Hi Harvey,

The real issue isn't the area code itself, afterall 809 has been the area
code for all the caribean, including u.s. and foreign islands for
decades.  The real issue is  whether or not these companies who charge
these rates exist, likely they do, i haven't checked the scam buster web
page yet.  Nevertheless, the real issue is the service at the other end,
what that service charges,
and not the area code itself.

Since the expantion, and I might add subsequent waste and wantant abuse of
the new area codes established in the early 1990's, many small islands and
locations have their own area codes.  For example, the area code 674 goes
to the island of Guam.  Yes, one little island with one big area code.
If a person calls Guam, they'll get whatever international rates apply
from their long distance carrier for a call to Guam.  The fact that you
dial what seems to be a regular u.s. area code, has nothing to do with the
rate.  In other words, just because you dial a number which has a u.s.
area code in it, doesn't mean you'll get low rates.  Most of the world is
dialed through the traditional international dialing system, that is from
the u.s. you'd dial 011 plus the country code, plus the city code, if
there is a city code, plus the local phone number. Depending on your long
distance carrier, and perhaps the plans they offer, and international
agreements about costs for calls between the u.s. and that called nation,
you can get incredibly low international rates to certain countries,

The rates are what one really deals with, regardless of how the
call is dialed, and the fact that the location is international or not in
and of itself doesn't guarantee the rate is high or low.

Puerto Rico has now gotten an area code of 756, I believe.    Being in
the Caribean, it used to have a code of 809.  I believe the
U.S. Virgin Islands still is in the 809 area code.
If you had a friend living in the U.S. Virgin Islands, you'd never call
him or her following the broad brush advise of the message which has been
posted.  The issue isn't the area code, the issue is what is the rate for
the specific call, or pay per call service if a given number is a pay per
call service number.

When indoubt, contact your long distance provider for a rate.  Be aware of
the fact that if you contact an a t & t operator for a rate, and are not
an a t & t customer, you'll be in for a heck of a surprise.  Even if you
contact the a t & t operator to ask a question like, what is the
international code for a certain country, you'll be in for a shock.  I
know, because I'm not an a t & t customer, I called the a t & t operator
to ask for the country code for a country, and was send a bill of almost
$10 for asking the question.  They treated the information as a directory
assistance call to a foreign place, even though I never called that
country, or asked for a foreign name or number from their directory, but
just asked a a t & t operator for the international country code for that
country.  So phone scams are all over the place.  I got the charge
eliminated but it took two or three calls to a t & t, and a complaint to
my states utility commision.  The a t & t person to who I'm complained
took the stance that regardless of the fact that the charge of 9.35 wasn't
in effect a couple years ago, it is now, and I will have to pay.  I never
was given a warning by the operator or through a recording that there
would be a charge to connect with the operator, or given an opportunity to
hang up before the charge started.  It was a mess.

I am sure that if you contact an operator from a long distance company
which you do not subscribe to, you'll get some surprising charges.  I
doubt they'd be as high as a t & t's though. So best advice, contact your
onw long distance company for rates.  Sometimes the operator has them,
sometimes the operator switches you to the business office.  When it comes
to the telephone near monopolies, we have a system of pay for what you
use, and pay through the nose for little used services.

Fyi, You'll also see or get scam calls suggesting that you dial numbers in
the 743 area code.  Again, nothing necessarily bad with that code itself,
but it's an international location which happens to have rather high
charges for most long distance companies, and certain scam outfits have
set up workers to take calls from the u.s. from customers who think they
are dialing a contiguous state, assuming the rate is low.

Steve


--
+----------------------------+
|  Steve Zielinski  (N8UJS)  |
|      [log in to unmask]      |
+----------------------------+


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