Pay Phone Ripoffs

I recently returned from southern Mexico where I several times used those white telephone boxes on the walls that say "Call USA with any credit card or collect. Just dial 0".

The boxes are about two feet wide by three tall and are frequently found in telephone offices, or hotels, stuck on the wall at eye height. They are white and instructions are in English.

Using these is VERY EXPENSIVE, about $20 for the first minute and $7-$8 per minute thereafter. Dollars, not pesos. They do not volunteer rates unless you insist. They also charge at full minute rates, not for the time you are connected.

I intend to post this monthly to Usenet, to help others not get ripped the way I did. They also bill through a 3rd party so you can't talk to them directly.

If you are in Mexico, you might lift the receiver to ask about their rates, and let the person you talk to know if you think they are taking advantage of travelers. Warn everyone you meet, and let's put pressure on these robbers to reduce their rates or go out of business. This is not a "Mexican phone" problem, but a U.S. company.

D McWethy
Peterborough Folk Music Society
deb@pfms.mv.com
May 1996

Return to Telephone Calls.