Billing

Bills are rendered on the 15th of each month and are payable by the 23rd day after the 15th. Bills not received by the due date are subject to a 1.5% late charge which is added to your next bill.

Whether paying your bill in person, or by mail, please return the billing stub with your payment. If the stub has been mislaid, write your telephone number, including your area code, on your check.

From :    To :     Hancock (637)     Hancock (637)     Winterdale (635)     Winterdale     Winterdale (635)     Hancock (637)

Long Distance Services

Dial direct and avoid operator surcharges!
Collect, calling card, third number, person-to-person, pay phone, and time and charges calls are operator assisted and can become very expensive to use. In addition to the long distance charges, carriers add surcharges as high as $6.50 to these types of calls

Calling Options
You can't turn on the television anymore without being bombarded with what appears to be low cost long distance service options. We've all seen the celebrities selling the different 10-10 numbers. The TV ads make it look as though these services are available to everyone in the country, but if you could read the fine print, it doesn't take long to realize that the long distance companies only provide their "dial-around" and other services in very select, densely populated metropolitan areas. A long distance carrier's decision to come into a particular telephone service area is based upon economies of scale. And unfortunately for Hancock Telephone customers, there are not enough calls made in our territory to justify the costs associated with these services.

So, with this in mind, what can Hancock Telephone customers do to reduce long distance charges?

• Look at your phone bills to determine your personal calling habits.
• Then shop around. Hancock Telephone provides a list of long distance carriers in the phone directory along with an 800 contact number.
• Make sure you are on a calling plan.
• If you switch long distance carriers, contact both Hancock Telephone and your new long distance carrier to eliminate potential billing problems.
• Then, cancel your account with your old long distance carrier.
• 900, 700 and Chatline calls can be blocked for free - call us and avoid these potentially high bills.
• On the Internet? Make sure you are using a local number before getting on line.
• Don't recognize a call on your bill? Look them up on these internet sites: bigyellow.com, 555-1212.com and anywho.com

How does your long distance rate compare?
If you've ever wondered how long distance rates compare to one another, there's an easy way to find out. Visit the web site for the Telecommunications Research & action Center (TRAC) at www.trac.org. TRAC is a non-profit organization based in Washington D.C., whose goal is to promote the interests of residential telecommunications customers. The TRAC web site asks you to describe your calling patterns, then links you to an interactive long distance comparison chart that compares your current long distance rates to those of major carriers such as AT&T, Sprint and MCI. As the web site cautions, however, you have to add the cost of monthly service fees to the quoted per-minute long distance rates to make a true comparison.

Truth-in-Billing

Hancock Telephone bills for many service providers. These charges are sent to our billing vendor to be included on your bill. Sometimes the charges do not make it clear what you are being billed for or who is actually billing you.

In an effort to help consumers decipher their bills, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has enacted the following Truth-in-Billing (TIB) rules:

Bill Organization-Service Provider Name: The name of the service provider associated with each charge must be clearly identified on the telephone bill.

Bill Organization-Multiple Carriers: When charges for two or more carriers appear on the same telephone bill, the charges must be separated by service providers.

Bill Organization-New Service Providers: Clear and conspicuous notification of new service providers.

Description of Billed Charges: Charges contained on telephone bills must be accompanied by a brief, clear, non-misleading, plain language description of the service or services rendered.

"Deniable" and "Non-Deniable" Charges: A deniable charge is a charge that, if not paid, may result in disconnection of the customer's local exchange service. A non-deniable charge is a charge that, if not paid, will not result in the disconnection of the customer's local service.

Clear and Conspicuous Disclosure of Inquiry Contacts: The billing agent's toll free number is sufficient as long as they possess sufficient knowledge and authority to resolve customer inquiries and requests for adjustments.

If you have a question concerning a specific charge on your bill, you should contact the provider of that service. Their toll-free number is provided on your bill. If you still can't resolve your concerns, please call us at 637-9911.