TelCompare.Com Review

Cognigen has been in the long distance business since 1995, but this is the first time they have offered a facilities-based, domestic long distance product themselves. Cognigen has mainly operated as a master agent for several other carriers and resellers (Uni-Tel, PNG, Capsule Communications, etc.) until now. It branched out into the international callback and conference calling businesses several years ago though, with the acquisition of Aquila, a switch-based carrier in San Luis Obispo, CA.

In November 2002 Cognigen officially rolled-out CogniPhone, which boasts the lowest legitimate outbound long distance rate for state-to-state calls we have seen to date. At 3.89¢ per minute, the program was deliberately designed to be priced slightly lower than that of Capsule Communications, which charges 3.9¢ per minute. However, CogniPhone is a quite different product that Capsule's in many ways.

The most striking thing about the CogniPhone service is its lack of flat rates for intrastate long distance calls. Your intrastate rate will vary, depending upon where you live. Cognigen labels this as "true cost pricing", since the rate varies upon how much they are charged for access fees by your local phone company. This makes it impossible for us to compare CogniPhone side-by-side with the rates of other carriers on our website, unfortunately.

Cognigen's true cost pricing method can either work for you, or against you, depending upon the area in which you live and who your local telephone company is. Intrastate rates range from very good to incredibly high, as compared to most other providers.

Cognigen takes the opposite approach of most long distance carriers, who keep rates for all customers higher than they could be, in order to subsidize customers in more expensive areas of the country. Cognigen basically does away with this "cost averaging" method of pricing, and gives you a rate quote that is truly based upon how much it costs them to provide you with service.

If you are only making calls outside of your state, you don't have to worry at all about the true cost pricing structure. Your rate will always be 3.89¢ per minute. However, if you make a significant amount of intrastate or intralata calls, you will definitely want to scrutinize rate quotes for frequently called numbers before deciding whether or not to sign up for this service. You can check rate quotes online by clicking here.

Now that we have the rate structure explained, let's get on to reviewing the other details of the program. CogniPhone does not send out paper bills. All billing is done via credit card, over the Internet. However, it is not a pre-paid service, nor does it require the use of any type of access codes. You are not billed until after you have actually used the service, and can simply pick up your phone and dial, just as you always have. All billing detail and account information is available online, through a secure, web-based customer interface. You can change your billing information, view call detail, add numbers or perform a variety of other basic account maintenance features from any computer via the Internet.

Since this program is relatively new, we really have not received any feedback as of yet concerning quality of customer service for this particular product, although we would expect it to be about average considering Cognigen's previous track record. Network reliability and quality should be as good, if not better, than with any other carrier. As with most discounters, they do not accept orders via phone, and handle all sales inquiries via email. Toll-free customer service is available to new customers immediately upon enrollment though.

CogniPhone can either be a great deal, or not, depending upon your area and calling patterns. Their state-to-state rate is fantastic, especially considering that there are no monthly minimums or service charges. That is one definite advantage that this program has over Capsule's 3.9¢ program, which charges a $1.99 fee if you do not make more than $20 worth of calls during any given month. So, this is an especially good deal for many of you who do not make a lot of long distance calls.

The bottom line on this service is, it is a great deal for many consumers, but not all. Check frequently called numbers against their rate quotation page in order to make an educated decision.

- William Van Hefner