Phonecard Ripoff

Let's face it, they all do it. How difficult is it to find a phonecard company that provides a great price and great service? We've found a cheap phonecard, roughly 2 ½ cents per minute to Sth Korea, and it was working well. The last couple of nights however I have been connected but not actually able to speak to the person on the other end. Talk about frustrating.

So I went to a newsagent today looking for another card. There were a few other well-known phonecard companies but on closer inspection I noticed that the access phone number was the same as the one I already have or they were owned by the same company. The newsagent recommended one from Optus which I decided to go for as they are the second largest telecommunication company in Australia therefore I shouldn't have any trouble getting connected. The rate was set at 2.8 cents per minute off-peak.

After having taken another look I discovered that the off-peak period is from 2am to 6am. Quite obviously that is the most likely time that I will call. Not very handy if you wish to make your call in this timezone or one hour ahead. They all do it - offer a ridiculous off-peak time that no-one is going to utilise. That basically amounts to false advertising.

The connection was fine but my first attempt I only got my mother-in-law as the missus had gone out. Call quality was fine if you continued talking. Any pauses and there was a strange silence. Good to have a half hour chat with the missus in any case. Now I just need to get her to feel comfortable with a Webcam conversation.