If you currently take service from the phone company, or any alternative carrier,  you should carefully review your monthly billings.  Obviously you should verify that you are being billed according to any agreement you may entered into with the phone company or your alternative carrier.  

Here are the steps to take:

• The bill format for the phone company includes a section entitled other charges and credits.  If you haven't already done so, call the phone company and request that your monthly billing include a detailed breakdown of all the individual charges.  The residential customer service number is 1-800-244-4444.  Ask for a detailed breakdown of services and charges.  For instance call waiting costs $5.00 per month.  Determine whether you need the services currently being billed.   If you are being billed for a service you never ordered, cancel it and demand a refund for past overcharges.  If you don't mind paying the excessive charges for most of these services, determine if there are plans that offer a combination of services at a reduced rate.
• If you currently subscribe to Line-Backer® Service and you live in an apartment, nursing home, senior citizen complex, an assisted living residence or any facility that is run or managed by someone else, you should cancel the service and seek a refund for past charges.  The responsibility to maintain the wiring inside the facility belongs with the owner of the facility, not you. If you believe you were mislead while signing up for this unnecessary service, definitely seek a refund.  If you are a care giver and responsible for someone in a nursing home or assisted living facility, review the billing to see if this service was added when new service was first  instituted.
• The biggest expense on your bill may be the zone and "local toll" (itemized) call charges.  The phone company rates are very high particularly for calls made during 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM time frame.  You probably have no idea when making a call whether the call is a local, zone, or "local toll". Call customer service and request a print out of all exchanges that are classified as local and zone.  If you live within the metropolitan Detroit area, all exchanges not listed as local or zone but in the 313, 248, 748 and 810 area codes are "local toll" (itemized) calls.  Effective May 12, 1999 all customers in the Metropolitan Detroit area could select an alternative carrier for zone and itemized calls and not be burdened with dialing an access code.  This has forced the phone company to offer some plans that could save you money.  I recommend you analyze your calling habits and then select the best plan or carrier.  The savings may be substantial.  Click here for more information about local, zone and itemized calls. 
• There is a Lifeline Telephone Assistance Program for low-income residents.  For instance, if there is one member in the family and the annual income is under $1,030 per month, you may be eligible.  Contact the phone company at 1-800-321-8650 for details. 
• Evaluate companies who are providing local as well as long distance service.  Some plans sound good but fixed charges and other fees may end up costing you.  See my page entitled Local and Long Distance selection for more details. Unlike the phone company, some alternative companies bill you in seconds and do not round to the nearest minute.  There may be a minimum and above that minimum the calls may be rounded to say the next 6 or 10 seconds.  This alone could represent a saving.

What's the difference between local, zone, itemized and long distance calls?

If you live in the Metropolitan Detroit area you are subjected to another phone company abuse.  First, the Michigan Telecommunications Act of 1991 allowed the phone company to limit the number of local phone calls that are included in the base rate.  You can select a plan where the limit is 50 calls per month or 400 calls per month.  Calls over the limit are billed at 6.4¢ per minute.  Of course, the base charge for the 50 call maximum is less than the 400 call limit. 

So what's a local call.  These are the calls close to your residence. Unfortunately, relatively few of your calls are local because the phone company limits the local calling area.  If you are on the boundary of a local calling area, a call virtually across the street could fall into the category of a zone call.  That's where the phone company makes its money.  A zone call is now a measured call and the phone company bills you by the minute. 

The zone generally surrounds the local area and there are a number of zones.  If the call falls outside the zone, but still within the 313, 248, 734, 810 area code (for the Detroit area), the call is classified as a "local toll" or an itemized call.  This is where the phone company makes even bigger bucks.  During the 8 AM to 5 PM time period, the charge is 25¢ per minute.  Yes, 25¢ per minute.  Hard to believe when you can call across the country for less than 10¢ a minute. 

I won't even try to explain LATAs but when you call within the state but generally outside your LATA, the call is considered intrastate/interlata.  Of course, when you call out of state, the call is considered long distance.   These calls cannot be handled by the phone company.  An alternative company must carry these calls. 

Of course, as I explained earlier, without a listing of exchanges and phone numbers you can dial a number and have no idea whether the call is going to be local, zone or toll.  You can call the local phone number and request the information before each call but few have the patience to wait for customer service. You can dial 1 plus an area code plus the number and that call can be local, zone or toll.  You may be in for a shock when that 10 minute call is billed to you at a cost of $2.50.