Take, for example, the service offered by MCI-WorldCom and advertised by Dennis Miller. Each minute after the first 20 costs 10 cents. If you place a call that is exactly 20 minutes long, you ll receive an average rate of just under five cents per minute a good value. Again, those short calls to answering machines are going to be relatively expensive. You ll need to anticipate how long you expect to be on each call before deciding which seven digit dial-around service to use.
Every service has one.
Ask the customer service representative to explain all the additional fees, minimum charges, and extra costs associated with their service. Ask if there is a monthly fee, a connection fee or a minimum per-call charge. Members of the D.C. Bar Section on Antitrust, Trade Regulation and Consumer Affairs coordinate this column as a public service. The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the Section or the Bar. This column is not intended to provide legal advice.