No Collect Calls with TW Digital Phones

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Nehmo Sergheyev 21 years ago

I'm in Kansas City, Kansas.

I just did two and a quarter days in jail. I bonded out, but I probably could have gotten things going faster if my home phone could have accepted collect calls. I then could have communicated with my wife more easily. In most jails nowadays, after an initial call, an inmate is only allowed to make collect calls.

I had changed my home phone service from SBC (formally Southwestern Bell) to a so-called "digital phone" from Time Warner. (My ISP is Roadrunner through TW.) When I ordered the service, it never occurred to me that being able to accept collect calls is an important feature. I never asked if the feature were available, and I didn't know it wasn't working until I needed to make a collect call to home.

The inability to accept collect calls isn't mentioned on

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This missing feature is something to consider for those of you contemplating getting a TW phone.

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<spamtrap 21 years ago

Collect calls should be allowed. From the FAQ you sent. If you are still having problems with this contact your support number and make them find out why.

Q: Can I receive collect calls?

A: Yes. Your total collect call charges are listed together as Directory Assistance and Operator Services on your monthly bill. For call-by-call details, check your account at

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Nehmo Sergheyev 21 years ago

- spamtrap -

- Nehmo - I missed that. I just called TW customer service. Apparently collect-call acceptance was blocked on my line. I had got the phone in its beta days and TW didn't have it's questionare established then. Now they ask new customers if they want collect calls blocked or not.

Now I have collect calls unblocked.

I asked what the cost was: Collect calls to TW phones default to Sprint. The charge before tax is $3.95 to accept a collect call and + $.49/minute after.

I'm not sure how making a collect call through another company would work. I would think it would be their rates. The jail I was in used Evercom.

- Nehmo (original post) -

occurred to

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DevilsPGD 21 years ago

I might be wrong but I think you can dial calling card calls too, no?

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Nehmo Sergheyev 21 years ago

- Nehmo -

- DevilsPGD -

- Nehmo ? Every institution has its own policy. In this particular place, the Johnson County Gardner Detention Center, an inmate, upon booking, gets a free card using Evercom

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has ten minutes on it. After an inmate gets moved into the general population, which comes after about five days, the inmate can then buy additional cards. I wasn't there that long, and I don't know how much the cards sell for per minute.

An inmate can't use calling cards from a different company.

I just noticed you can see, at least right now, my booking report at

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for my unique first name, Nehmo. The data is somewhat incorrect. I was actually arrested several hours earlier. That time is when I arrived at that particular jail. And I also had to post bond on all the tickets - not just two.

********************* * Nehmo Sergheyev * *********************

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John R. Levine 21 years ago

Nope. Jail phones have their own peculiar class of service that permits only collect calls, not even calls to 800 numbers. Calls are randomly monitored to discourage inmates from planning new crimes with their friends on the outside.

The collect service you get billed by is whichever one the jail uses. You have no choice. It's a famous ripoff scheme, the jail gets a commission on each call.

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No Collect Calls with TW Digital Phones

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