Long-distance rates change so often that customers need to check every couple of months to see if there is a better plan. Many people deal with this confusion by not dealing with it. A study last year by the Yankee Group found that about 60 percent of all households hadn't signed up for a long-distance calling plan, which means they are probably paying up to three times the lowest possible rate. The choices don't stop at long-distance. And for those who want a wireless phone, there are 68 calling plans offered by five companies in the Bay Area.
Comparisons are even harder when bundles of services are available.
But not everyone is daunted by these new choices. Brad Houser, a software engineering manager at Intel, relishes the options. After doing some research, he switched to a new long-distance plan offered through America Online Inc. for nine cents per minute. But even that may not be enough to help folks like Park. The family has Qwest for long-distance on one phone line but Park can't recall the other one.