By Rick
Long distance calling can be an expensive luxury for many people that can get even more expensive if you choose the wrong carrier to handle the calls. With the fierce competition for these long distance dollars a few years back, some of the less honorable companies would switch your long distance calls to another carrier without you even knowing. In many cases a consumer may be left asking the question “who is my long distance carrier?”. There are a few ways to uncover this and knowing who is handling your expensive long distance calls is the first step in reducing your monthly phone bills. Answering the question “who is my long distance carrier?” takes a little work that is well worth the effort.
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Where to Start
There are a number of websites available that can help you discover who is my long distance carrier and detail the process for you. In essence you can call one of two numbers to verify your current carrier is, and then make adjustments if needed. You can find the numbers through FCC. Both of these numbers are free to call and will provide the current carriers associated with the number you are calling from. In many cases you will discover that your carrier has been changed to a company you don’t recognize and this may have been the result of you accepting an offer over the phone. In most cases the offer you agreed to had nothing to do with your phone service but gave the company calling you permission to change your provider. In the business this is known as “slamming” and was so widespread that the FCC setup the two phone numbers listed to help combat the practice. Once you answer the question “who is my long distance carrier?” you can quickly make changes to your service.
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How Did This Happen?
If you have ever had to answer the question “who is my long distance carrier?” it’s probably because your service was changed without your knowledge. Long distance calling is so lucrative that many smaller companies jumped into the market when it was deregulated a number of years ago. This gave them the chance to charge for your long distance calls by routing them through their networks using your existing phone lines. By taking control of routing your calls they could charge you whatever they wanted for making this connection. These rates were usually several times higher than your old carrier and raised your monthly bill substantially. This type of slamming became so common that it left many consumers asking “who is my long distance carrier and how did this happen?”
How to Change Your Carrier
If asking the question “who is my long distance carrier?” resulted in a surprising answer, there are a few ways of changing back to your original carrier. The Federal Communications Commission takes the practice of slamming very seriously and can help you sort out your situation. Their website has detailed instruction on how to prevent this from happening as well as fixing it once it has. You can basically call up the new company and tell them to switch you back and won’t be responsible for any charges incurred. You can also place a freeze on your service to avoid having to ask the question “who is my long distance carrier?” ever again.
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