I wasn't expecting that
We get our second phone bill. It's over $400.
Included in the calls? A 30 minute ($108) call to a UK cell phone. A 43 minute ($129) call to a UK land line.
WTF?!?!?!
So. Obviously AT&T is appalling for international long distance. Does anyone have any suggestions for an add-on service that will not cost us our souls to say hello to James's family? I knew American long distance wasn't as good as other countries' services but this is INSANE. I am completely stunned.
In the UK, our international long distance bill was around £20 a month... and that included the 45 minute calls I made to my mother every other day.
Update:
I called AT&T and spent 48 minutes on a phone with a woman who barely spoke English. Frustrating. I explained my problem - I was supposed to pay $40 a month for unlimited calls to the UK - and after a long time on hold, she fixed it. And refunded certain expensive calls on my bill.
This would have been a hell of a lot more satisfying if we hadn't had people arriving at the time. I guess that's my problem, for having chosen that time to call, but I really didn't expect it to take that long.
Thanks for all of the suggestions, guys. Believe me when I say that I'm investigating all of them. AT&T can suck it, for all I care.
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I hate to say it...
but remember when I was telling you to get Skype?
I know that Verizon has an international long distance service -- you pay a monthly fee (perhaps $4?) and the per-minute rate reduces significantly. AT&T might offer something similar.
Phone cards/pins can also get you down to about 3� a minute. Some have bizarre rules and restrictions but there are more straightforward choices. I used to use www.uniontelecard.com for Trinidad (they call to verify your identity the first time you use them, but you can reorder freely after that).
It's already been mentioned here, but I'll vouch that Vonage has treated me exeedingly well.
You need an international calling plan, which will probably cost you no more than $5 in flat fee, and give you a rate of something around 8 cents a minute. AT&T should also offer flat-rate unlimited calling to the UK for about $50/month.
Skype will offer a bit over 2 cents a minute. Quality varies.
I second Erin. :)
You could do what I do to call my folks, which is buy an international phone card. They give you a code you can use to dial up long distance and it ends up being a great deal cheaper than normal calls.
Just another vouch for Vonage. We use it and have enjoyed it immensely. Another great side effect of VoIP is that telemarketers don't know you exist. :)
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Beth Ballingall
food lover : world traveller : gamer : New Yorker : twenty-something : former Londoner : handbag lover : erstwhile soprano : geek
Ditch AT&T and get Vonage. Calls to UK (and most W. Europe) lines are free and the rates to cells are really low.