>> If you call a cellphone (without voicemail) and it doesn't answer,
>> after a few rings an intercept recording will come on and tell you the
>> party is not available and terminate the call.
>> When you reach that recording, is that call chargeable? I don't think
>> it should be since it was unanswered, but my experience is that one
>> does get charged.
> In general, it's not chargeable. However, some systems get "confused"
> (intentionally misbill, since the consumer probably won't notice, and
> the company need only refund the amount of the overcharge, so there is > little risk.)
> (TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: However, considering that a cell phone
> is normally always within its owner's reach (a holster fastened to
> your trousers, in your purse, in a holder near the driver of an
> automobile, etc) it would seem very odd that it had to ring more than
> three or four times, at best, unanswered. PAT]
Good theory, but a lot of pe> And using a calling card from a payphone can be significant these
days since the payphone owner can now "legally" extort huge charges
> from the long distance carrier or card provider, who will then extort
> those surcharges from us.
No extortion involved. If someone held a gun to your head or otherwise forced you to use the payphone, it would be extortion.
Since you choose to use a payphone, you choose to absorb that cost. A cost, which is regulated, and which helps telcos continue to run pay phones at all, since they're not generally considered profitable anymore, at least around here.