I just made a call to my bank to use their automated service to check for latest deposits and cashed checks. The call lasted exactly 1 minute and 59 seconds. When I hung up and saw the timer show that time, I was pleased that I hadn't gone a second longer or I would be charged for 3 minutes instead of 2, since they round the time up to the next minute. So imagine my surprise when I got charged for 3 minutes anyway!
Why did this happen? If I didn't even get to the 2 minute mark, why was I charged for 3 minutes?
Pretty sure that the time spent ringing before the call is answered, counts towards time used. Even if no one picks up, if the ringing lasts >30 sec, you're dinged for a full minute. Annoying, but I'm used to it now.
Pretty sure that the time spent ringing before the call is answered, counts towards time used. Even if no one picks up, if the ringing lasts >30 sec, you're dinged for a full minute. Annoying, but I'm used to it now.
If that's the case, then they should be including the ringing time in the time clock when it shows the duration of my call. Otherwise, the timer is useless in calculating how much I'm going to be charged. Here I thought I would be charged for 2 minutes instead of 3 because the timer said 1:59. What good is that???
That is the fault of the phone and not the carrier. The meter is there for informational purposes and not to calculate how much you will be charged for a call.
The call timer is designed by your phone's manufacturer to start counting when the phone connects. AT$T has no role in it. It has been designed that way because internationally the norm is to start charging after the call has connected. However the greedy cartel of four large carriers that we have, charge at the moment the other phone starts ringing. Other unscrupulous practices in the US market which are absent internationally are charging for incoming calls (yup, most of the international market do not charge for incoming calls). Even more outrageous is charging for incoming messages (which you can't refuse to accept, unlike an incoming call), which are free in international markets
Originally Posted by a107
If that's the case, then they should be including the ringing time in the time clock when it shows the duration of my call. Otherwise, the timer is useless in calculating how much I'm going to be charged. Here I thought I would be charged for 2 minutes instead of 3 because the timer said 1:59. What good is that???
There's a small delay between you pressing the END button and the network terminating your call. Unfortunately, that means a call too close to the minute, will result in it going over the minute and the network charging an additional minute. It could happen on any network
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Originally Posted by msrhulot
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