According to a recent story on WCBS-TV New York, consumers might not be getting all they?re paying for with the $6-$10 typically spent on Caller ID every month. According to a test run by a consumer, 41% of calls to their home phone number were coming up as ?unavailable? or ?out of area? on her Caller ID. Tests run by WCBS showed an even greater percentage of phone numbers ? 56% -- not appearing on Caller ID.

The likely reason for this is that phone companies are not spending the money to keep their directories up to date. Consumers who are considering adding Caller ID as a feature on their local phone service should ask their carrier how up to date their directories are and if they have data on what percentage of calls come up as ?unavailable? or ?out of area? on a typical customer's Caller ID. Anything more than 20-30% should raise alarm bells as to whether or not Caller ID is worth the often hefty price tag.

Source: Telecommunications Research and Action Center. http://www.trac.org