Unlimited Long Distance?

It may seem strange for a natural health advocate to take on an issue concerning "unlimited" long-distance.

However, our mental, emotional, spiritual and physical health are connected.

For some people, the telephone line is their connection to the world. You don't necessarily have to be blind to be affected by this, either.

Jon Yates writes a column for the Chicago Tribune entitled “What’s Your Problem.”

He was kind enough to intervene on my behalf when I had a problem with my Comcast unlimited long-distance plan.

Read the article here.

However, this isn’t really about me. I will do whatever I can to help anyone else who finds themselves in a similar situation.

I am available to the media for comment.

Bill and Sandy of Philadelphia are blind. They were told they needed to cut back on their long distance usage or their phone service would be cut off.

They were actually told they were committing fraud.

As far as I know, they do not own a business, so their use is only residential.

Sandy does not use the Internet and is housebound with congestive heart failure.

The phone is her connection to the world, unless someone comes to visit.

Now she fears making too many calls and losing her long-distance privileges.

Comcast has a 5,000 minute cap which triggers an investigation and threatens people with losing their phone service before taking the time to find out if they have special needs.

People should be advised when they sign up that they risk losing phone service when the cap is repeatedly exceeded.

If they really want people to use a 5000 minute maximum, that is their right, but the plan should not be advertised as unlimited..

Another important consideration is that Comcast should provide a way to check minute usage in real time if they ever plan to enforce this limit.

Cell phone companies make it easy to check minute usage, and Comcast and other companies should do the same if people are to be threatened with loss of phone service.

I would also like to make it very clear that this is an industry-wide problem. Comcast is NOT the only company who calls a plan "unlimited" only to shock customers.

If you think this issue is important, please take the time to politely make your voice heard by sharing this information or contacting Comcast or other companies with unclear policies.

I really appreciate anything you can do to spread the word and heighten public awareness regarding this issue. Thank you!

UPDATE:  I am happy to report that Bill and Sandy's issues with Comcast longdistance have been resolved.  Hopefully, this will not be a problem for anyone else in the future.  If so, please let me know and I'll be glad to help if at all possible.