TelCompare.Com Review

Like many other providers that offer such low rates, Uni-Tel only offers its 3.9¢ per minute program to customers in certain areas. Uni-Tel classifies these customers as being in "Tier A" areas. Fortunately, the majority of Americans qualify. You can check to see which "Tier" you are in by clicking here. Here's a good rule of thumb though, if your local phone company is Pacific Bell, SBC, Ameritech, BellSouth, Qwest, or parts of Verizon that used to be Bell Atlantic, you likely are in a Tier A area. These customers qualify for the 3.9¢ per minute rate, six-second billing increments (18-second minimum per call), and the best intrastate rates.

If you don't happen to be in a Tier A area, you will receive full-minute billing increments, higher intrastate rates, and won't qualify to get 3.9¢ per minute on state-to-state calls. So, if you don't qualify for Tier A rates, you aren't going to get a great deal in most cases. Therefore, we only recommend this program to those of you who indeed qualify for Tier A service.

Uni-Tel had some problems 3-4 years ago with customer service and billing issues. In fact, we temporarily removed them from our website, due to the amount of complaints that were generated. Thankfully, Uni-Tel seems to have turned things around since then, and put all of their billing "issues" behind them. Customer service has also vastly improved, and the company actually responds to customer service inquiries sent via email fairly quickly now. Therefore, we are once again happy to recommend Uni-Tel's service.

Uni-Tel is a reseller for Global Crossing, which has one of the largest fiber optic networks in the world. Call quality and connectivity has never been an issue with Uni-Tel, nor do we ever expect it to be. Like most resellers, Uni-Tel buys network service wholesale from Global Crossing, and passes along the savings to its customers. Unless you spend thousands of dollars each month on phone service, you would probably not be able to buy service directly from Global Crossing at rates this low.

Uni-Tel is probably best suited for residential and small business customers who spend over $15 per month (thus avoiding the $2 monthly fee), and who reside in "Tier A" areas. The company provides very professional looking bills with a number of reports that will satisfy the requirements of most small businesses. For those of you who require accounting codes or security codes, Uni-Tel provides them at no extra charge. This is a great feature if you have multiple people using the same phone line in your home, or need to track calling expenses at work.

Uni-Tel provides toll-free customer service during normal business hours to its new and existing customers, but will not accept orders by phone. It generates 100% of its business via the Internet, and does not maintain a large call center or employ outbound telemarketers. So, you will only qualify for the 3.9¢ per minute rate if you sign up online. The company accepts sales inquiries via email (see right), and supplies their toll-free customer service number to new customers via email immediately upon enrollment.

- William Van Hefner