

I've never heard of
TouchTone, is their service of good quality?
1 - I've never heard of
TouchTone, is their service of good quality?
TouchTone is a switchless reseller employing the
nationwide Qwest network as their underlying carrier. Call quality is the same
as utilizing that network directly, and is not a problem!
2 - Is this service available in
my area?
TouchTone long distance is not available in AK or
HI.
In other states, TouchTone is available to all phone
lines, regardless of who provides your local telephone service.
3 - How much does it cost to
switch to TouchTone, and will they reimburse any switching fees?
Your local phone company will charge you a one time
fee for switching long distance carriers, normally $5-$10 per line, you can
confirm this with your local phone company.
In order to get your switching fee paid by
TouchTone, send a copy of your local telephone bill showing the switching
charges to TouchTone along with your first TouchTone bill payment, along with a
short note requesting credit. TouchTone will issue the credit to your long
distance account. It is not automatic, but if you remember to ask, they will
reimburse these costs.
4 - Does
TouchTone
have "live" customer service representatives available via tollfree phone?
Yes, your tollfree Customer Service phone number
will be sent upon request, after you've submitted your order.
5 - My local phone company needs
to know the "PIC code" in order to change my service to
TouchTone,
what is TouchTone's
PIC code?
It is premature at present to change your PIC code.
In order to switch you must first submit an order for service. In order to do
so, complete the simple online information request located
here. You will receive an email with more information about the switching
process.
After your order is submitted, TouchTone will set up your account and TouchTone's underlying carrier for your area will contact your local telephone company to make the switch. Unless you have a PIC freeze on your local service, or there is another reason preventing the switch, it should occur automatically. As soon as your account is set up by TouchTone, their Customer Service department can tell you how to confirm that the account is set up properly.
To change the PIC code prematurely will cause either loss of service, or billing directly from TouchTone's underlying carrier at MUCH higher rates than those charged by TouchTone.
6 - Are these rates promotional
rates, or are they permanent?
TouchTone has never raised rates for existing
customers, and they say these rates are permanent. However, they, like all long
distance companies, have the right and ability to raise rates with or without
notification. It is for this reason that we always strongly recommend that
customers check their phone bills regardless of the provider that they are
using.
7 - Are there any billing fees for this TouchTone
plan?
There is no service charge or monthly
minimum for your account.
8 - How long does it take to get service from
TouchTone?
TouchTone sets up new accounts in 3-4 days after
submission of the order for service. Complete activation at your local phone
company usually takes 2-3 days. So in total most accounts are set up in 5-7
days.
9 - Should I call my current LD
carrier in order to switch to TouchTone?
No, there is no need to contact your current LD
provider at this time. Once the change is made, your LOCAL phone company will
send an electronic notice to your current (previous) provider indicating that
you've switched away from them. After you have confirmed that TouchTone is
properly set up on your line and that everything is in order we do recommend one
phone call to your previous carrier to make sure they received and processed the
cancel request for your previous account.
10 - Does
TouchTone
offer "local toll" calling, and if so, what is the rate?
Yes, on the order form, simply check Yes in the
section authorizing TouchTone to carry your Intra-State (this actually means "intraLATA",
or "local toll") calls. The rate is the same as the INstate rate for your state.
11 - What is meant by "local
toll" or "intraLATA" calling?
Intralata means calls INSIDE of your LATA, or
regional toll calling area. A LATA is a geographical area in which the local
telephone company is allowed to carry not only local calls, but long distance
toll calls, as well. These areas were defined at the AT&T divestiture, in 1984.
One source to learn the area covered by your own
LATA is probably a map you will find in the first section of your local white
pages telephone directory. This map is rarely called a LATA map, more often it
will be named as a guide for "local long distance", "measured toll", "extended
area service", "itemized calling", or "regional toll calling".
There is also a map online, not very detailed, but
useful, at
http://www.robotics.net/clec/LATA_Map.html
Your phone line has only TWO presubscribed long
distance settings on it, one governs intRAlata (inside of the LATA) and the
other setting governs intERlata (outside of the LATA). Phone company
representatives OFTEN refer to these two settings as "instate" and "out of
state", despite the fact that in most states, this is not correct! You can
select the same, or different presubscribed carriers for each setting. The rate
for intRAlata calls is the same as the instate rate for most long distance
carriers.
12 - Are any "extra" digits
needed to be dialed to use TouchTone's
long distance service?
No, TouchTone uses normal 1 + area code + number
dialing, no access codes are required.
Statesville Tech Solutions is an Authorized Agent for TouchTone Communications.
1-(877) 529-9762