Registering your preferred long distance carrier with CapTel Customer Service ensures that your long distance captioned calls will be billed correctly, under your own long distance plan. If you don't indicate which long distance carrier you use, any long distance captioned calls placed on your CapTel phone will be billed under the default carrier for your state (varies by state). Default carrier billing is often more expensive than the calling plan you have set up with your own carrier. These charges apply to long distance captioned calls only—there is never any charge to use the CapTel service.
Remind the people who call you long distance to register their carriers with CapTel Customer Service as well. A reminder is printed on the back of the new Call Me Cards. Please contact CapTel Customer Service if you'd like to receive new Call Me Cards or download them from our website.
* When registering your carrier of choice, please provide your name, telephone number for the CapTel phone, and preferred long distance provider. CapTel Customer Service may also ask you to provide your 4-digit PIC or CIC code (also called a "carrier code"). You can get this code by calling your phone company.
Make sure captioned long distance calls are billed under your existing calling plan.
Encourage people who call you via long distance to register their long distance provider, too!
To leave a message on an answering machine, just begin speaking as soon as you hear the beep or see "(Beep)" on your CapTel display. The Captioning Service sends out the (Beep) message as soon as it plays, even if it is not finished captioning the answering machine message. This is why you may sometimes see captions that say: [(Recording) You have reached John and Jane Doe Please leave a message at the sound of the beep Thank-you for calling and have (Beep) a nice day].
Some answering machines only allow a preset amount of time to leave a message before they hang up or send a tone to alert you that recording has ended.
Note: "(Beep)" only appears when you are expected to speak after a beep or sound on the line during recordings.
If your CapTel display shows:
(Beep) = it means the answering machine has started recording—you can leave your message.
You can use CapTel with headsets, neck loops, and other assistive devices—for optimal hearing and "hands-free" convenience.
The CapTel phone is designed to be compatible with hearing aids. If you wear a hearing aid, you may wish to experiment with how/where you hold the CapTel handset near your ear to find the optimal hearing position.
You can also use an assistive listening device with the 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm audio jacks included on your CapTel phone. These jacks are compatible with many types of assistive listening devices, such as neckloops, cochlear implant patch cords, headsets, and T-coil devices (if compatible with your hearing aid).
The 2.5 mm and 3.5 mm audio jacks are located on the front edge of the CapTel phone under a gray rubber cover. If you would like to use an assistive listening device, but your CapTel phone does not have audio jacks, please contact CapTel Customer Service.
Sometimes when you dial a phone number, you may see error "(Tones)" or a message saying that your call cannot be completed as dialed. This may be because the CapTel phone only allows a preset amount of time for dialing telephone numbers. If you dial slowly, the telephone number may not be completely entered in time, even if you finish dialing. The captioning system will still try to make the call.
If you need additional time to dial telephone numbers, please contact CapTel Customer Service. We will be happy to update your CapTel phone to allow you more time to dial.
Callers can call your number directly
In 2-Line Mode, you can get captioned calls directly to your regular phone number—without the caller calling the Captioning Service first. This allows calls from unknown callers such as the doctor, car service, or pharmacy to all be captioned!
You can turn Captions on/off at any time during a call
In 2-Line Mode, you can turn captions on and off at any time during a call. Just press the CAPTION button to turn the captions off when they are not needed. If you want to see captions again later in the call, press the CAPTION button again and you will be re-connected to another captionist at the Captioning Service.
In 2-Line Mode, it is important that you:
The captioning service works best when you use the original CapTel phone/handset to talk and listen during captioned calls. Another person can still join the conversation on an extension line with 2-Line Mode, but the person who needs captions should use their CapTel phone only.
If you're ready to try the exciting features 2-Line Mode offers, the CapTel phone you already have in your home or office can also be used in 2-Line Mode. To make the switch to 2-Line CapTel:
If you have any questions about 2-Line CapTel, contact CapTel Customer Service for more information.
If you see this notice on your display, it means updated software is available for your CapTel phone. Make sure the handset is hung up and the light over the caption button is on. Then, press the button next to "UpdateCapTel"—the CapTel phone automatically takes care of the rest!
If you do not see an update message on your display, it means your CapTel software is current and no changes are required.
While the CapTel looks and acts like a traditional telephone, it is really a very different kind of device. It is similar to a small computer. To show the text captions along with a caller's voice, the CapTel sets up a data connection (just like a fax machine or a computer modem connection) with the Captioning Service. Because of this difference, the CapTel is only recommended for use on certain types of phone lines.
| If you have... | Then... |
| an analog telephone line | ...simply plug the CapTel telephone line into the jack. |
| DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) | ...connect an analog filter (which can be obtained from your DSL provider) to the wall jack. |
| Digital Cable or VOIP (Voice-Over Internet Protocol) | ...the CapTel is not designed/guaranteed to operate on these types of lines. If you experience static or unsatisfactory captions when using Digital Cable or VOIP, consider switching to an analog line. |
| PBX (Digital office lines) | ...use an analog port. |
To find out what type of telephone line you have, contact your telephone company.
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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