Home Tips : How to Choose the Best Home Phone Plan

Back in the days of rotary dial-up, you paid a monthly fee for certain “local” or “semi-local” calls from a telephone provider, and if you were ahead of the times you shopped around for a better deal for long-distance rates.

Many companies, such as Verizon and AT&T, are beginning to reduce their landline rates because so many people are using their cell phones as their primary phone devices, thus eliminating landlines and even cordless phones. At the same time, companies are expanding their fiber-optic networks, which allow them to compete with cable providers to offer a full array of telecom services.

Most cable companies now regularly provide phone service, commonly referred to as telephony, and the cable telephony option continues to grow. Cablevision was the pioneer in the cable world to include telephone service, but in the last few years Comcast has led the market. To try to convert more phone customers, cable now uses fiber in parts of its networks.

With an abundance of technologies available today, many phone companies are turning to bundling (also called double-play or triple-play packages). Bundling means companies offer a monthly rate for your local landline service, long-distance service, Internet service, and even your cell phone service and television.

Bundling offers convenient consolidation of your telecom bills, but with so many plans out there comparisons can be difficult to assess. Bundling usually involves at least a one-year contract, and the lowest offer is typically a $99-per-month package, though it usually includes a premium level of television service, standard-speed broadband Internet service, and telephone service with a variety of calling features.

Satellite TV providers cannot alone offer bundles, but they are increasingly partnering with phone companies to create bundles comprising satellite TV, DSL Internet, and landline phone service.

You want the best value for your money, but you also don’t want to pay for services you don’t need. Start by contacting your local phone company, cable or satellite provider, and DSL provider. See if bundling is the way to go for you. Then:

1) Ask friends, family, and co-workers about the reliability of their services, such as whether installers maintain appointment times and how prompt repair services are.

2) When you’re thinking about switching over to a new company or companies, ask about any upfront or tack-on fees, as well as any cancellation fees from your current providers.

3) Make sure discounts are easy to locate on the bill.

4) Will anything be installed on your roof, underground, in your home, and how intrusive will the equipment be? How long will installation take? Is the cost of installation included in the sign-up package, or is it extra?

5) If you signed up under a promotion but the promotion has ended, haggle. You might lose features you enjoyed during the promotional period or pay extra to keep them, but remember that companies want your business, so negotiate.

6) If you would like to stay with your current service but want a better price, shop around and arm yourself with other quotes to make sure your provider listens!

7) If you decide to bundle, make sure the bundle price appears right away on your bill, not in a month or two.

8) Cable-company bundles typically do not require a contract nor investment in equipment.

9) If you’re considering a cable telephone service, consider retaining one landline phone with a telephone company for the lowest possible cost because Internet-based telephones are much less reliable calling 911 and will not continue to work during power outages.

10) If you’re considering a bundle that includes Internet connection, make sure it’s a high-speed connection rather than a standard-speed connection.