F.A.Q

Payphones

Q: If I purchase a payphone, who will install and maintain it?

A: The phone can be installed by yourself or any local handyman, and if you have any specific questions, you can ask us. You are responsible for maintaining the phone, which for the most part entails keeping the coin flow open and clean, and regularly removing the coin from the payphone as to avoid overfilling it and damaging the parts.  You own the payphone: You install it; You maintain it; You keep all revenue the phone generates.

Q: What kind of telephone line do I need?

A: The phone will work on any regular telephone line, known as a POTS or B1 line, or sometimes referred to as COCOT or COPT lines, but please check with your state PUC to see if there are any specific requirements.

Q: How does long distance work?

A: You pick your LD carrier when you setup the telephone line, and the payphone is set to charge at a higher rate then you are being charged. So for example, if you are being charged $.10 per minute, the payphone will be programmed to charge $.50 per minute, so you will be profiting $.40 per minute. Your phone bill will have the LD charges, but there will be more than enough cash in the coin box to cover the charges.

Q: We were told we need to have a payphone/emergency phone by our pool.  What type do we need?

A:  In most areas you do not need an actual payphone, an Emergency Hotline Phone will fill the requirement and save you money.  This is the preferred phone for pools because a child can not make an accidental 911 call simply by taking the receiver off hook.  The 911 button must be pressed to connect the call.

Q: How does the phone charge for different calls?

A: You decide how much to charge , which will be decided at the time of purchase. The phone is then programmed based upon your local calling area to determine the specific rate patterns using a rate file.

Q: What kind of warranty comes with my payphone?

A: The Elcotel Series-5XG comes with a two year warranty on the housing and parts, and a one year warranty on the circuit board.

The Protel 7000 and 310 come with a two year warranty on the housing and parts, and a one year warranty on the circuit board. The optional refurbished circuit board comes with a six month warranty.

The Protel 1000 comes with a 6 month warranty on the housing, parts, and circuit board.

All new desktop pay phones come with a one year warranty.

Refurbished desktop payphones come with a 30 day warranty.

Repairs have a 30 day warranty.

The warranty does not include shipping costs on any refurbished phone and only covers shipping, at G-Tel's discretion, during the first 30 days on a new phone. Vandalism voids the warranty. Vandalism is defined by any damage not consistent with normal usage or maintenance of your phone at G-Tel's technical departments discretion. Battery's are not covered if you do not keep them charged by line usage.

For more warranty information, please refer to the product page of your specific model.

Q: How long will it take for my order to arrive?

A: Most orders ship out the same day or the day after the order was placed. You can view the UPS Ground Shipping Chart by clicking here. If you order 2nd day or next day, your order should arrive on schedule, without counting Saturday or Sunday.

Q: What operator service are the payphones set to call? How can this be changed?

A: Your Bell Style phone will come programmed to route all 0+ and operator assisted calls through NCIC.Your phone will come with a form for you to sign up and receive $.50 commission per 0+ call from your payphone location. You can also sign up online by visiting http://www.payphone.com/Special_Offers/0+.htm. If you would like to program a different carrier into your phone, you can instruct us at the time of sale and we will program their carrier access number into the payphone for you, (additional charges may apply).

Q: What is the magnetic card reader and how does it work?

A: The magnetic card reader is used as an alternate to coin or collect calling when making a call from the payphone. The person using the phone would swipe his or her credit card, or magnetic striped phone card, and the phone would process the call .

As the payphone owner, you get paid under our 0+ commission program discussed above, or through another carrier of your choice.

Desktop Payphones

Q: How do you enter the program mode?

A: Enter # then the six digit default pass code 000000, the display will show �FLASH� then �FREE". If you changed your pass code you will have to reset it back to default.

Q: How do you reset the pass code back to default?

A: With the phone on hook, remove the tap from the bottom of the phone to reveal the dipswitches. Put dipswitch 1 to the on position, and then go off hook. Enter the program mode with the default pass code 000000, change your pass code, then put dipswitch 1 back to the off position.

Q: My phone displays ERROR 1 or ERROR 4 when the handset is lifted, how do I correct this?

A: Test the coin flow by depositing a coin into the phone, then hang up to see if your money is returned. If not, you may have a stuck or bent coin, or a foreign object, that is blocking the coin flow. Remove the outer shell of the phone and remove the jam.

Q: Why does my phone displays ERROR 6?

A: You waited too long to dial after you lifted the handset.

Q: Why does my phone display ERROR 7?

A: You did not deposit enough coin to make the call.

Q: Why doesn't my phone detect coins when deposited?

A: Your coin settings may have been erased. Enter the program mode then enter *16 1000052599#

Q: How do I correct the problem when my handset is lifted the display shows a timer instead of HELLO.

A: You may have voice mail on the line. It is recommended to remove the voice mail service on the line the payphone is operating on. It is also possible that another device on the line is interfering with the payphone. Also, if someone else is on the line, the phone will display a timer when the handset is lifted.

Q: What is my local rate band?

A: Press *00 while in the program mode to access your local rate band.

Q: What is my long distance rate band?

A: Press *01 while in the program mode to access your local rate band.

Q: I need more information, where is the instruction manuals?

A: You can access all of our user manuals by clicking on the link to left under support.

Other Products

Q: What is the conservative enclosure made of?

A: Most enclosures are made of aluminum. The conservative enclosure is made from cast iron.

Q: Does the Boss Ringer work on any phone?

A: Yes, the boss ringer will work on any phone line.

Q: What does the circuit board on the Antique Phone do?

A: The circuit board on the antique phone simply requires a quarter any time the handset needs to be opened up. It does not distinguish between local and long distance calls. Also, you need a quarter in order to answering incoming calls on the phone.

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