I would like to start off by saying that i was very surprised to see this complaint site. As much as i see where people are coming from, you must first remember that Global Tel Link is providing you with service to talk to an inmate. If there were not companies like this, you would need to write letters. The reason that your accounts are set up are because your phone companies will not let you get calls from corr. facilities. So on GTL'S part id like to say your welcome. Secondly, about cards being declined, that is 90% of the time because you have about 10 different addresses and you forget which one you have registered. OR you have a prepaid card, which aren't accepted. Why? Because so many GTL customers call with their prepaid child support cards and try to spend their food money on phone calls. Before you sit at home and complain&blog, how about you rethink things and be appreciative for the service that you would be miserable without.
Join the class action lawsuit
http://www.sueeasy.com/class_action_detail.php?case_id=331
not posting money to accounts paid by direct remit
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 does not allow exclusive contracts between building owners and carriers of any kind. Most people do not know this, but since prisons are multi-tenant, multiunit facilities, GTL is not allowed to have an exclusive contract.
Can you say "class action suit"? This also applies to government facilities, as you can read below.
http://tradeshowinternet.com/about/consumerrights
I hope you guys can use this to your advantage to protect yourselves and your loved ones against this tyranny. Best of luck.
I was to the representative and his manager when making my complaint. I put $25 on a prepaid acct., and rec. a 15 minute phone call from my loved one, the next day they said I needed more funds on the acct. When I asked fees they said $6.95 service fee, $3.85 for the first minute, $.35 each minute after that. On top of that is taxes, and $.56 validation fee, and $1.12 FCC federal fee. The math still didn't add up. After four phone calls I was finally told that the call was for 30 minutes, we are only allowed 15 minute phone calls and then it cuts out. They have sent my complaint to the resolution department, I am not holding my breath. Also, I asked if on my prepaid acct., which shows my balance, but NOT my used amount or the break down of all the fees, I just have to take their word for it, or call after every call and ask for it to be mailed to me. They also stated that they could not send me a copy of their policies, I could go and look at it online. The service is terribly expensive, and is my choice to use it, but the billing and service should be accurate, and have some accountability by making it available on our "account". My husband is an attorney, and unfortunately has a lot of time on his hands. I hope he is successful in finding a way to have a class action suit, I don't think there will be any shortage of people who have been cheated out of money because they lacked the time, because of working and children, to follow up on their tactics of billing and accountability.
GTL is a HORRIBLE "SERVICE PROVIDER" & a HUGE RIP OFF! There has to be a better way! Everything posted from customers above is 100% true! How is this allowed? We're at the mercy of these ###ers at a very difficult & stressful time. How else can I get through to an inmate at Chesterfield county jail? Please let me know.
Ok I have A LOT to say about all these comments. First thing first, the representative you are talking to and being EXTREMELY rude to, does NOT I repeat does NOT make the policies. The person you talk to is trying to help you but it gets very frustrating when time after time you are getting chewed out for something the rep can not control. Also, I understand you are mad because your love one is in jail/ prison but no reason to take it out on someone that is doing there job. If a customer calls in and is nice and respectful the rep could try and give you tips or try different ways to save money. But a lot of customers just want to take there yelling and cussing in your ear non stop. The reps did NOT lock up your love ones. The reps are trying to do the job to get paid so they can provide for the own love ones. And trust me the reps DO NOT make the money you think, it's close to minimum wage. So next time you call and speak to ANY kind of rep just remember would you want someone talking to your mom/dad/sister/ brother or any of your love ones how you talk the reps.
Although I am sure the government is in on it as I do believe they get kick backs for having the contract with Globaltel, we all need to write your own congressman and get news channels involved for investigations. Anyone heard of any class action lawsuits we can join in on? I see other telecommunication companies have taken up law suits but haven't found one from all of us customers yet. Anyone know of any? If not, we need to get one started!
I am right there with everyone complaining. I think a class action law suit is in need! I gave them alot of money too on the prepaid but since I am fighting cancer and can't work right now, I called my local phone company and GTL to see if there is a cheaper way. They both told me verizon and GTL have a contract to allow collect calls if I have a land line. I called numerous times to double check before getting a land line hooked up. Once it was installed in my home, it took 30 days for it to start working and then she only got to call 3 times. It stopped working. When I called customer service I was told there is a 25.00 limit then it is blocked forever and you have to go back to prepay! I do not have money due to my cancer and now have a house phone that I had to pay for that is useless! Nobody ever told me there was a limit or I never would have paid to get a house phone. When I asked where headquarters is they wouldn't tell me, I asked who the president of the company is, they didn't know. I asked to speak to a manager, I was told NO. I am furious! It is extortion in it's fullest and they should not get away with it! They are a third party and should be banned! My house service accepts direct collect calls so the government should put regular pay phones back in with a local number at the jail so they can call out collect. The employee saying all her/his crap of how they are doing us a service is bollocks! We are not the criminals just innocent people trying to make sure our loved ones are ok but even the jails treat us like criminals when we call them! They are taking advantage of everyone for their own pockets for sure. They should be arrested themselves for what they do!
The calls automatically takes $10 off when my husband calls then it disconnects so he has to call back then it cost $5 for the call and keeps disconnecting in the middle of our call which in turn he has to call back. Now I ran into the problem where they put a hold on my card because I've used too many prepaid cards that o have purchase from qt or Dillons with the money i work hard for. And their system will only allow you to use so many cards so they have a hold on my card and will not put the funds on the phone so that my husband can call. They claim this can be up to 10 days... I do not believe that this company cares and they know that they are the only company that these County Jails can use. I don't think they realize that the people that are in jail are our loved ones they have no reason to do this they don't know why they are there they don't know the situation they don't know the story and they're making a lot of money off of us. And in the end they keep disconnecting calls so they make more money this is uncalled for and they're doing it to 1000s of people everywhere. This hurts my children when I struggle to make money to put on there so their father can call and the company screws us. :-(
I am dealing with that right now and regardless to losing your rights, family should NOT have people blocking/limiting your acceptance of calls. This is a money grab and a cash cow. I don't feel comfortable knowing that people are limiting my ability to deal with issues regarding a family member. Granted, they should stay out of trouble, but families should NOT be gouged out of money. They should've NEVER changed it; it worked fine the way it was. Seeing on here how people filed for refunds before the deadlines and they STILL didn't get their money back ... BIG RIPOFF! How people sleep at night, I'll NEVER understand.
You should be ashamed of yourself as a employee of globel tel . stereotyping people.with family's who are in jail.i am not receiving and goverment assistant I work very hard for my money. I don't mind paying for service with my credit card. Not food stamps or child support card. Which is crazy for you to say. I just want better service from your company better phone connections. So I can hear my love one clearly. Paying for good service is what I want not nonsense .
This is a business that only likes to scam people. For the person that posted that ### at the top about people spending their food money and child support money on this is full of crap. You can call with your child support money to pay, and guess what, I don't need to pay child support as I am the person that takes care of my child. Any how, global tel should not even be in business. They should be ashamed of themselves for being greedy and taking peoples money illegally I might add. You have to pay 25.00 to your inmate and you are lucky if you get 6 minute phone calls. When you are in the middle of talking before your 20 minutes is up you get disconnected or when you say hello it kicks you off. So I have paid 50.00 dollars and was screwed over on 5 phone calls. I call the company to see if they can give me my phone calls back. Rudely they say no we don't do that. We don't give refunds, or give you calls back. You are ###ing all scammers, you should be shut down by the BBB (Better Business Bureau). You all will be burning in hell as you have a fraudulent business. you people that work for global tel probably pocket the money for your self too. You pre-judge people that are calling your system. You do not know anyone's background. People that use this system have good jobs and have gone to college. Myself and many others, shame on you for judging us as low life people that live off the government. You guys that work there probably live off the government. People that work for global tell are money grubbers. They probably spend our money on drinking and smoking. The business sucks monkey balls!
First off u are getting our money so its not like yall doing us a ###ing favor. you are providing a service a sorry ### service might i add. I pay yall muther###ers alot of money so dont act like u doing ### for me wat yall need to do is get together and figure out how to make the company alot better cuz yall are sorry ### hell.
Hmm, I don't get what the nicnic in FL was rambling on about, but no, I'm not grateful for receiving any calls from a number that I had to google just to find out its from someone in jail, or prison, whatever, that I don't know whom or why anybody there would even be calling me in the first place. I can only guess they've dialed my number in error and received my voice mail. But they continue to dial my number so they must be misinformed that someone else must be at my number. Problem is, I won't answer a call on my cell phone I don't know...but either way, this is my peace-of-mind gophone that I only use for emergencies, so don't even power it up for days at a time, which is why I keep finding these auto-generated operator messages left in my voice mail. I hope someone reads my post so they remind their jailed callers to be certain about the numbers they are attempting to dial, because strangers like me, who've only just learned about this calling feature, are not as appreciative of messages left on our pay phone voice mail. Luckily, I can call my own phone from a landline to hear the message and not get charged, but will not likely ever be there first hand to answer a call as it is coming in. Nor would I care to be. Two sides to every story. Now keep your nose clean so you won't need to be calling strangers at all hours from some jail cell.
Hmmmm... maybe if you people didn't consort with CRIMINALS, you wouldn't have this problem. Poor you? What about the person they wronged that led to them being incarcerated? Maybe you need better people in your life and you won't have these kind of problems.
Perhaps a nice class action civil suit should be considered. Globeltel will never be responsive or accountable for their actions unless they are forced to do so. Even the biggest of money hungry empires can fall and fall hard. I too have been fustrated by this corrupted, insensitive, unprofessional, money scamming, indecent company. BTW, I found out that if an inmate calls back to back in efforts of trying to reach you...GTL will take the cost of the call(s) and as they say put it on hold and then release it later. Someone tell me why is that? What's the purpose? If you connect you connect if you don't then you don't. Calling back to back does what? Nevertheless, in order to make some changes and to fight a big boy...it will have to be done in unity...the more the merrier...strength in numbers...and file a class action suit against this company... make them pay everyone back for the pain and anguish they have caused through out the years.
I feel that this company does not have any sympathy for anybody. The excuse I got back when I told them that my boyfriend called me three times and the phone cut off right in the middle of our conversation was that they couldn't credit my money back because I was using a cell phone for my account. One call cut us off at 5mins 54secs, another cut us off at 4mins 47secs, and the third call cut us off @ 1min 9secs. I tell you people make up the lamest excuses to something that can be handled in seconds. And the thing is that I did not yell at them so attitude has nothing to do with their bad customer service its the smart ### dummies they pick to run things. But karma is going to hit them very soon and I can not wait until that day come. It's a shame that people so hungry for money that they got to scam you out your money. I can care less of they giving us the opportunity to be able to speak to our loved one but the fact is that they should not be ripping people off like they do. From the looks of things they have a lot of complaints and I'm pretty sure they have millions of lawsuits against them yet no one has handled this matter yet and its been going on for years. Are they blind or something or are they remedial to not see so many complaints towards this company. That money spitting game to their dumb ###. They need to do something about this situation.
I HATE using this system soooo much. its $2+ fro one 30 minute call and if i don't use the left over dollar because the call only lasts 30 minutes i lose it. this is crap, yes we probably should be paying but with over 35k prisoners in my county only i am pretty frigging sure that you guys are making money all day everyday. so much money that you all could go on vacation for a couple months. i believe you all are doing us good by allowing us to use your service to talk to our loved ones but those prices are STUPID.
I work for a phone company myself so I think I am qualified to speak about this, my husband was incarcerated and I paid the horrible prices for 2 years. He finally got out and I requested a refund of $62.00 that I originally placed on my account on September 10, 2011. It is now October 18th and I still have not received my refund. I have been told so many stories, first it would take 7 to 10 days, then I would have it back on my card that evening, then they mailed it to my OLD address, then they needed my new address again 2 weeks later. Last week I was told it would be put back on my card and now no one is answering their phone or responding to my e-mail. I feel they are trying to avoid refunding me my money. This is not good customer service. I have never had to go through such trials and tribulations to get MY money back. This company makes good money off of all of the customers and least we can expect is good customer service. I have went ahead and filed a complaint with the FCC and the Better Business Bureau. I feel if you need my little $62.00 that bad, then this comapny must be doing pretty bad or not handeling the funds correctly.
I agree with his assessment of Global Tele. I wish he is able to compete and get them out of business. I received two collect calls from a town about 40 miles away. $39.95 for each FIVE minute call plus the next month on my AT&T bill there was a monthly statement charge for $2.99. The FCC isn't interested.
my fiance is an inmate at a local correctional facility, i havebeen receiving phone calls & when i pick up they give me my account balance. now apparently the updating of their systems is horrible, because i have a negative balance on a PREPAID account, which to me, is off the wall. when i do not have money in the account i can not accept calls, but apparently i was able to this weekend, surprise surprise. i went and loaded $10 onto the phone & my balance was only $3. talk about being ripped off. GTL needs to get their systems together because they are screwing people out of money. if its PREPAID then i should only be allowed to talk for the amount i put on the phone, not any more making my account negative.
Regardless of any complaints towards the company, Please try to keep in mind, that the customer service reps only work for the company. We don't set the policies in place, we have no control over how things are done, and the info given to the customers is the same information given to us. The technical issues, as far as calls dropping, double charges, Merchant Override declines and staticy calls are just as frustrating to the CSR's as they are to the customers. Yes, you are paying your hard earned money for the service but we have to listen to the complaints and get cursed out on a daily basis when all we are trying to do is earn a living to take care of our own families. Some us have loved ones locked up too. All this money that you say GTL is taking damn sure is not going in our pockets. Not all of us are rude and don't care, either. Some of us care a great deal but most of the time there is not much we can do other than what we are told. Alot of the issues customers call about and the info that is given is correct. But, from my experience, most people believe what they want anyway regardless of what they are told. Most do not even want to listen and even try to understand. GTL is not a monopoly. GTL is a contracted company CHOSEN by the Facility or Facilities your loved ones are incarcerated. DOC is trying to get what they can get at the lowest price. The company chosen can only do so much with what they are payed to do. There are so many factors involved that none of us, the customer or the employees, could understand why things are done the way they are done. There are alot of customers who call in and say they love the service so with that said, it is pretty much the same as any other company...You can't please everyone! If I had a company that gave away FREE gold, SOMEONE would call in and have something to complain about. You do have a choice.
This is a digital age and yes GTL is taking advantage of cheaper digital technology to process their calls, however it is still billing as if communication lines are still in the 1970's. Well they are not, collect calls don't cost GTL anymore to process than other phone companies. However there are small cost associated with monitoring the calls and other services provided. For example a local call costs $1.00 instead of being free. This is the cost associated with extra services provide by GTL because of the prison requirements. The long distance calls however are totally inflated to make huge amounts of profit for the company shareholders and for kick backs to the state. It is outrageous that these people are making a killing off mostly desperate poor people. Outrageous! Thanks for the service GTL.
I would tell anyone with complaints about the bill, if you have contacted Global Tel Link with no luck, then I would suggest contacting the FCC and filing a complaint with them. I have had trouble in the past with dropped calls, static on the line etc and when I called to complain I was put on hold then disconnected or told that the office was closed. I don't mess with that anymore. I let the FCC deal with them and they are much more cooperative. Was even given the name and direct phone number of the supervisor and was told to call her directly if I had any more problems. So far, there have been none.
GTL is full of s**t! They rip people off BIG TIME! They scam and are taking peoples money! I had the same thing happen to me. They charged me 3 extra times $25 dollars. They tried telling me it was my banks fault and the bank made the mistake. I knew that wasnt the case. Clearly my online banking says GTL pulled the $ out. Do they not think it doesnt say who the money goes to! So i called the bank. And i was right! GTL did take the total of $75 dollars out my account. So I called GTL back and now they are telling me to fax them my statement that says they took out the money. They are full of it. They have poor service! The calls are sometimes not clear. you can hardly hear of they drop. Customer service is very poor. They obviously hate their jobs. They dont wanna help anyone out! People if you dont have to really use them dont! I wouldnt wanna give them another dime!
That is so true a [censor]ing rip off right alone with smith county jail
First of all, HOW DARE YOU ACT LIKE YOU'RE PROVIDING A SERVICE WHEN WE'RE PAYING YOUR CHECK!
Secondly, it is absolutely a MONOPOLy, like the poster above said, and is sewn through the seeds of greed, pain and other people's oppression.
Thirdly, who are you to challenge how someone spends their money? You have no right! I don't agree with people using their bill/rent/food/children(s)/etc. monies but really, you work for the company and you have no right to act like you personally own the company and we shoould bow down to pay $1.75 for the first minute and .05 for the second and $4.75 on every $25.oo increment we pay! And then, we should, after that first million dollar second + fees, be allowed to tal non-stop without interruption by your company so it makes the person have to call back and accrue and accrue!
IT IS OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE AND WITH ALL OF THE TECHNOLOGY OUT THERE, SOMEONE WITH THE MONEY AND THE SERVER-POWER COULD SET UP A GOLDMINE BY LOWERING THE COSTS FOR THE CALLS, QUALITY OF SERVICE, NO DOUBT, AND THE RATES, TOO, AND STILL MAKE MONEY!
When that day comes and you are let go, let's see what loyalty you have.
Or, since you're so self assuming, save your paychecks and start your own company WORKER BEE!
Now after talking with the customer support i am told that if I terminate the ac they will charge me money to cancel it n refunf the rest of my money back! So to get back my money i have pay them once again...is this an actual legal company or what?
Obviously havent been so lucky as i thought to terminate it! I have to use up all the ac balance n onlt then can I terminate otherwise they will charge me more money to terminate it now!
Now that i am reading more n more complaints I can see the scamming has been going on since more than a year!
absolutely agree . i've had horrible experience with the company too n have luckily managed to terminate my ac soon enough. have heard a few friends complaint about the agents too!
I sent $35.00 to GTL on the 25th of May 2010 and it still has not been put on my account! The phones where my loved one is constantly drops calls in the middle of us talking and we get charged for it! I have had to charge money with my visa card in order to talk to my loved one, these people are major rip offs! I am filing A complaint with the attorney generals office and federal trade commisioner TODAY! Angelface
I'm along with everyone else thats been told to fax a copy of their phone bill and waited a week, called to find out why he still can't call just to find out they're too slow minded to recieve a fax and don't have any reason why. These reps should know more about their company before working for them. I'm just gonna give up, they can rob me of my $50... I'll just pray for them.. pray that they get sued, all go to prison and have to deal with their own BS service. I'll just stick to writing, atleast the postal service tells me why my letters dont go through and dont make me pay hundreds ahead of time for nothing. GTL makes all these "options" like paying online, setting up an account on their automated phone service just to make an excuse for why they "lost" your money. They're just tricking people out of their money and not doing a very good job since all of these people have figured them out and they will be shut down eventually. I give em a year tops til theyre completely screwed just as they've been doing to their customers.
Yes they do truly suck! They took my money - as I checked with my CC company, but never deposited it to my account! Cannot get through to anyone there and have left many messages. TERRIBLE COMPANY
I think that if you have a cell phone that is in the same area code that your love one is in and it says they only charge $4.16 for a call i dont think they should just up the rates to $17.92 that is just ###ed... and it was not even 24 hours since i got the last call and when i called customer service they gave me the run around and told me that they could not do anything about it... THIS IS THE SUCKIEST COMPANY EVER! Iwhen he was in a different county then i was in it didnt cost me this much to get one phone call!
I agree totaly
has anyone tried to or had any success with getting this damn block removed?
Disagree strongly with them. Before these crooks with the strong arm backing of the government got involved locally an Inmate could place a collect call a few years ago at a low Ma Bell collect call rate. Twenty five dollar charge off for a ten minute call is robbery without a gun. I seriously wonder how much of a "kickback" by any other name the government gets off this company! Any other business that daily committed these offenses would have rapidally been out of business and/or facing criminal charges.
In my state they violate the laws after an Inmate call by if the call is not accepted, repeatedly do computerized recorded call backs trying to get you to setup a credit card account, which is illegal here. And secondly mask their calling number which again violates state or federal laws now I believe.
The UCLU needs to file a class action on behalf of every Inmate and family member affected by their practices in suing the Global Tel Link and every government agency that uses them. Lastly what ever happened to the anti-trusts laws of monoplies with a gaint like this. Flush the crooks in my book.
Allen
dnt talk bull ###
LOL, GTL is full of [censored]e, have u ever tryed to call them and get the recording that someone will call u back within 2 hours and no one ever calls u back. and as for calls being cut saying it's a third party call it has happend to me so many times and gtl dosnt care i know because i called them and told them they owe me a credit and they said sorry. I pay $3.10 for 15 minutes and the jail is 10 minutes from my home in the same county go figure right. GTL you SUCK and yes you are a RIP OFF. mail may take a little longer but it cost a hell of a lot less.
Let me give you my 2 cents, since that's all I have due to GTL's ridiculous fees. You've obviously never had a loved one or a family member in a correctional facility, or you'd have never said something as stupid as you did. No Thanks to GTL for a god damned thing. If it weren't for you, the calls would have eventually been made somehow. You don't know how hard it is to make it all work, or how much aggravation we have to endure out here. For your information I don't have food stamps or kids or whatever you deem to be unacceptable, but I have a husband whom I love with all my ###ing heart sitting in prison right now for something he shouldn't be. I'd just about give anything to hear his voice, he's my world. If your other half, or your child were in prison you'd probably understand where I'm coming from. I spend money on gas to visit him every week which for one day is about $40 then I spend another $20 on garbage vending machine food so he can eat something besides ### on a shingle, I spend money so he has stamps to write, and his necessities in there. I get to see him for a few hours and that's it. You want to tell me it's ok that you people charge us out the ### to talk to our families? ### you. That about sums it up right there. Money means nothing to me other than survival, I don't need much to be happy in life, but I do need my husband. Capitalize on someone elses suffering and misfortunes, that's the American way I guess. You can't catch a break if one fell in your ###ing lap. I don't think the government or GTL could find another angle to ### me at. I hope you never do have to experience anything like it, I truly do. I just hope that before you open your mouth and say such incredibly hurtful and uninformed things you think about how it would feel if the shoe were on the other foot. I'm not a ###ing criminal, and I am not catching a "free ride", just remember that you also deal with a lot of good people too, who are just wanting to hear someone they love on the other end.
-Aggravated in Atlanta
This company sucks they block your service for the dumbest reasons. Anyone who lives in the metro ATlanta area knows that the area codes for Cobb, Fulton, Dekalb, Clayton an Gwinett counties are 404, 770, or 678. But this company expects you to change your area code if you move from one county to antoher. So if you live in Cobb county you better not have a 404 number because if so you will not be able to use them.