Any sensible consumer will insist on the lowest available rate. But many end up inadvertently paying higher charges.
Some plans also offer five-cent rates evenings and weekends.
So millions pay excessive long-distance charges out of their own innocence, giving phone companies windfall profits. Several months ago, I temporarily shut off one phone line. But a month later, exorbitant bills were still piling up. Indeed, if lawyers or doctors resorted to this kind of deliberate overbilling, they would be subject to criminal prosecution for fraud. If they didn't resort to complex rate plans and selective gouging forays, consumers could easily compare costs, drive down rates, and profits would tumble.