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Frequently Asked
Questions
Who is
0101 Long Distance?
How can you offer such low rates with such high quality? What is the
catch?
I never heard of the company that you are recommending to me. Will I
have problems?
What are the advantages to dealing with a long distance master
agency?
If I need help in finding the best plan and services or in signing
up...what do I do?
What do I need to
do to get these low rates ASAP?
What are "intralata" and "interlata" long
distance?
How long will it take for the carrier change to take place?
How will I know when I am on the new plan and can make calls at the
lower rates?
How can I save money on Long Distance?
How do I file a complaint with the FCC?
Telecommunications news
Study shows long distance costs
soaring for residential customers
Directory assistance on the internet
Directory assistance costs are
rising. Many local telephone companies now provide electronic versions
of the White and Yellow Pages on the Internet. To look up local and long
distance numbers via the Internet, try one of these websites:
Who
is 0101 Long Distance? back
to top
0101
Long Distance is a long distance master agency serving the 50
states since 1996. As a master agency, we research the industry on an ongoing basis
to find and represent
the best long distance programs that exist in the industry. If a
carrier’s combination of rates and service is no longer
exceptional, we cease to do business with them.
We are dedicated to providing a selection of alternative rate and
service plans that will
enable you to find the one that is perfect for you. Whether it is by shopping our site or by having one of our experts do the shopping for
you.
How can you offer such
low rates with such high quality? What is the
catch? back
to top
Advertising costs are the biggest bottom line cost that AT&T, MCI,
and Sprint face.
Trying to get customers by advertising on TV and by making cold
calls to consumers at dinnertime is an expensive way of getting
customers.
For example, AT&T spent $285 million to Whitney Houston to
sing "Reach out and Touch" for a commercial.
They also paid for commercial production costs, and airtime
costs.
They also are always doing print and non print media advertising,
and running call centers with hundreds of operators making calls 10
hours per day asking people to change to their service.
This doesn’t include AT&T’s large employee hierarchy.
How do you think they pay for all of this?
By including it in the price they charge you.
The carriers that we use do not advertise. That is why you may
not have heard of them.
This doesn’t mean that they are any less dependable.
It is a marketing strategy.
By not advertising in traditional ways they are able to provide
you long distance service at a deeply discounted price. The process of
getting customers on the internet is much cheaper. Advertising
is an attempt to create product image and brand loyalty.
It creates an image in your mind, but in reality all phone
service that we offer is identical to the best carrier that you have
ever had.
If you want a brand name, feel free to pay for it.
If they spend huge amounts to advertise a rate plan, you can bet
there is small print that makes it profitable (profitable = more costly
than you think) after paying off the huge marketing campaign’s bill.
We offer you the alternative of paying less for the exact same
service. There is no catch! This process is just like off branding,
where a company wants to sell excess production or excess capacity and
uses a different name to sell the same product for less without
compromising the brand price structure.
I have never heard of
the company that you are recommending to me. Will I have problems?
back to top
As
explained above, you may not have heard of these companies because they
do not advertise on TV, radio, and in magazines or newspapers.
They don’t advertise so that they can pass those savings on to
you.
They do not skimp on service or network quality.
We research every provider that we offer to ensure that low
prices do not translate into poor service.
Remember, paying for advertisements only means that a company is
paying for advertisements, it doesn’t imply anything about how good
their service is.
Not advertising can be a conscious marketing decision so as to be
able to offer low prices with superior service.
We only market those companies who offer quality without
compromise.
What are the advantages to dealing with a long distance master
agency? back
to top
Choice
- When you deal directly with a carrier, you deal with a company
employee who must make their one plan fit all customers.
Better Rates - Our buying
power and low marketing costs gives you lower rates for the same
service.
Free Consultation –
Starting a new business and don’t know how to set up toll free
service? Do you have an existing business and don’t understand the new
technologies or know how to determine which is best for you?
Do you have a telecom question and don’t know where to get the
answer? No problem ... email
us or fill out a custom quote request and
a telecom professional will listen to your situation and advise you how
to accomplish your goal in the best way possible for the lowest cost.
This service, for which telecom consultants charge hundreds of
dollars per hour, is free to customers of 0101 Long Distance.
Better Service - You have
direct access to the carrier's customer service representatives, and if
a problem is not resolved quickly, you also have access to 0101 Long
Distance's customer support. If a carrier does not respond quickly
to you they just risk losing your business. If they do not respond
quickly to us, they risk losing our whole book of business. Do you think
that they want to risk that?
Long Term Rate Protection -
Every year we review your account. If your rates are no longer the best
that we can do for you, we notify you that we can save you more money.
When was the last time that a carrier called you to tell you that they
could lower their rate? Our retention rate over the last 3 years has
averaged 97%. With all of the competition in this industry, that says a
lot about our customer satisfaction.
We represent you, not the carrier
- When a carrier fails to provide our customers with the best
combination of rates and service we drop them from our service menu.
If
I need help in finding the best plan and services or in signing
up...what do I do?
back to top
0101
Long Distance provides free consultation to its customers and
prospective customers.
This service is unique in the industry.
Just fill out a custom quote request
and describe your area of concern in the comment section and a telecom
professional expert in that area will call you to help you resolve your
problem.
What do I need to
do to get these low rates ASAP?
back to top
This
is very important! You may have what is known as a PIC freeze on
your account even if you are not aware of that fact. This prevents us
from changing your long distance carrier. It is very simple to remove.
Call your local telephone company and ask them to remove any freeze that
is on your long distance service (both intralata and interlata) because
you will be changing long distance carriers. They may ask you if you
would like them to make the change of carriers right then. Tell them
"No Thank You! I only want you to remove any freeze that will
prevent the carrier from making the change". If they make the
change you may not get the rates that you have signed up for. Please let
us make the change!
What are "intralata" and "interlata" long
distance? back
to top
"Intralata"
refers to regional long distance. The calling area that this refers to
is determined by your local telephone company. The long distance calls
in this area may be handled by either your local telephone company (also
known as your LEC) or by your long distance company. "Interlata"
calls refer to all other long distance calls. They must be handled by
your long distance carrier.
How long will it take for the carrier change to take place?
back to top
Depending on the carrier, from 3-15
business days.
How will I know when I am on the new plan and can make calls at the
lower rates? back
to top
From
the phone that you wish to make the calls from, dial the following toll
free number 1-700-555-4141. You will hear a recording informing you who
the underlying long distance carrier is. For each long distance plan
description, we have listed who the underlying carrier is. For example
if you signed up for the Univance plan, after the switch was made you
would hear "Thank you for choosing Qwest Communications."
How can I save money on Long Distance?
back to top
There are 2 ways to save money on long
distance:
1. Shop the carriers on our web site.
2. Fill out a custom quote request form
and have one of our telecom professionals shop our carriers for you.
How
do I file a complaint with the
FCC? back
to top
If you believe you have been ripped off
by a long distance carrier, you can now file a complaint with the
Federal Communications Commission over the Internet. The Federal
Communications Commision regulates only INTERSTATE telecommunication
services. But that covers a lot of areas, including the following.
1. All state to state voice telephone calling.
2. Wireless services of any sort. (They use the air waves which are
regulated by the Federal Government).
3. Slamming - unauthorized switching of your long distance service.
4. Cramming - unauthorized items on your telephone bill.
As a convenience, 0101 Long Distance is providing one-click access
to the FCC complaint form. If you want more detailed information
from the FCC on filing complaints, click here.
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