An Incoming Collect Call Was Blocked on My Home Phone: How Do You Unblock It?
By Shelley Smith
Collect calls are used when a caller calls an individual and the individual they are calling is charged for the call. For example, if you are calling from an international location, a phone booth, or an incarceration location and you have no money or credit card available, then a collect call to a family member or friend is an option. Most home telephone service providers automatically block the collect call function on home phones. Therefore, it is necessary to unblock collect calls in order to receive them.
Contact your home telephone service provider to request that it unblock the collect call feature. Be sure that you ask about the rates for collect calls because these rates are more expensive than local, long distance or international calls. In addition, ask the provider how long it will take to remove the block on collect calls to allow you to prepare to receive your first collect call.
Use a home phone collect call service. For example, AT&T offers a home phone and wireless collect call service accessible by dialing 1-800-CALL-ATT. This is a specific number to allow individuals to receive collect calls at home. This service also offers operator assisted collect calls.
Unblock collect calls on a per call basis. Use a telephone service provider that will allow you to unblock each call rather than all collect calls. For example, if you know the number that the collect call will come from, then you can accept only those collect calls from that unique number. This is safer because of the expense related to collect calls.
References
Warnings
- When you remove the block for collect calls, remember that you may receive collect calls from around the world, so be prepared to reject some phone calls to make sure that you will not be charged for unwanted collect calls.
Writer Bio
Shelley Smith began her writing career in 1996, writing captions for ads in print advertising media. She has experience in advertising, finance, trading and real estate and is a human-resources consultant. Smith holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics and English from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill and a Master of Business Administration with honors from Keller Graduate Management School.