Z-Tel Communications ripoff fake telephone company Tampa, Atlanta, Atmore Florida, Georgia, Alabama

First of all, I would like to state that Z-tel has offices in several locations. However, they are not "local" offices such as Sprint or other Bell companies have where you walk in and pay your bill. They do have switching centers, billing centers, etc.

Secondly, most people have no understanding of how local/long distance companies operate. We are very fortunate to have these companies and there are few of them that can offer local and long distance packages outside of the "Bell Companies". Thanks to deregulation, the Bell companies were forced to let go of their monopolies! Whenever there is a monopoly, the consumer pays the demanded price if they want service! These companies,such as Z-tel and Lightyear can offer discounted services because they do not have offices in every city with 100's of employees on their payroll. They do have independent agents who are paid commission only to enroll new customers for service.

Thirdly, several problems can arise in obtaining service through one of these companies:
1. "Bell" owns the lines and services the lines
a.They may not release your phone line to be
switched right away.
b. Service issues are many times related to
"Bell's" unwillingness to lose you as a
customer. They do have a high overhead to
pay, after all!
2. Not all areas are able to receive service
with these companies.
a. Some areas do not yet have an agreement
with "Bell" to provide service. It's
usually a matter of time.
b. Also, if you do not currently have service
with a "Bell" company, you may not be able
to switch until you sign up first with a
"Bell" company. (Remember, deregulation
has to do with the "Bell" monopoly.)
c. Some areas are owned by private companies
who will not allow other companies in to
bring competition. Z-Tel has no authority
to change that.
3. These companies must pay a fee to "Bell" for
use of the lines.
a. Connection fees are actually "Bell's" fees
b. Maintenance charges are "Bell's".

To respond to this persons dilemma, the above info should help in understanding some of the issues at hand. Most of the issues are simply not understanding how the systems work.
Yes, Z-Tel is in several states but they don't have walk in offices.
Who is the initial service with? Is it a"Bell" company? If not, refer to 2.b. and start over.
The tech's that service your area are not Z-Tel techs. "Bell" uses their techs, that's the agreement. Z-Tel was only passing on the info they had been given by the customers phone company previous to Z-Tel.
If you are told that your phone jacks are bad, you should ask who the servicing agent works for! It's not Z-Tel. The lack of servicability is not due to Z-Tel, it's "Bell". And it's all a part of the games to keep you as a customer.
If you have received bills from 2 separate phone companies for local/long distance service, the dates of service should be reviewed. It's illegal to be charged for 2 services to the same phone number at the same time. I recommend contacting the initial phone company if this happens and state the date you began service with another company.
Also, check the current phone bill for charges to validate the authenticity of the charges. If the calls are valid, you pay.
Note that your utility credit report can be affected making it difficult to get new service if you have unpaid utility bills.

I hope this helps people to get at least a glimpse into the phone switching world. Don't always assume the worst of the company you're trying to switch to. Most delays and problems are coming from the company that has control of the lines, usually "Bell"