Register Your Long Distance Provider
Online at:
www.captionedtelephone.com/
carrierchoice.phtml
Voice/CapTel: 1-888-269-7477
TTY: 1-800-482-2424
Mail:
Please send us a brief note with your name, telephone numberfor the CapTel phone, and preferred long distance provider.
Mail to:
Ultratec, Inc.
450 Science Drive
Madison, WI 53711
If you make long distance calls with CapTel, you must register your existing long distance service or calling plan with CapTel Customer Service,with CapTel to ensure that any long distance charges are billed under your current long distance provider.
If you do not register a preferred long distance provider with us, any long distance captioned calls you make will be automatically billed by your state's TRS long distance carrier, at their long distance rate (which varies by state). This new billing requirement by the FCC applies to long distance calls only. It does not affect local calls. As always, there is NO charge to you for using the CapTel captioning service.
People who call your CapTel phone via long distance should also inform CapTel Customer Service of their long distance provider, to ensure their long distance calls to you are billed under their existing long distance service. If your callers do not let us know their preferred long distance provider, any long distance captioned calls they place to you will be charged on their phone bill under your state's TRS long distance carrier, at your state's long distance rate (which varies).
Please note: Federal Relay users and people who use 2-Line CapTel do not need to register their long distance service.
These business-card sized Call-Me Cards not only tell your callers what phone number to use (for you to get captions of their call), they also now remind your callers to register their preferred long distance provider, if their calls to you are long distance. The Call-Me Cards also list the CapTel website and toll-free Customer Service phone number for more information.
Call-Me Cards are available to download from the CapTel website. Or, you can request free copies from CapTel Customer Service.
People who call you through the CapTel Captioning Service now hear a quick voice reminder to register their long distance provider, and are given an option to learn more. When they call in, they get a friendly voice recording that says:
Thank you for calling the Captioned Telephone service. For long distance calls, be sure to register your preferred long distance provider. For additional information, press the # key.
If your caller presses the # key for more information, the recording says:
FCC rules require billing of long distance calls. You may arrange to have your calls billed to your established calling plan by registering your phone number with CapTel Customer Service at 1-888-269-7477.
2-Line Requirements
- A second telephone line with its own separate telephone jack.
- The second telephone line must be a separate phone line with its own phone number, not just an extension line.
- The second line may be analog or DSL, but remember to have an analog filter in place on a DSL line!
- The second line can be very basic—no need for Caller ID, Call Waiting, or long distance service.
2-Line CapTel is another (optional) way to use your CapTel phone. Available in most states that offer CapTel Service*, 2-Line CapTel allows you to:
With 2-Line CapTel, the people who call you simply dial your phone number. They don't have to call the Captioning Service first, or remember a separate toll-free number to reach you. And you still get captions of their call (via the 2nd phone line). In fact, you can get captions on any call—at any time—no matter where the call is coming from.
2-Line CapTel works with your existing CapTel phone*, but you need a second telephone line with its own telephone number (not just an extension line). Find out more online at http://www.captionedtelephone.com/2line.phtml.
*2-Line CapTel Service is not available in Alabama, Missouri, and Ohio (as of 6/15/06). Federal CapTelusers can use 2-Line in any state.
You may sometimes see (Unclear) on your CapTel display. This means the CA could not hear that particular word or words clearly enough to determine what your caller said. Simply ask the person with whom you are speaking to repeat the unclear word.
You may occasionally see word errors in the captions due to the voice recognition technology that CapTel uses to translate your caller's spoken words into written captions, with the help of a CapTel Communication Assistant (CA). Sometimes these words are misinterpreted by the computer, causing word errors to appear in your captions. Because captions are sent "live," the only way to fix errors is after-the-fact.
Words that appear in brackets
As you use your CapTel phone, you will typically notice a 3- to 5-second delay between the time the caller speaks until the time the captions appear. This is the typical time it takes to transcribe your caller's words and then transmit them to your CapTel display screen. Occasionally, delays may be longer, depending on the speed or complexity of the conversation.
The Signal Meter that appears in the CapTel display screen lets you know when there is sound on the line (such as the other person speaking), even if the sound is not loud enough for you to hear. When a call begins, if you see the meter moving, you may want to say something like, "I'm on the line, I will be with you shortly," to let the other party know you are there.
You may choose to explain, "I am using a captioned telephone for this call. It might take me a moment to respond while I read the captions." This may also prevent accidental hang-ups by people who answer your call, but do not hear an immediate response from you.
Often, CapTel users inform their callers that they are waiting for captions, so as to avoid any "awkward" pauses during the conversation. You might simply say, "One moment, I'm reading captions", when you notice/hear the other person has completed their turn speaking.
CapTel Customer Service is here to help if you experience any problems with your CapTel phone. Please have the serial number of your phone handy when you call (the serial number is located on the bottom of the CapTel, near the place where the handset plugs in).
If your CapTel phone isn't behaving the way you expect, try this handy trouble-shooting checklist to help solve the problem.
CapTel Customer Service is your source for answers to any questions about your CapTel phone. We’d also love to hear your comments, concerns, and CapTel experiences. But you have to contact us and let us know! If you or anyone you know wants to know anything about CapTel, we are only a phone call, e-mail or letter away, and we look forward to finding out how we can best serve you. Please contact us!
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