Did you know you are responsible for all fraudulent calls made from your phone system?

Over the past few months, the telephony industry has been made aware of increasing fraud attacks targeting its clients using Private Branch Exchange (PBX) phone systems. A PBX system allows users to make external calls from their voicemail. Within a very short timeframe, these frauds can generate astonishing costs and fraudsters are increasingly active.

After accessing a weak voicemail account, a pirate can take full control of your telephone system and place overseas phone calls directly from your lines. Within hours, the costs for this type of fraud can reach tens of thousands of dollars! Your telephone provider is helpless to detect this type of fraud since the calls are placed from your own system.

The solution to avoid this type of costly intrusion is in your own hands and starts with a secure telephone system:

• Modify your system’s default password as well as those of every telephone station in your office.
• Use six (6) digit passwords and make sure all your employees do the same on their own station, especially if your telephone system allows users to make external calls from their voicemail.
• Sensitize your staff about the importance of securing their voicemail and of possible costs incurred should they let their guard down about security. If they understand the company’s financial viability as well as their job might be at risk if a fraud for many tens of thousands of dollars came to be, your employees will be more vigilant. Also make sure that all new employees be made aware of the importance of securing their voicemail.

This is unfortunately only one of the numerous ways you could be victimized by telephone fraud. To know more and learn how to better protect your company, please visit our Security tips section or contact our customer support service at 514-990-4689.

Do you offer calling card service?

Yes. We offer two calling cards. The Uni-Plus calling card featuring competitive rates in North America and international service from 55 countries around the world. We also offer the Allstream calling card where international coverage is more extensive.

Click here for a list of countries where service is available and their local international access codes, or download the table containing the codes (PDF).

How does the calling card work?

To access the calling card platform from North America you first dial 1-888-864-7353, then you are prompted by the automated attendant with the subsequent steps to follow.

What is the cost of a calling card call Canada to Canada?

Business service: Prices are subject to change and depend on your monthly volume. We would ask you to call Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or 1 888 864-7587 for a rate specific to your needs.

Residential service: Prices are subject to change. We would ask you to call Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or 1 888 864-7587 for a rate specific to your needs.

Can I call in every country with the calling card?

Almost every country can be reached with the calling card, please consult the list of country coverage for more accurate information.

Are calls made from the calling card identified separately on my account?

Yes. Calls are sorted by calling card number.

Can I make a calling card call From France to Italy using the Uni-Plus calling card?

Yes, but caution! All foreign calls must first arrive in Canada prior to terminating at their final destination. Which means that you will be invoiced for an inbound international call from France to Canada and then an outbound international call from Canada to Italy.

What are the methods of payment at my disposal?

• By check using the return envelope provided
• At an ATM of your financial institution
• By credit card: Visa, MasterCard or American Express
• By pre-authorized bank withdrawal
• By web access to your personal online banking account
• At your local bank branch  

Can you send my invoice by e-mail?

Yes. Just contact Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or 1 888 864-7587 and provide us with your e-mail address. Your account will be e-mailed to you in PDF format every month.

When is my account due for payment?

You have 25 days from the invoice date to pay your account.

Are there late payment charges?

Yes. Late payment charges of 2.00% per month (26,82% per annum) are applied to unpaid balances.

What is the procedure to subscribe to your service?

Contact our Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or 1 888 864-7587 to provide us with all the phone numbers for which you want the service provided. We will make the necessary modifications to your lines so that your long distance calls are routed over our network.

Do I need to notify my current carrier?

No. Your supplier will be electronically notified.

Is there a wait time to convert to your service?

Yes. The delay is roughly 4 to 6 days.

How can I verify who is my long distance provider?

Dial 1 700 555-4141. An automated attendant will confirm who your carrier is. The automated recording associated with Uni-Plus is PREMIER CHOIX or PRIMARY CONNECTIONS.

Are we obligated to make a minimum or maximum number of calls?

Business service: No. Each call is invoiced for a minimum of 30 seconds, then in 6-second increments.

Residential service: No. You can make as few or as many calls as you wish. However, a bill for less than $5 will be marked up to $5 to cover our costs. Each call is billed by the minute.

Is there a black out period for placing calls?

No. Your rate is valid 7 days a week, 24 hours a day, for all calls within Canada or to the United States.

What are your rates for calling Canada?

Rates are subject to change. We recommend that you call Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or at 1 888 864-7587 to inquire about our most recent rates.

Can you temporarily restrict long distance calls?

Certainly. Contact Customer Service at (514) 990-4689 or at 1 888 864-7587. Restrictions can be placed for domestic long distance only (Canada and the United States) or for overseas calls. The restriction is put into place approximately 20 minutes after receiving our call.

Can toll free 800 service be installed on my cellular phone?

Yes. Toll free service is provisioned over a virtual line so it can be call forwarded to any telephone number terminating in Canada. This includes cellular phone numbers as well as pager numbers.

Can toll free service be installed on my residential phone line?

Yes. Toll free service is provisioned over a virtual line so it can be call forwarded to any telephone number terminating in Canada. Many of our residential customers subscribed to this service use the service for their adolescents attending school out of town. Also the toll free service will receive calls from a public pay phone without having to insert coins.

What is an access code?

Access codes are 3 or 4 digit numeric codes that you key into your phone after having dialed a long distance call. The access code allows our customers to identify who placed the long distance call.

How do access codes work?

First you dial the long distance number after which you will hear a steady tone. That is when you enter your access code.

Can I have more than one access code at my office?

Yes. You are assigned as many codes as you have telephone users.

How much does this service cost?

It's free!

How do you recognize calls made by each user?

All calls will appear on your invoice sorted by user name and/or access code.

Service	Business	Residential
Toll free 800 calls	YES	YES
Cellular telephony	NO	NO
Local lines	YES	NO
High-speed and remote dial-up	YES	YES
VoIP Telephony	YES	YES
Virtual services	YES	YES

What is the procedure to subscribe to a virtual service?

Contact us and we'll send you a one-year Service agreement and a preauthorized debit form which you will have to sign and return to us. Upon receipt, we'll order the programming of your virtual services.

How long is the activation delay?

The activation delay is approximately 3 working days.

Can I choose my number?

Yes, if the number you want is availableand accessible by our facilities. You can also tell us your preferences (ex.: a number corresponding to your address or to your company name) and we'll do our best to find one that will suit you.

People tell me my voice is choppy when I make a call.

This is usually caused by an excessive demand on bandwidth. To know if this is your case, shut down all computers using your Internet connection. If your voice sounds normal again, then the problem is undoubtedly caused by excessive traffic on your Internet connection. You will then have to find out which of your computers is hording the bandwidth (by starting them back up one at a time) and why (ex. file sharing (torrents), music or movie downloads, online games, virus, etc.). Also make sure that your network is secure and that neighbours aren't using your wireless network for their own use.

This section is under development. Please send us by email any question you might have about our VoIP telephony services, or call us at 1-800-864-7587.

Do you offer cellular phone service?

Unfortunately, Uni-Plus does not currently have any standing agreement with a cellular carrier.

Do you offer long distance from a cellular phone?

To take advantage of cellular long distance savings, you must first dial a local access number (similar to extended dialing plan service) and then when you hear the dial tone you dial your long distance number.

Our customers have indicated to us that this dialing plan is cumbersome at best. For the time being, Uni-Plus has opted to wait for equal ease access on cellular phones. When this feature will be made available, long distance calls from cell phones will be rerouted to our network the same way as long distance calls are placed and invoiced today on land lines.