They're everywhere! Just look:

Part 1 - Long Distance

1.  You rarely (if ever) hear in-state long distance rates advertised. Why? The answer is simple: they don't want to give up their huge profits on their in-state rates (where a higher percentage of calls are actually made)! Just for the record, GLOBALnet's in-state rates are the same as our state-to-state rates

2.  Most of the prepaid calling cards you see advertised carry a surcharge, over and above the stated charge per minute. If you have one of these cards, you can be billed a fee of up to $1.00 for each call you make. Always look for a calling card that carries no surcharge. For an even better deal, make sure you combine this with a low per-minute rate and 6-second billing. Here's one!

3.  Long distance companies are notorious for using short-term incentives to capture your business. You might get a good rate for a few months, but beware... you WILL pay higher rates for all calls not covered by the promotion. In addition, your rates WILL increase once the promotion period ends and you will most probably never know when that happens...until after your bill arrives!

4.  AT&T has been enticing people to switch to the highest rates in America by mailing out checks. Other companies offer frequent flyer miles in exchange for high telephone rates. How do you think they can afford to cover their costs? It's simple! Compare the amount of money you'd "overpay" in exchange for mileage points and you'll soon discover that you would have had enough cash to pay for the ticket plus the hotel, and maybe some new luggage, too! Think about it... AT&T, MCI and Verizon have a combined annual advertising budget of more than a billion dollars! Where do you think this money comes from?

Part 2 - Internet Services

5.   Why do you think AOL charges up to $25.00 a month to connect to the internet? when you can just as easily use another service provider and save up to 80%? The answer is, they do it because they can... (plus, they have to cover their enormous advertising budget!)

6.   When you register a domain name ("yourname.com") what is the true cost? The big companies would have you believe that you're getting a real bargain at $25.00 a year! The real cost to the registrar is about $1.50 a year. Some registrars (like us) throw in free, value-added services, so when you compare prices, make sure you compare apples with apples!

7.   What is the real cost to host your website? Let's face it... they already own the web server, so their only real cost is setting up your account and the cost of fixing problems when they arise. Many hosts charge as much as $100 a year for their "services" but what you reall need is Service, not Services. (At GLOBALnet, our web hosting plans begin at only $5.55 per month. We automate your account set-up, and we believe that the best way to control the cost of servicing your account is to make sure that everything works perfectly from day one. Here's the proof.)

The bottom line: Your Best Protection Is to Become an Informed Consumer.