I had sent off for information on Remote Call Forwarding.... where they're only supposed to charge...
Well, the phone company will charge you for installing it, and you have to pay a monthly maintenance fee. But from what I understand, you will actually be issued a local phone number in the same area of the prison where you receive calls from. Then, it's like a regular, local collect call!

I'm gonna do more looking into this, because right now I pay $17.45 for a 15 minute phone call... if this brochure is accurate, I would save about $10.00 per call! (and god knows I need the savings... Jan's phone bill was almost $200.00).
I was wondering if anyone here has used this, or heard about it?
It's Remote Call Forwarding and they sent a business card that says:
.... and justice for all


Jodygirl

What company was this Jody?

Deb

Sounds like a company just like Tele-Net :)

Okay.. here goes.

I called and talked to the lady who sent me the business card.. her name is Elaine, (and she browses PTO from time to time :) ).
Anyway, this is sort of how my scenario would work.

I would be registered my own local phone number in Baraga, Michigan. When Dale calls, he would call that local number, and it would automatically be transferred to me, here in Texas!

I haven't tried this out yet... You have to get it installed, which Elaine said is usually between $25 and $50. I have to make sure it's ok to do this... it's my roommates phone line...lol

The business card she sent is as follows, in case anyone wants to call and ask about this:

....And Justice For All
An Informational Advocacy Organization
Pursuing & Protecting The Rights of All

Elaine G. Selan
Co-founder/Prisoner-Community Liaison

P.O. Box 4608
Philadelphia, Pa, 19127

Phone: 856-365-0440
Fax: 215-483-6292
Email: ajfa@ucwphilly.rr.com

After I talk to my roommate, I'm gonna try this out. As soon as I find out something definite, I'll post an update!

Jodygirl

I'm the "Elaine" that Jodygirl referred to in her post about RCF. The biggest difference [as I understand it] between Tele-Net and other similar type companies is that they take a cut [money] for setting up the phone line and then "maintenance" [I'm not sure what this means] and with RCF you do the legwork yourself and save even more money b/c you are not paying a "middle- man", so to say!!!
Anyone who would like a brochure about RCT, can contact me and we will be glad to mail one to you. This material includes a step-by-step guide to setting this up. Lots of folks in NJ and other states enjoy RCF since we have been getting the word out over the past 4 years!!!
I also posted the guidelines for setting up a RCF line in a previous thread titled "Remote Call Forwarding" in the Institutional Phone forum. I think that thread is still there!
Feel free to contact me if you have any questions, etc.... Jodygirl correctly posted our organization's info!

I use this remote call forwarding here in Illinois and It has saved me $21 per 30 minute call! I am loving it! I get 3 times as many calls for the same amount of money! If you have any questions directly you can private message me! It have been using it for 8 months now with no problems.

Thank you to the members who have posted their experiences and savings with RCF.

As we support Tele-net services here at PTO, I personally support the option of a third party, who can handle everything, if it were to go wrong. Personally, the few extra $$ a month would be a piece of mind for myself.

But in saying that, I think every member needs to look into what option is best for their situation and go with it. I think I can fairly say that both options offer a considerable savings and makes it just a little bit easier to stay in contact with our loved ones.

Best Wishes on whatever option you choose!!

Pammie

I agree with Pam...everyone has to do what's best for their situation. For me, the $3.95 a month I pay to TeleNet to "handle" everything is money well spent.....because I wouldn't know how to deal with any problems that might come up!

That works out to $1 a week for great peace of mind....quite the bargain.

Susan in Providence, who will talk to her honey tomorrow night!

Ya know.... I still haven't done a thing about the phone situation.

I have been playing phone tag with tele-net for a few weeks now.... and been on my roommate for days now about the RCF!

I think I'm just gonna say 'forget about it' for now.... besides, Dale wouldn't be able to change my phone number on his list until June or July if I decided to go with the RCF. (I say 'forget about it'... but guarantee I'll be on the phone this week trying to figure something out....lol)

Jodygirl

Hi Jody,
My name is Richard and I work with Tele-Net. I am sorry to here that you have been trying to reach us for weeks. Please try us again at 1-888-925-1400. This is toll free so you can call it from wherever you are during the day. The best time to reach us is 9-6 EST Monday-Friday.

The main difference between us and other methods is your long term saving. You might think that you will be saving a few cents by going with someone else but in the long run it may cost you money. If it takes weeks or months to get your service working or there are problems getting collect calls to go through or the prison blocks your calls you will quickly lose any savings you thought you may be getting. We will be here to service any problems which may come up and believe me there are problems everyday. At Tele-Net our only business is working with these prison calls and we have been doing this for 8 years.

I hope you will join us.

Hello Richard. I've wondered about this phone savings for a while now, but I live in Canada and didn't think it would apply to me. My loved one is in a State facility in New York. Is this service available to those across the border?

Richard I was told a while ago by a gentleman at Telenet that Telenet doesn't do Michigan anymore. Has that changed at all?

Deb

Welcome back Richard You have been MISSED!
I hope you got Kim all set up and I will be contacting you as soon as Tony leaves where he is. :)
Keep in touch
Renee

Hi Everyone and you too Renee. It is nice to see you again, I love your images.

Gilly, we do offer service to Americans living outside the country or to foreigners who have family in the US. We are currently limited by our credit requirements which require that the person have a social security number in order to check credit. We are looking into other methods which would eliminate the credit issue and hope to have something soon. If you have a SSN please call we can help.

Deb, I would like to re-look at the Michigan issue. So call me directly at 1-888-925-1400. Things may have changed in MI.

Amazing Louisiana...........
Prisoner's collect calls to cell phones at issue in court case

The Associated Press
2/21/03 3:00 PM


BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- A judge has ordered Louisiana State Penitentiary officials to remove a block that prevents an inmate from making collect calls to his wife's cellular telephone.

Diane King Smith, of Metairie, had been using "remote call forwarding" service offered by BellSouth Corp. to send collect calls from her husband, Angola inmate Stan Smith, to her cellular phone.

Mrs. Smith said she does not have home-based telephone service and cellular technology does not allow the option of accepting collect calls.

The service also allows the friends and relatives who pay for the collect calls to take advantage of cheaper long-distance rates than those charged by the prison's inmate telephone provider, MCI WorldCom.

A suit was filed after Angola officials placed a "phone block" on the remote call forwarding device's telephone number in July.

State District Judge Michael Caldwell ruled Thursday that the state corrections department did not follow procedures set out in state law when it adopted a rule last year banning calls to call-forwarding numbers.

The judge's ruling does not apply to the relatives or friends of other inmates who have taken advantage of the service.

Diane Smith's victory also may be short-lived. A new prison rule banning the use of the call forwarding service goes into effect March 22.

Bruce Dodd, attorney for the prison, told the judge that Angola officials need to know the addresses where inmate calls are going for security reasons.

If an inmate is using the telephone to plan an escape with the help of an outside accomplice or negotiating for contraband items to be sent into the prison, security officers need to know the physical address where the call is received, Dodd said.

With remote call forwarding service, the outside party could change the number to which calls are forwarded to any location without the prison's knowledge, Dodd said.

Under the MCI WorldCom contract, which runs until January 2007, the state receives 55 percent of the revenue generated by inmate telephone calls.

Hey Richard... I'm gonna try calling the number you listed this Monday. I'd love to learn more about tele-net.
Ummm, I'm in Texas and will be receiving calls from Michigan.. is that okay?

Jodygirl

is there any toll free numbers that they can do this from. someone was telling me about this but if you find anything out jody email me ok??? thanks

I am new to this web-site and have spent the past couple of days reviewing the forums. I think this sight is great. In reference to the above mentioned subjet (RCF). I have a loved one who is incarcerated in Passaic County Jail, in Patterson, NJ. I am in FL. The "lovely" $#@%$#^% MCI was charging outrageous fees of about $7-8 for the first minute and than well over a $1 thereafter. I found this company called Accessline Communications, and I set up a voicemail box with call forwarding in the closest region to the prison, that I could (973) area code. The charge was $40 for set-up, $18 a month to have it, and 0.5 cents a minute for long-distance. The phone company that now handles the long-distance because he calls the local 973 exchange, is Verizon. The cost is $2.45 for the first minute, and then 0.20 cents for every minute after. They offer this all over the country. I have a direct customer service rep. I can view my usage online and my invoices. I literally have spent approximately $8-9,000 in phone bills from MCI in the past 5 months! If anyone wants more info, let me know. Shoot me an email
Robwiz

I was using Remote Call Forwarding to receive calls from my wife in Kentucky for years. It worked like a champ and reduced my phone bills enormously.

Then her prison decided out of the blue to crack down, and made an ex-post facto ruling that a forwarded call was the same as a three-way call (these people are idiots) and she was written up and convicted of violating phone rules. It was a real mess.

Well, I sued the prison and we won, but they have since codified the rule, so we can't use the forwarding system any more. I am in the process of hiring an attorney to attack the no phone forwarding rule for three reasons:

1) It is inherently unfair to punish an inmate for something that was done outside of his or her control. If my wife calls her brother's home, and the phone is forwarded and her 7 year old nephew answers, she gets a writeup. That is absurd.

2) Knowing what phone number is being called does not increase security, because there is no way of knowing who is there. Anyone can be at my house talking to her, so there is still the need for monitoring systems.

3) She can no longer call her attorney at his office. Her calls go to a receptionist, who routes the call to the attorney's desk. She was threatened with a writeup for this because the routing constitutes a forwarded call. She hasn't spoken to her attorney over the phone in close to a year as a result of this.

4) An individual prison cannot make phone policy. The mens prisons in KY have no such rule. Sorry, that doesn't fly.

If anyone can recommend a good attorney in KY who likes to take on issues like this, please let me know.

-R

That is absolutely ubsurd!! I am so so sorry this happened to you and your wife. Rob is in a County Jail, so I don't think they really look into where the phone calls are going because the inmates can only call collect. There is no timeframe for them to have calls or for how long. I don't know of any Attorneys in KY. If you go on the bar associations web-site, there is often referral names.