyance fees such as "network access fee", etc. Another benefit with BigZoo is that you can use their long distance service from any telephone. This is very useful when traveling and you want to avoid obscene hotel access and per minute fees. Another cool thing is, if you have roommates or friends who like to run up your phone bill, you can simply notify your local telco to drop your long distance carrier (i.e. you will have no long distance carrier available when someone dials 1-anything), and then no one will be able to make long distance calls from your phone. Because 1-800 numbers will still work, you and anyone else who has BigZoo or a phone card will still be able to make long distance calls, however.

[craigg]

BigZoo may be good for some users but I would not rely on it as my primary carrier. It is an Internet Protocol service and the quality is nowhere near what one will experience over ordinary telephone lines. Secondly, it is a prepaid deal where traditional is postpaid. Thirdly, one has to dial a toll free number, then enter a pin number, then dial the number calling...not 1+ dialing. If all this inconvenience is worth a penny to you then by all means enjoy...if u are worried about someone running up your bill then ask your carrier for project coding whereas one must enter a 3 digit code for a long distance line...then it is 1+ from there on! If u really want a deal check these sites for free long distance:

http://www.dialpad.com you need a mic and mutimedia computer

http://www.me.net site is in beta...get 1000 free minutes on signup

http://199.172.8.27/weblink/Default2.asp TalkFree... this is phone to phone Internet calling but they limit calls to a maximum of 20 minutes

Have Fun :)

[tupacboy]

what does internet protocol service mean???

[pd123]

I am not familiar with the termonolgy, "Internet Protocal" for phone calls, but I am sure that means the phone calls are routed through the Internet like the calling card I use through IDT. The phone call quality is fair and sometime less than fair but usually acceptable. The company like ME, that I have been using, has perfect quality. Problem with ME is that when their beta period is over, their service will be very costly and I was told their free offer will be finished by November.

[Kenas]

PD123 I hope they will nottify me before ending me a bill. Because i am using it right now.

[pd123]

I don't think they will send you a bill, just offer their plans to you. If you call them on their 800 number, they will tell you what their plans will be. They said they haven't set their prices yet, but there are a few plans. I also use them, I signed up for two accounts. I will miss them when it's over, it's been great. From what I remember, it was more than I would spend.

[fsck]

I used to be able to use me.net but now i can enter a number, hit dial, and my phone rings but as soon as I pick it up, that little window closes and the call drops. does anybody else get this? (I am using windows 2000 if that makes a difference)