Even though we have advanced technology and various means of contacting our friends and families but calling cards are still in use. If you want to contact someone who is living abroad, one of the best options is to use a calling card. Although we now have Whatsapp and various other applications that allow free calling through the internet but what if they do not have any internet available? Likewise, these famous applications are also not available in every country.
Because of the need for calling cards, this industry is also having its traps to catch you off-guard. There are various ways of getting you to fall into the pitfall and ripping you off your money. If you want to prevent that, you need to learn about the tricks that the companies use.
If you learn about these tips and tricks, you can avoid any possible loss.
1. Getting a reliable company
The most important thing is to get rid of fraudsters. Therefore, you need to get a calling card from somewhere that is trustworthy. Instead of going to convenience stores, you can search online. There are various platforms that can offer reliable calling cards, for example, nzphonecards.co.nz.
All you need to do is to go to nzphonecards.co.nz write the country of your location and where you want to call. Afterward, click on the Find button. The site will find the most reliable calling cards that you can use.
Another advantage of using their service is that they do not have any hidden fees. Furthermore, you will get the pin number to your email address. And you do not even have to visit any particular calling station. These phone cards allow you to call any number from any landline or mobile phone.
In addition to all this, there won’t be anything stopping you. Because with their services, you can call to more than 200 countries of the world. So there can’t be a place where you cannot contact someone.
2. Check for connection fees
One of the tricks that calling card companies use is to include a connection fee. So when you call someone and he isn’t the person you are trying to reach but you already have a successful connection so there will be charges for that. Likewise, even if you could not talk to anyone and get connected to the voicemail, you will still pay. After the connection fee, there will also be the disconnection fee. So they are simply looting you.
Because of these tricks, it is best to not use them. Therefore, before you buy any calling card, make sure that there aren’t any hidden charges.
However, this does not necessarily mean that you should avoid them completely. These companies also need to earn profit. Therefore, there will be some calling charges but the difference is the fee. If the fee is reasonable, you can get it. For example, some cards will reduce the calling rates but will get the connection fee. This is for their services but they won’t overcharge you. That is why you can choose them.
3. Check for any hidden charges
Although you can easily find out about the connection fee but there are a lot of other hidden charges. So before you buy the calling card, make sure to go through all the details of charges that you will pay. If the deal sounds reasonable, you can go with it. Otherwise, you do not have to pay a huge sum in terms of charges.
But how will you detect any hidden charges?
Because of the market competition, some companies will offer very thin profit margins. However, it is not much profitable for them in the long run and they will get bankrupt. Therefore, if a company is offering very little margin all the time and is still working, this clearly shows that they cover their profit from somewhere else.
People will prefer that particular company because it will seem inexpensive. However, once you buy the card, your call duration will be shorter than other cards. This is because of the hidden charges. You won’t even know and the company will deduct its fee.
According to a survey report, around 50 percent of calling cards were found to charge an additional fee. And this fee was only for the sake of using the calling card. This means, if you are using a calling card, you will have to pay this fee, which is a complete non-sense. Therefore, do check for such details. Paying a reasonable amount is not a bad thing. But if you go cheaper, you might get into a big loot.
4. Look for the date of expiry
Usually, supermarkets, convenience stores and retail shops have expired cards. They won’t be of any use to you but you will pay for it.
However, the thing is no one is actually at fault here. The newsagent or the store manager might not know the expiry date. Likewise, the company is also not at fault.
Therefore, it is important for you to check for the expiration date before paying for it.
5. After-sale services
This is an important thing to ask. If you are buying something from the market, can someone provide after-sale services or not. If the manufacturer or seller is sure of the quality and performance, they will be happy to offer after-sale services.
For example, if you buy any electronic gadget from the market, it comes with a warranty card. However, you can also buy cheaper products that do not have any warranty. You can use them as long as they work. And this completely depends on your luck. If you are lucky, the gadget will work for years. Otherwise, not even a week.
Likewise, calling cards can also have some technical problems.
For example, the sound quality is so poor that you cannot hear properly. Similarly, the connection might drop or you cannot get any connection at all. So do ask if they candela with such problems and how long will it take.