If you use LecStar as your home/business phone service read this....sm

They had a judge sign a Chapter 7 bankruptcy order on 10/2 and have begun cutting off phone service to residental and business customers.  I found out about this when I attempted to make a long distance call today (I had the unlimited long distance home phone plan) and got notification that I had no long distance service available.  Upon calling them the representative told me that they're working on cutting phone service to everyone and at any time I could lose service.  I've called the "mega" phone service for my area, BellSouth, and signed up to switch hopefully before the line is disconnected by LecStar.

Interestingly I had signed up for their service through a cooperation they had with my power company.  The power company just found out yesterday about the bankruptcy and services starting to be cut off and is in the process now of calling every power company customer who had phone service with LecStar and telling them what is happening so that hopefully no one else will be caught off guard with a disconnected phone service. 

• If you use LecStar as your home/business phone service read this....sm - Consumer guru

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Just got my new phone bill and freaked out. I'm supposed to be on a $39.95 monthly plan including unlimited long distance. My bill was $74!!!! The LD charges were $45!!! The phone company said I could get local LD and I could save a whopping $5 a month (how nice).

I'm looking for a new provider and used to go to a site where you could compare phone services but can't seem to find it now. Does anyone have that site?

I've thought about Vonage..does anyone have their service and how is it? Would it clash with my KVM switch and router?

Thanks for any help. As my name implies, in the past few years, technology has me going nuts lately and I seem to have "lost it."

I recently looked into this subject myself.  If you have Verizon available in your area, you can purchase a plan at about $55.00 per month with a two-year contract.  You will receive a card that you can insert into your laptop, which will provide you with unlimited Internet access at the speed of DSL.  As far as I know, there are no other cell service providers that have come up with this type of card yet, but I'm sure it's bound to happen in the future.  Another option is to purchase a satellite telephone and phone cards as you go along, but the cards are really outrageous in price.  One last thing that I would suggest is that you phone cell providers in your area to see if they have any technical gadgets you could attach to the cell phone for Internet access.  Many of the satellite phone companies have separate packages you can buy, which can be attached to laptops or PDAs.  I also have a TracPhone, so I know it does not come with hardware that will do the trick.

Good luck to you in setting everything up.  With the way that technology is moving, I'm sure there must be a way to accomplish what you want. 

taking phone calls like orders for things, etc.,  showed very pregnant woman with little kids with phone headset working on computer . Raved about flexibility, own hours, fit her schedule, blah, blah....   Had to be able to work alone, etc., all the work ethics we have to have, and good typist.  Full time, they said pays VERY well, with emphasis on the "very."  I think this woman was making 12-15 an hour, can't remember exactly.  Said there were about 10,000 women doing it and it is the up and coming thing.  Check out the GMA website... I think it was "Women at Work"...... something like that. 

One of the things that I like about this software is that I can keep a track of both my business and home checking accounts in the same program without having to flip back and forth. It is a little on the pricey side, but you can import the data right into Turbo Tax (if you use that program for doing your taxes) and the software cost is a tax-deductible expense.

Link below.

Hi All,

I was a statutory employee last year but not now.  I usually do my own taxes but am having trouble with form 8829 and am not sure if the accountant can squeeze me in at this late date.  Thought I would try here first for help.  I use my den exclusively for work (almost) and am going to take this 7% of our home as a business expense. 

Under Part II... Lines 10 and 11.  Deductible mortgage interest and real estate taxes...I am going to take the entire amount on schedule A, so, hopefully, do not have to enter anything here. 

line 17. Insurance.  Are we allowed to take a portion of our homeowners insurance as a deduction? I have no separate business insurance. 

Line 19. Utilities.  I know I can take 7% of my electric, gas, water, garbage (I think), but what about phones? We have both cell and regular phone.  When I call, I use the regular phone for toll free numbers, but the cell phone to my boss who does not have a toll free #. 

Then, I need to find the value of my home for Part III. I guess I will check home sales in the neighborhood and go by that. 

Geez..sorry for sounding like such a dummy.  I can do all the other...capital gains, etc, just not sure what is allowed for home expenses.

As I say, I will try to get in to the accountant, but any advise for any of this form would be greatly appreciated.  I cannot complete schedule A until I have my Profit or Loss done, which I cannot complete until I do this form.

Thanks.

I am by no means an accounting-type person. I keep EVERYTHING in this program. I used to always have my checkbook screwed up. Now, I don't even bother with trying to keep a balance written in my checkbook register because I do everything from her. I have automatically scheduled transactions, reminders and bills set up. I actually now have a budget (unheard of before).

As far as invoicing, I have found it to be very easy. I would say my favorite feature is the ability to email invoices directly from the program to clients, saving me postage and the hassle of delayed payments because of PO delivery problems.. Another plus for me is that I have to collect sales tax and it set that up for me automatically when I set up my business--this makes it very easy for me to figure out my tax due each quarter.

Another plus is that you can set up Quicken to automatically download bank transactions every day so I can stay on top of what's going on with my money. It keeps me from missing those pesky ATM transactions that my husband makes in the family account!

So we're considered a thing of the past, ah-hem!  Here are the 10 jobs. ~

Administrative Assistant
Also known as virtual assistants, home-based administrative assistants use office experience and computer skills as support personnel. Many skills easily transition into this position which offers many part-time and temporary opportunities.

Advertising Sales Agent
It's said that Americans are exposed to more than 3,000 ad messages a day. Advertising sales representatives sell or solicit advertising space in print and online publications, custom-made signs, or TV and radio advertising spots.

Computer Software Engineer
Computer software engineers are projected to be one of the fastest-growing occupations over the 2002-2012 period. Duties include design, development, testing and evaluation of computer software, and continual training is suggested for the quickly evolving industry.

Corporate Event Planner
Employed by a private company rather than a hotel or convention facility, a corporate event planner coordinates staff activities including group meetings, client presentations, special events, conventions and travel.

Copy Editor
Copy editors mostly review and edit a writer's copy for accuracy, content, grammar and style. This is a competitive field; however, the growth of online publications and services is spurring the demand for writers and editors, especially those with Web experience.

Desktop Publisher
Desktop publishers use computer software to format and combine text, images, charts and other visual elements to produce publication-ready material. Duties of this fast-growing profession include writing and editing text, creating graphics, converting photos and drawings into digital images, designing page layouts and developing presentations.

Data Entry Clerk
Like administrative assistants, job prospects should be best for those with expertise in computer software applications. By typing text, entering data into a computer, and performing other clerical duties, these workers ensure companies keep up with information and technology.

Insurance Underwriter
Insurance underwriters serve as the main link between the insurance carrier and the insurance agent. Underwriters analyze insurance applications, calculate the risk of loss from policyholders, decide whether to issue the policy and establish appropriate premium rates.

Market Research Analyst
Market Research Analysts gather data on competitors and analyze prices, sales, and methods of marketing and distribution. They often design surveys, compile and evaluate the data and make recommendations to their client or employer based upon their findings.

Paralegal
While lawyers assume ultimate responsibility for legal work, much of their work is delegated to paralegals. Paralegals not only assist in preparation for closings, hearings, trials, and corporate meetings, they also perform a number of other vital functions including draft contracts, mortgages, separation agreements, trust instruments and may assist in preparing tax returns and planning estates.

keep track of and will just be a different department. 

It looks like we will work out details over the next 6 months, talking with community college program directors as well as a few of the distance-learning course leaders to work on the recruiting end.

We will train current staff to mentor if they would like to do so and want to work in the office.

We are still working on production requirements, goals to set, pay, benefits and other fine details but we have 6 months to get it all in place with three months to pull it together after that with a tentative start date of 09/01/06.  We need to build the building as well, although that is already at the blueprint stage in a spot next to our current office. 

We did not want to cause flames and bashing by listing the company name as there are always so many negative people on this site, but we are national with over 200 transcriptionists, located outside of Chicago (40 miles west) and have the best team of transcriptionists around!

We will have an "official" announcement after the first of the new year. 

Thank you for all of your feedback and suggestions!

difference.  Also, have you tried a different headset?  Also someone told me one time that there is a microphone under your volume control on the right corner of the C-phone.  It's a tiny hole.  If you break off a Q-tip and stick that into the hole that will squelch a lot of background noise and that worked as well.  As far as getting your C-phone service, I heard that Dictaphone is "sunsetting" C-phones at the end of this year.  Meaning, they aren't going to service them anymore as they are considered an obsolete technology.  So, I would contact Dictaphone and see what your options are.

I know very little about Lanier equipment.  I've not used it as extensively as Dictaphone.  Is there a local appliance repair place in your area?  You might ask one of those places to take a look at your equipment and see what they think.  Kinda scary, cause they could do more harm than good, but maybe worth a shot.

Not much help, I know.  But I thought I would share what tiny bit of obscure knowledge I do have.