Nepalese in U.S. Cheated by Calling Cards

SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Nepalese in the U.S. who use international calling cards to stay in touch with family at home said they often get only half the of the calling minutes purchased, and that calling card fraud has cheated some of them by as much as $1,000.

(Photo:  http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100513/SF03782)

The first-ever report on U.S. Calling habits to Nepal from the U.S. revealed that 68.6% of Nepalese in the U.S. believe they received fewer minutes than promised by calling card providers. The average loss due to fraudulent cards was $41, the study found, but many respondents said the total sum lost was far greater.

Conducted in the first four months of 2010 by Rebtel (http://www.rebtel.com), the first-ever research uncovered fascinating facts and findings on U.S. calling habits to Nepal, birthplace of Buddha and home to eight of the world's 10 highest peaks, including Mount Everest.

• Saturdays and Sundays are the days that most Nepalese abroad call home.
• The largest numbers of Rebtel calls from the U.S. to Nepal originate in Texas, Minnesota and California.
• The vast majority of calls go to mobile phones vs. landlines.
• Average duration of calls to Nepal from the U.S. is a brief 5.38 minutes.

Nearly all Rebtel calls to Nepal that originate in the U.S. – 91.6% – go to family members, 7.6% are to friends, and only a scant .8% go to business associates, according to the survey respondents. Call quality and ease of use are more important than lower rates when choosing international phone service, survey respondents said.

Top U.S. Cities Calling Nepal – January through April 2010:

1. Wichita, Kansas
2. New York City
3. Huntsville, Alabama
4. Minneapolis, Minnesota
5. Dallas, Texas
6. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
7. Peoria, Illinois
8. Omaha, Nebraska
9. Saint Cloud, Minnesota
10. Boston, Massachusetts

Of the Nepalese participating in the survey, 82% said Rebtel call quality was noticeably better than other phone services for calling family in Nepal, and 80.8% said Rebtel was easier to use.

"The most reliable and clear connections plus ease of use are what bring customers to Rebtel, but the reason people use our services day in and day out is our consistently competitive rates for staying connected with their loved ones back home," said Andreas Bernstrom, Rebtel CEO. "That's what Rebtel is really all about – and why 94.2 percent of our Nepalese customers recommend Rebtel to their friends."

Release of the study coincides with dramatic rate reductions by Rebtel on calls to Nepal: a 24% cut on calls to landlines and 30% on calls to mobile phones.

Founded in 2006, Stockholm-based Rebtel was established to give people around the world an alternative to mobile operators' rip-off rates for making international calls. Today, thousands of Nepalese in the U.S. use Rebtel every day to call family at home.

Rebtel has been ranked No.1 in international calling by Technology Appraisals and has been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and The International Herald Tribune for its unique calling service.

About Rebtel

Rebtel is an Internet phone company that makes it possible to use any phone in 49 countries to call anywhere in the world for just pennies per minute. Rebtel customers only pay for the minutes they use. There are no monthly fees, no connection fees, or hidden costs. Free calls are possible between the 49 countries served by Rebtel and only one of the two people on a call must be a Rebtel customer. For more information, or to start using Rebtel, go to http://www.rebtel.com.

SOURCE Rebtel

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