I was going over my latest phone bill when I noticed a new charge had been added without my prior notification and approval. It was listed as a 'Minimum Usage Charge' and was $2.00. I called to question it and was told the charge actually started going on bills in August. It turns out that AT&T, in an attempt to wring every possible cent out of its customers, decided to give customers who didn't have a long distance plan the option of long distance without telling them, adding the $2.00 fee to cover $2.00 worth of long distance calls each might make, even though the customers weren't informed that they were now paying $2.00 for the option of making long distance calls every month. Sneaky, underhanded, and so typical of AT&T. I use a MagicJack for long distance calls, so I had quit paying for any kind of long distance service a couple of years ago. The customer service rep told me that to eliminate the fee, I'd no longer have long distance access. I asked if I could still make toll-free calls, and he said yes. Isn't that long-distance access? Anyway, the bogus 'Minimum Usage Charge' will no longer appear on my bill, and those two months have been credited to my account. So check your phone bills carefully. You never know what new charges may appear that you can eliminate.
