Living In USA

Telephones
Almost everyone in the United States uses the telephone to conduct business, to chat with friends, to make or break social engagements, to shop (catalogue companies are flooding the mail delivery system, encouraging the customer to phone in purchases by credit card), and to obtain all kinds of information. Telephones save your feet and endless amounts of time — not to mention multiple bus or subway fares. It is the chief means of communication in the United States. People are also increasingly relying on fax machines and e-mail (see "E-mail and Internet Access" later in this chapter) to send information to another person or to a business.

Some visitors from other countries hesitate to telephone at first because they are afraid that they will be bothering the other person. Within normal hours — after 8:30 in the morning and before 9:00 at night — people are used to the telephone ringing and will not mind at all. Most offices have an employee whose job it is to answer the phone from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. You need never worry about calling a business concern for information, nor will you find them closed at lunchtime, though of course a particular individual may be out. It can be confusing at first to place a call. Our telephone numbers consist of ten digits (for example, (555) 555-5555). The first three digits, usually in parentheses, comprise the area code. Within the same area code, the local seven-digit number is usually sufficient; however, many large cities have several area codes, so you must dial all ten digits. When calling long distance, you will need to precede the call with a "1" and include the area code. To make it more confusing, in some low-density places, a single area code will encompass many small cities (or even an entire state), some of which are a long-distance call from one another!

If you do not wish to receive sales calls, you can request that your telephone number be placed on the national "Do-Not-Call" list through the Internet at www.donotcall.gov/. This list subjects telemarketers to a $500 penalty, payable to you, if they disregard your wishes on this matter.

It is simple and quick to have a phone installed. Just call the business office of the local telephone company (see the front of the local telephone directory). They will install it on a specific day by appointment, when it is convenient for you. You must be at home to tell them where you want the phone to be placed. Unfortunately, sometimes the process is much more expensive for students, who may have to make a large deposit to initiate service.

There are a number of companies that offer long-distance services. AT&T, MCI, and Sprint are among the largest. There are also a great many stores that offer a vast array of phones to buy. Don't overlook discount stores if your needs are not extravagant.

You will be charged a basic monthly rate by your local telephone company. It can be quite confusing to select your carriers. Usually, there is a monopoly that handles your local calls. If you do not anticipate making many calls in your immediate area, you may opt for a lower monthly fee but a per-charge call (even for calling next door!) or you can choose a higher monthly fee that includes unlimited local calling. Next you can choose a company to provide your regional long-distance calls — these are outside your city but include cities near you. Finally, you need a long-distance carrier for calling across the country. You may choose your local telephone company for all of these services, but you may not receive the lowest rates in doing so. There is fierce competition among long-distance companies, and they offer a wide variety of plans including reduced international charges and free calls to specific numbers. Some of these special "calling plans" have a per-month fee attached to them.

Independent of these choices are the many "per-call" long-distance companies, through which you place calls by dialing a separate code preceding your call (for example, 10-10-220). When you do so, that company, and not your regular carrier, will bill your call. You may want to ask some American colleagues for advice — even we get confused about all the choices. Beware of sales calls from many of the telephone companies. They may offer "bargains" that actually cost you more money!

Telephone Directories
When your telephone is installed, you will be given two directories — the regular directory, in which names of people with phones are listed alphabetically, and the Yellow Pages. In smaller cities, these are often in one book. It is worthwhile to sit down and really study these books when you first get them. They contain a great deal of information about using the telephone, special services that are available (including time, weather, or traffic information), rates, times of the week when you can phone most cheaply, area codes, state zip codes, and so on. The Yellow Pages lists all businesses, organizations, restaurants, stores, and services in your area in such a way that you can quickly find whatever you need. If you study that directory, you will learn much about your city and the range of what is available: schools, clubs, organizations, public swimming pools, all kinds of instruction and classes, information about where to buy special foods or spices; shops for all sorts of goods; restaurants by nationality; and places where you can rent furniture, television sets, stereos, children's cribs, crutches, or a wide range of articles (look under "Rental Service").

The Yellow Pages, which is updated every year, can become one of your best friends if you take the trouble to get to know it well.

Telephone Credit Cards
As soon as you select your telephone company and have your own number, you can call the business office and ask for a credit card. This is free and is a great convenience, enabling you to make calls from any telephone, public or private, and have the call charged to your home account. This often saves you from having to struggle with exact change in a telephone booth, particularly for a long-distance call, and makes it possible to call from a friend's home or office without imposing on his or her generosity. Be careful about using your card very often; the charge for doing so can be shockingly high.

Public Telephones
Public telephones here are still widespread, but they are not as easy to find as they once were due to the popularity of cell phones. You will find public phones in bus and air terminals, railroad stations, stores, hotels, the lobbies of many office buildings, restaurants, gasoline stations, and in small booths along streets and highways. Instructions for use are found on each phone. Long-distance and overseas calls can also be made from public telephones, but you must have either a telephone credit card or a handful of change in nickels, dimes, and quarters; sometimes you can bill calls to a regular credit card. If you would like the recipient to pay the charges, ask the operator to make it a "collect" call or say you wish to reverse the charges. All operator services cost extra.

Answering Machines and Voice Mail
Answering machines are now so popular that you will find your colleagues and friends upset if you don't have one on your private phone as well as on your business phone. You will hear a message indicating that the person you called is not available and inviting you to leave a message at the "sound of the tone." This may seem to be a very impersonal practice, but it allows busy people to receive or deliver messages and return calls. Answering machines can be purchased from any store selling phones. Remember, though, that with both message machines and phones, you generally get what you pay for, so avoid the least expensive sets. Voice mail is a service that provides you with a personal mailbox for your telephone messages. Rather than a machine in your home, your messages are recorded by your telephone company and can be retrieved from home or from another phone by using a pass-code.

Cellular (Mobile) Phones
As in many countries, cell phones proliferate here. There are a myriad of options available to you, including "pay-as-you-go" plans and flat rates for unlimited calls at specific times or to specific numbers. The same companies that offer residential telephone service offer cellular service, along with Cingular, Cellular 1, and T-Mobile, among others. While you will undoubtedly see people doing it, it is considered rude to chat on the telephone in restaurants and other public places. Some busy commuter trains now offer "phone-free" sections.