Complaint Review: Intl Satellite Comm

Our hotel (in Mexico) provided a 1-800 number to use to have family call us. My long distance provider's rate to Mexico is 16 CENTS a minute, imagine my surprise when I was billed an average of $3.00/minute (to the tune of $180)! (after reading other RipOff report storeis, I guess I should consider myself lucky, at least on a minute by minute basis!) I asked ATT and my long distance provider how this could be and they each blamed the other.

Finally I called the company on behalf of whom AT&T was billing (Intl Satellite Comm) and they said I called the hotel through a 1-800 number so it routes through them. I would love to know if the hotel is paid for these calls, they must be or why would they suggest this on their phone info as a number we should have people use to call us?? My family could have called me using their Verizon cell phone for 45 cents a minute, if we'd had ANY idea this 800 number was a scam we wouldn't have used it!

Other than the rate which is absolutely outrageous in this day and age of free internet calling, I should have known that this company was a scam when I couldn't find a web site for them, address or anything until I finally stumbled on the Ripoff Report! I would love to find info somehow on how the owners of the phones used (i.e. hotels) are paid for when I write to the hotel to complain. (This is the first time Google is failing me in my search!)

Thanks for allowing me to get this off my chest! I hope somehow, someone will see these reports before using an 800 number from abroad!

Kirsten
Palo Alto, California
U.S.A.