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Phone Service
How do I order new phone service?
What is the difference between Residential and Business service?
How are telephone numbers assigned?
What does it cost to begin or change service?
Where should I get my telephone?
What if I have a problem with my phone and need repair service?
How do I pay my phone bill?
What should I expect on my first bill?
What is the 911 charge?
What is the Telephone Assistance charge?
What is the Tele Relay Service charge?
What is the FCC End User Charge?
What is Slamming?
What is Cramming?
How do I order new phone service?
Hutchinson Telephone Company and Telecommunications Inc. is your local telephone company. We can provide you with local telephone service as well as many other services. You'll find more information about the variety of services available throughout this site.
Please print out the appropriate form above and return to either office for completion. If you should have any questions, please call our Hutchinson business office at 320-587-2323, or our Litchfield business office at 320-593-2323 or 1-800-303-7039 outside our calling area or e-mail custserv@hutchtel.net
What is the difference between Residential and Business service?
Residential service is furnished to an individual or family in their residence where the service will be used solely by the customer or family members for personal, domestic or social purposes.
Business service is furnished for customer use in any premise regularly used in whole or in part for any business, trade or professional use. Telephone numbers used in business advertisements will classify that number as a business telephone regardless of the location of the instrument.
How are telephone numbers assigned?
We will assign you a telephone number at our discretion. The customer has no proprietary right in the number, and we may make such reasonable changes in the number or central office designation as the requirements of the service may demand.
What does it cost to begin or change service?
Charges for new service/changes will vary with each customer depending on the service and equipment selected. If you have our technicians install jacks or wiring inside your home or business, you will be charged for the time the technician is there. We require advance notice to install new service.
For more information, call our Hutchinson business office at 320-587-2323, or our Litchfield business office at 320-593-2323.
Where should I get my telephone?
We can provide you with telephone equipment. You may rent from us at a minimum monthly rate, you may purchase a telephone or telephone system from our large selection of telephones, or you may provide your own telephone equipment.
What if I have a problem with my phone and need repair service?
To report a problem with your telephone service or to report a telephone out of order, call our Repair Service (24-hour answering) at 320-587-2364 (Hutchinson) or 320-593-2364 (Litchfield).
If you are outside of the Hutchinson Telephone Company service area, call 1-800-303-7023.
How do I pay my phone bill?
For questions about your bill:
Call our Hutchinson business office at 320-587-2323, or our Litchfield business office at 320-593-2323 or 1-800-303-7039 outside our calling area.
To pay your bill:
When paying by mail, please enclose the bill stub with your check and return them in the envelope provided. Please write your telephone number on the bottom of your check. For your convenience, we accept payment by cash, check, money order, Automatic Payment Plan, VISA, Master Card or American Express.
Mail your payment to:
Hutchinson Telephone Company and Telecommunications Inc.
PO Box 279,
235 Franklin St. SW
Hutchinson, MN 55350-0279
You may use one of our convenient drop boxes located in the following places:
Hutchinson
- The parking lot outside our Hutchinson business office at 235 Franklin St. SW
- Cash Wise in Hutchinson
- Southwest corner of the City Center at Hassan St. and 1st Ave SE
Litchfield
- Outside our Litchfield business office at 421 South CSAH 34.
- Drop Box located on 2nd Street, West of Post Office.
Prompt payment means good credit. The payment due date is the date by which we should have received your payment. Your bill is past due if payment is not received in our business office by this date.
A late charge of 1.5% of your total bill will be applied if payment isn't received by the date due. Late payments may result in your telephone service being disconnected, and you will be required to pay your local telephone charges in full in order to have your local service reconnected. A reconnect charge will be added to your account for each reconnect. If you have other services such as optional features, or information services, each service must be paid in full before the service can be reconnected.
What should I expect on my first bill?
Your first bill will be larger than a normal monthly bill because it will include pro-rated charges, and installation charges may also appear on this bill. Therefore, if your service was installed on any date other than the beginning day of the billing cycle, you will have pro-rated charges from the day of service until the bill cycle starts, plus the next month’s charges. Be aware that your first bill from us may be for up to 2 months of service depending upon the date your service was activated.
What is the 911 charge?
A 911 charge is a fee assessed by the state and sent to the county to pay for 911 emergency services for the state of Minnesota.
What is the Telephone Assistance charge?
This is a state mandated surcharge that enables a program to lower the cost of local phone service for persons who have a disability and meet income guidelines or who are at least 65 years of age and meet income guidelines.
What is the Tele Relay Service charge?
This is a state mandated surcharge to help fund the cost of “translation” service for calls between people who have hearing or speech disabilities and voice telephone customers.
What is the FCC End User Charge?
This is a fee that the Federal Communications Commission allows local phone companies to charge for the recovery of a portion of the costs of completing long distance calls on their local networks. This is sent to a Federal pool and then distributed.
What is Slamming?
Slamming is a practice in which your long distance service provider is switched without your consent or knowledge. You may not know you were slammed until you get a phone bill from a different company often charging higher rates. Protect yourself from slamming by having a PIC Freeze on your line, which means your long distance company cannot be switched unless you personally contact your local telephone company and request the switch.
What is Cramming?
If you are billed for services that other companies provide, such as information or entertainment services via 900 numbers, club memberships, voice mail, paging, or Internet services, but you did not order these services, you may have been crammed. Review your phone bill for charges you don’t recognize and call your local phone company right away to dispute the unauthorized charges.
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