Is a 1-800 number always free?
 

Yes or no?

It's never free. Somebody somewhere is paying that bill.

Ok let me ask the question in a different way.

If I call a 1-800 number will I ever have to pay for it??

It could be set up that way, yes... is it likely? Not really.

But does the caller have to input something?
Like press a 1 or a 2?

No... it's all in how the number is set up. I've seen some support 800 numbers that are free for the first 5 minutes or whatever, then it starts going on your bill. It's not unheard of, just not likely. Most companies use 800 numbers for the very purpose of provided costomers (or potential customers) with a free call... but it's just a phone number... just like any other... there's nothing magical about 800... if it's set up to charge you.... you'll get charged.

if u r living in cada or usa yep it is free (in another meanthe place you call give pays fee)

but if you call from international it is not free

For sure?

What you probably called, (if you got charged... and I'm assuming you did, hence this post), is called something called a LOCAL 800 number... which can be set up for free calls within a city, or a state... but everyone outside of the specified area pays for it.... yes, the same number.

However, most companies (that I know of anyway) don't do it that way... because the 800 appears misleading... so they'll have their local 800 number, but it is completely unreachable from outside the area, forcing out of state or out of city callers to use their regular old area code numbers.

So to put it bluntly, the short answer here is NO... it's not always free.

Ok.

Thanx
I just thought that all 1800 numbers are toll-free. I'm from Canada.

The thing is that I called the wrong number cause I spell like an idiot. And it put me through to some fuckin adult line. WTF? It was a 1-800 number. I was wondering if this can charge me like a crazy dialer? I was on for like 10 seconds.

BTW the number was 1-800-3733-739...

Do I look like the damn phone company?
Call your phone company or operator bizitch!


And thats the Bottom Line cause Boneprone Said so.

http://bbs.gofuckyourself.net/board/frown.gif
Can't say anything to dat.

It was an adult line? See... you could've offered up a detail like that and made this thread much shorter.

Yes... if it's an adult line, like phone sex, you do have to push a few "agreement" buttons nefore they start charging you. Many adult lines are use 800 numbers set up exactly that way... because it purposely tricks people into thinking it's a free call, to get them to call it... then they give you some bullshit voice "tour" before asking you to push this or that.

So now, basically, you wanna know if you're gonna get charged for whackin' off on the phone. If you pushed the right buttons... yes. If you listened to their "tour" and then hung up... no.

ZaHa the free porn on the web should be enough for you! I can't find a reason calling a hot line!

Thanx Amp.

yes you going to pay!!!!so stop that phone sex calling.

Hey,

Sandwich, I wanna open a company you idiot and wanna know how this works. I got all the info I need so shut up with your stupid comments.

Za Ha,

Sorry I did not see your question earlier, because you have been given some very inaccurate information. While I am not the telephone company, I did work for GTE (before it became Verizon)for 25 years, and have been in the industry for 30+ years.

In answer to your question, no, you will never have to pay for calling a 1-800, 1-877 or 1-888. These are toll free to the calling party prefixes. When you dial one of these numbers it is directed to the central office of the called party and then translated to the local 7-digit phone number of that person/business. Any applicable toll charges are applied to the owner of the 800, 877 or 888 number.

These numbers can be set up to only work from certain areas, such as it would make no sense for your neighbor to accept calls from his local area, since it is a free call for you to call him anyway. So if you called your neighbors 800 number, you mould most likely receive a recording saying that you could not call that number from your area. However, this recording would cost no one anything.

So, to answer your question, no, you will never be charged for calling any 800, 888, or 877 numbers.


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Za Ha,

I just noticed that you want to open a company that offers a toll free number?

You want what is called an INWATS line, and you can set it up so that only people from certain areas can use the number, or the world can use it. They will never pay, and you will. Tariffs were never my thing, but I think you can set it up where you pay a flat rate no matter how many incoming calls you get, but you will have to check that out through your favorite long distance carrier.

That is all the info you get for free from me though. My consultation rates are $45 an hour (USD) and I accept paypal if you want more accurate info, which seems to be lacking here, on this subject anyway.



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Numbers that appear to be toll free can indeed be set up to bill at whatever rate the line holder wants.

Plenty of people who came from audio text could tell you that.

LOL,, i never knew a person to remember the wrong number they dialed,,, admit it,
you was trying to have phone sex



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Playa
icq#38147712
www.NoBSdialer.com
GET FREE $50

I guess I'm just full of shit.

who is Sandwich ? if thats me at least you can spell it right like sacashd but not Sandwich.i bet that are you good damn speller.

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GammaCash ----Make 40$ per signup and cheques comes in 2 days.

Sorry, KimmyKim, but no one can decide what rate they want to bill the calling party at. Well, actually, that is not entirely true. There are villages in Mexico that have one pay phone. If you want to call someone in that village you must go thru your long distance operator and negotiate with the person answering the cost for them to go track down the person you want to talk with.

Other than that, all fees are regulated.


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I own a phone sex company and I can unequivocally state that:

800
888
877
866
855

are ALL TOLL FREE exchanges. Some numbers might not be accessible from certain states or Canada, but yes they're toll free. There's no Toll Free number that can start billing you after X minutes.

Keepin' the Phone Sex Toll Free... (because we like CC's and Checks better!)

Brad
SinEmpire.com / SinTalk.com

Hate to disagree...

But bullshit! Show me a toll free line that bills the customer, I'll pick up the charges. The reason that it can't be done is that there's no such thing as 'forwarding' the charges.

EXAMPLE:
You call a toll free phone sex line - that's one connection. They can't hand you off to another phone line to make a charge appear on your bill. The only way they can connect you to another line is to place a new call, originating from their call center, to this new number... that would leave any toll or other charges on their dime, not the first person that called into the toll free number.

Brad
SinTalk Pays!

Sorry boys. You are wrong.
http://www.cotac.com/

LOL

Theres some evidence

Sorry KimmyKim - the ad on the html page is written improperly, it says it will bill to your phone line but in fact it cannot. I called the number and it's from Pilgrim Communications and it offers payment by check, credit card, prepayment - or you can press a number to hear their 1-900 number that you can call to bill to your phone line.

Looks like their webmaster mistakenly used copy for marketing a 1-900 number.

So, at least this line won't charge you if you call. I think that the idea of an 800 number billing your line is an urban myth.

Sincerely,

Brad
SinTalk.Com

hmmm... these guys fucked up too?

And how come when I call my nationwide Earthlink dialup from a truckstop in Nebraska that I get billed for it? Oh wait... they probably paid the bill and then charged me back or something. But I thought it was ALWAYS FREE?

Guess I'm just full of shit.

Yes they did, it's also a Pilgrim number, just like the last one. Probably the same guy marketing both lines... they need to get their copy right!

Phone Sex Rocks.

Brad
SinTalk.Com

I guess I forgot totally about my Interpath 800 number which bills me at 10 cents per minute.

Because a payphone, itself, is a seperate device. 800 calls used to be free on payphones then they got wise and realized they could make anyone put .35 in, even if the number the person wants is a toll free number. Since they don't have to allow free access from their payphone, after all it is a billing device, many don't anymore. It's essentially at the discretion of whatever payphone you're using, likely Po-Dunk Payphone company put that one or something...

Besides, I thought everyone had cell phones? :-)

Brad
SinTalk.com

hmmm... here's one you can set up yourself to bill another number. Guess this is a myth also?

No, I can quite assure you those are NOT the same people.

I don't know what Interpath is but I'd be happy to call it and see if I get a bill :-)

I think at this juncture I'd REALLY like to find a toll free number that charges to a phone line... Everyone's got me curious. If there was such a way to do it, I would think that every phone sex company would have lines like that - but not a single one of all the largest providers do. So, I'm still waiting for an example... :-)

I used to think before I got into this business that this was possible, an 800 number that bills to a line, but I've seen nothing like this in two years of audiotext. You know, it's possible that maybe there was a loophole in the 80's or early 90's that might have allowed such a thing.

Brad
SinTalk.Com

P.S. - If I'm wrong KimmyKim, I definately owe you drinks in Vegas!! lol

Whoops... better check this one out... (industry specific example behind this bad boy)

Somebody owes somebody else some booze.

Hate to dissapoint you but those are rates for the owners of the lines, not the callers. So, you can sign up for toll free service and get a line and pay those rates when people call YOU.

Cheers

Brad

You just don't get it, they assign different types of lines - 800/900 etc. 900 bills to phone and 800 or other toll frees need a CC or check for payment.

Brad
SinTalk.Com

Okay, it's not the same 'marketer' but it is the same provider, Pilgrim. Evidently they don't teach their affiliates how to properly market their lines... I know I teach mine the right way! These people marketing the phone sex lines aren't the phone sex companies, they're simply affiliates that have been given numbers to market and participating in a rev share.

Brad
SinTalk.Com

Okay fine. But isn't that what monkey spanker up there was asking to begin with? If he calls an 800 number, will he get billed if he doesn't press such and such? If it transfers to a different line or whatever... I don't really care about the specific mechanics of the operation. But that last link is God's living proof that an 800 number can be set up so that if you press 555EATMYDICK 7 times, that you WILL be getting billed for it. Hence.... No.... they are not always free.

Just to follow up, here's that company's INFO page which states that people need to pay by CC on their 800 lines:
http://home.onestop.net/getinfo/900800.htm

Brad

P.S. - Is anyone buying me a drink if I'm right? j/k

Yes they are always free, you can't be transferred to a 1-900 number after calling a 1-800 number. The most they can do is give you the right other number to call. And, what the heck is 555EATMYDICK - that's no 800 number ;-)

Brad

It's possible to charge.

I'm not going to argue it out, but I've worked with a company that assigns them.

uuuuhhh... i'm getting a headache.

look at that link you just posted. The caller is dialing an 800 number. When he presses #1 he gets to listen to goats farting... #2, he's listening to an intimate felching session.... What difference does it make HOW he is being charged? Who cares if it comes off his credit card or if Vinnie & Bruno go over there and beat it out of him? HE'S BEING CHARGED FOR THE CALL.