Sometimes I wonder why I still use a toll-free and long distance provider. Considering my cell phone plan includes long distance, and my home phone is served by a VoIP carrier which incurs no long distance charges, there really isn’t much that a long distance carrier can do for me, considering the same service through them would actually cost me money, where the stuff I use every day essentially offers it for free.
Unfortunately, neither of those options can be trusted to be 100% reliable in emergencies, and events like 9/11 and the northeast blackout of 2003 has taught me the virtues of having a calling card handy, just in case I’m forced to use a payphone, and a toll free number in case I’m in good shape but someone else isn’t and must use a payphone to reach me.
The problem lies in the fact that cell phone coverage issues, VoIP failures, and major national emergencies just don’t crop up often enough to make this cost effective for poor AT&T or MCI. Observe september 2004, a month for me where the only urgent situation consisted of one episode of “oh crap, I forgot my cell phone at home and need to check my voice messages:”
I have no idea how I’m going to pay this one. No, really, I don’t. Not because I don’t have the cash (hell, even if I was somehow completely broke I’m sure I could find three discarded pennies on the street). The problem is getting those three pennies out TO the carrier for payment:
– A check would cost 37 cents in postage to mail, unofficially imposing a 1233% surcharge on the payment. And that doesn’t include the cost of materials (ordering an $18 box of checks brings the cost of each individual printed check to 6 cents each, meaning the check isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on).
– My bank’s electronic bill pay feature is free, but will not accept or make payments that are less than $1.00.
– I could call up and pay by credit card. I don’t think the phone company will like that one.
Or, I could just let the balance languish and see if the phone company sends a collection agency after me. It would be interesting to see how serious they would be about those 3 cents. 🙂