Most people have lives to live and can't be bothered with pricing nuances. Unscruplus businesses take full advantage of that fact to defraud people. Apparently the other poster thinks it is perfectly reasonable for purchasers to study, understand, and memorize the fine print so many businesses put nowadays. I think that's an insult to people. What's particular galling is that this is a change from traditional service.
My mother tended to prefer shopping with large, established organizations even if they cost more. If she dealt with smaller or newer outfits, she was very careful. She grew up in a time before government regulation of labels when a merchant could claim anything he wanted about a product's composition or weights and measures could be suspect (the old "thumb on the butcher's scale" trick). She never brought ground beef, but rather had the butcher do it for her. This way she got less fat. (Unfortunately, her lean hamburgers, while healthier, weren't very tasty).
Anyway, in today's mega merger world we've seen a return of sleazy business practices once performed in my mother's day but ended by law. That is sad.
It's bad enough they charge us $25 for a pay phone LD call, it's worse they hide it from us. Frankly I have no use for anyone who would defend that practice.
As to pay phones, like other divesture services the new players want the candle lit on both ends. They want the freedom to charge whatever they want (no regulation), yet they want forced inclusion (continue regulation) into existing services. So, some sleazy pay phone operator -- who otherwise would never be dealt with -- is mandated to be included. One solution is very simple -- mandate every pay phone have a mounted rate card for LD calls from that phone. Every other retail business does it. (And make the LD carrier serving that phone be the responsible party). I can hear the screaming now.
Pay phones historically didn't need long distance price lists because all rates were strictly regulated and were modest. Even in the early years after divesture, when AT&T began to raise operator handling charges, they weren't too bad. The initial period cost might be high, but subsequent time was still at a low rate. A dollar for three minutes is not $25 for one minute.
A basic premise of technology is to make things _easier_ for humans. A Touch Tone pad is easier than a rotary dial. A CD player is easier than a phonograph. BUT, dialing an extra 11 digits before making a phone call is NOT easier. It is harder. Adding to the confusion is the original plan of labeling the long distance carrier on the phone (this is what tripped me up). I presumed, quite naturally, that if the LD carrier was the default on the payphone, it wouldn't be necessary to dial a separate access number. Further, originally, LD carrier access numbers were the 10+ code, which I used to use and presumed was adequate. It's not. I found out the hard way that one had to dial the 800 number as well as other considerations. I also was misquoted rates numerous times.
I also want to note that my Bell issued calling card number remained unchanged long after disvesture (until I disconnected the phone it was tied to two years ago). Until things got out of hand, I would get charged a surcharge for a calling card call -- which I expected -- but this surcharge was modest. Frankly, I didn't know who had my calling card -- local Bell or AT&T -- but I didn't care since it worked fine on either type of call. I had used standard Bell payphones with AT&T LD service only.