So damn expensive (phone calls at Eastern Shore)

[SkyeFowlkes]

my man finally got settled out Eastern Shore and called me for the first time in weeks. Now to accept the call was like 2.80 for the first minute, and .30 for any additional minutes...now before he could get my new address the phone cut off and he had to call back...

I AM A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT...LOL...I CAN NOT AFFORD THAT...WHY ARE THESE THINGS SO DAMN EXPENISIVE! I JUST WANTED TO VEX

[NDJsGirl]

It is super expensive! I was paying about that much too. I finally took his cell phone, which I had kept active for him, and switched it to a number that was local to the facility and now we only pay .85 per call. No per minute fee.

If you do that, though, make sure you remove the long distance number from your CBS account, or they will find a way to block the cheaper number. They did that to me, several times.

[SkyeFowlkes]

thanks girl, but whats a CBS account, i am new to all this

[NDJsGirl]

Correctional Billing Service. If you use a phone that has anything other than Verizon home service, you have to have a prepaid account with CBS.

[unvmandy]

Originally Posted by SkyeFowlkes

my man finally got settled out Eastern Shore and called me for the first time in weeks. Now to accept the call was like 2.80 for the first minute, and .30 for any additional minutes...now before he could get my new address the phone cut off and he had to call back...

I AM A BROKE COLLEGE STUDENT...LOL...I CAN NOT AFFORD THAT...WHY ARE THESE THINGS SO DAMN EXPENISIVE! I JUST WANTED TO VEX

I have a Vonage phone system. If you get that and ask them for a local number-local to him- and you can use that and forward your calls to your home or cell phone. He could then also call anyone as long as you forward the call. Vonage is $24.99. My man puts about $50.00 on the his phone card a month-I guess that is the "cbs"-correctional billing sevice? But that gets us through the month and we speak atleast 8 times a day...probably more! I hope it works out. I wouldn't speak to much about it on the phone because the prison want to get as much $$$ from the inmate as possible. Tell him to ask around and see if other people have the vonage thing working for them. It is only .50 a call for him now and that is sooo much cheaper than that $2.40 and .30 each add. min.-CrAzY!!! If we had to contnue that way i don't know how we would survive. Stay Strong!

[jeffsbaby]

Hey girly-
I pay the same thing for my calls. Be very very careful about the call forwarding thing and the cell phones. If they find out that it's a cell phone he could lose his phone privilages. Yeap the vonage thing is about the cheapest thing and getting the number that is local to the jail.

[Kat42]

I too have vonage and I am in the UK, I get a 30 mintue call and he just pays 54 cents I pay £10.00 per month

[SkyeFowlkes]

Well I just got a 443 area code which t mobile promised it was the westover area code. So now I'm planning to call t netix and add the minutes 2 my phone...hopefully this will work better. Thnx for all da advice

[NDJsGirl]

Westover should probably be a 301 number. I don't think a 443 number will be local, but t-netix can rate the call for you before you pay for anything.