JailCallsUSA.com I paid to have a local phone number to a jail facility to defray the exorbitant costs. I paid and did not receive what I paid for. The calls were still costing 5.39 for first minute and .34 thereafter. No refunds! JailCallsUSA.com Internet

My son was incarcerated at a county jail in another state. The jail does not allow collect calls. It requires the family to go through Global Tel Link/Offender Connect (monopoly) to load money onto your phone so they may speak to you . They charge a service fee of $8.00 to load money to your phone. Jails make money on these calls as well. Being we live out of state I was looking for a way to stretch the money loaded.

I found many companies that do this but chose JailCallsUSA.com Nice website and competitive prices. These companies basically rent you a local phone number to the jail facility. They offer one month through 1 year of service. They also charge a start up fee and many options such as postcard notification to inform your inmate of the new number. It clearly stated NO REFUNDS and cancellation instructions. Within 24 hrs we were up and running. 

My son never received the post card with the new number, that was a 4.00 loss. I loaded money through GTL but it seemed to go very fast. After loading three times at $35.00 plus a shot, I began researching. The phone number I rented was from a neighboring town. I was being charged $5.39 for the first minute and .34 a minute after that. The same as if I had used my out of state number.

You cannot contact the company by phone so I emailed them informing them of my dissatisfaction and to ask them to give me an actual local number If not cancel my service. They canceled my service. I thanked them and informed them that I was going to call the FTC, Attorney General and RipOff Report.

They responded: "You are very wrong Just know it is always a case of people like you that don't READ what you are buying and because of your treats will cause for your personal info to be forwarded to collections and a nationwide blacklist of all jail call services and this will cause your prisoner to be banned also from all communications since we are connected with them."

That was verbatim.  Is this a threat? I don't know what I'd be sent to collections for as I paid and was the one ripped off. The blacklist threat well this service is frowned upon by Jails and GTL as they want to make the most on each call so...

It's horrible having a loved one incarcerated. The phone system you are mandated to go through is equally as horrible and confusing. JailCallsUSA.com preys upon families desperate to communicate with their loved one promising lower fees while leaving you wide open to international fees charged by GTL. I would have been money ahead to just pay the original high fees on my own phone number.