European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - October 21, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                It s fun to talk on the Telephone but keeping it Brief is the Only Way to keep out of financial trouble. Marks be find paying she wrote. Ii a Spany to show proof of where Cas were made to they can t Boa dal Counselor Are accustomed to on. Americans simply have to i the Telephone system Over Here is the . They Are not being billed an Telephone subscribers. Once Between the american and that the Deutsche Bunde Spost to office which is responsible for does not have equipment to pro neb the Hill explains. Measured by units which Are Star to one that measures use of i a month the meter is 4" system of charges it does t take a whopper of a Bill. An american a ring Home from school getting rtt Flag Down on the phone to his to Eirten the family budget. 6 . To a buddy who lives i Way the gab test is running 69 Wing a 30-Mlnute Call 20.75 Dent know How to read the Bill his which leads to More Misander the absent tag merely tells when Tore important is  Lay the meter was read. Calls being 1 for about a month up to that Date. Kusby or Calls in August with Only tember included but it is called a american phone customers come Withey did t make any Long tooth being charged for and ifnu8t be wrong. I Call to the states in August they by paid for and Don t  m Bills often also can be traced to marital problems. 10-Mark cases the wife was 9�knew he would be obligated and had no compunction about. Jef stance Calls. A Felon t seem to realize that they of Wing the Mars station to make off Leary affiliate radio system. Tot Hal number being dialled in the military Mars station. This can m1.60,11 Hill said. Wroan Telephone company that expensive to pay. Hill urges i 1985 Don t let the matter slide. Take the Bill either to the Telephone Billing Ollice or seek advice from a financial Counselor who can Contact the Telephone  in some cases. Hill has managed to have the Telephone company reduce the amount after Cocking the film strips of the unit charges. This is entirely up to the discretion of the Telephone company. Customers also can request that the company Check for a malfunction. If one is found a refund will to Given. Checking for a malfunction usually takes some time. In the meantime the Bill must be paid. If it is not paid within seven Days after the Date of mailing an overdue fee will be charged. After it has lapsed Lor two months the service May be blocked or terminated. To have a phone reconnected the subscriber must again pay the 65-Mark installation fee. Hill suggests that americans watch their own Telephone usage by keeping a log of the Calls they make or by installing a meter. Americans tend to be too neighbourly when it comes to the use of the phone she warns. One Young woman came in with a Bill for 365 Marks that she just did t understand. Then it dawned on her that she had been letting a neighbor make Calls ii there it a cleaning woman or Babysitter in the Home who might be tempted to use the phone. Hill suggests buying a lock from the Telephone company. One Mode she notes allows the subscriber to set the phone so Only one number can be dialled. This assures for example that a couple who have gone out Tor an evening and left a Babysitter in charge can be reached in an emergency. When it comes to checking the correctness of a Bill however the Telephone subscriber does not have any Way to document the fact that the Calls billed were not made. The Home meter won t stand up As proof in a court Case. In general taking a Telephone Billing dispute to court is futile. Frankly i Don t know of any such cases that have been won stated a German attorney who battled and lost such a dispute for one upset american. All charges owed to the German Telephone company must be paid before a military person leaves the country for a new assignment. By the status of forces agreement the Telephone company also has the right to Contact a person s commanding Olicer or a military attorney about an unpaid Bill. Bills a subscriber finds too High to be paid when due can be paid by instalment through a contract with the Bunde Spost. Says Hill. An acs financial Counselor can help set up the arrangements. She cautions that a realistic payment plan should be set up so that payments can be made on time. There is one bit of Good news when it comes to dealing in Marks the Price itself has gone Down. Before March 24, 1984, instead of today s Flat unit rate of 2.964 seconds for .23 pfennig a Call to the . At the cheaper nighttime rate was measured As 2.28 seconds at All other times at 1.391 seconds. This july the Bunde Spost increased the number of Cost of direct dial Telephone Calls from Germany to the United states charges Are the same from any City in Germany to any City in the United states. Cost equals number of units used. A single unit equals 2.964 seconds and costs 23 pfennig which makes a one minute Call approximately 4.72 Marks or $1.78. Dollar Cost used Here is based on an Exchange rate of $1 to 2.65 Marks there is an additional charge for opera Tor assisted Calls. Duration of Call n Ember of units do Cost Dollar Cost three minutes 61 units 14.03 Marks $5.29 ten minutes 203 units 46.69 Marks $17.62 thirty minutes 608 units 139.84 Marks $52.77 forty five minutes .911 units 209.57 Marks $79.08 Cost of local and nearby Calls daytime rate runs from 8 . To 6 . Monday through Friday. All other times plus Legal German holidays Are figured at the cheaper nighttime rate. A charge of .23 pfennig is made for the time allowed in each designated zone. Zones daytime rate nighttime rate local Calls eight minutes 12 minutes 20 to 50 Kilometres 45 seconds 67.5 seconds 50 to 100 Kilometres 20 seconds 38.6 seconds Over 1co Kilometres 12 seconds 38.6 seconds figuring out the German charges Calls for a bit of math. The charges Aren t figured on a Flat menu o rate As in the United states but by Cost of units. According to the Bunde Spost it works this Way. To arrive at the Cost of a three minute Call to the United states you Divide the total minutes 180 seconds by the 2.964 seconds unit Price and then add on 23 pfennig for the next unit moving ahead round off the resulting figure of 60.95 upwards to 61 and then multiply by 23 pfennig. This adds up to about 14.03 Marks. Local Calls Are figured the same Way. A 10-minute Call before 6 . Made to a distance of More than 100 Kilometres would be approximately 11.55 Marks $4.36. A 30-minute Call before 6 . To a distance of Between 50 and 100 Kilometres would be about 20.75 Marks $7.83. Foreign countries that can be dialled directly from 139 to 203. The Long distance information operator can Tell you in thu country you wish to dial is included in this cheaper self dial rate. And if a local number you re dealing in Germany constantly comes up Busy be patient and try again. The Busy signal in Germany is also an indication that circuits Are overloaded. The stars and stripes Page 15