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FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONSDue to the large amount of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for Washington Relay, we have categorized them into three segments (hearing person, deaf person and hard of hearing person) for quicker reference.
If you are a hearing person...
If you are a deaf person...
If you are a hard of hearing person...
Who can use Washington Relay?Washington Relay is the communication link for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind, and speech impaired to connect with people who use standard telephones, including hearing people who want to call a person who is deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind or speech impaired.
How do I call Washington Relay?It's simple and easy, just dial 7-1-1 and a Communication Assistant (CA) will answer your call. The 7-1-1 access number is toll free and you only have to remember 3-digits; and it can be used anywhere, anytime.
Can I still use the old relay toll free (e.g. 800, 877, 888) numbers?Yes, you can continue using the 11-digit toll free numbers if you like. Also, you can use them if you are unable to place a relay call by dialing 7-1-1.
When dialing 7-1-1, I am unable to make a relay call. Why?If you have problems with 7-1-1 when calling through your switchboard (which usually is a PBX telephone system), you will need to contact your PBX administrator to have the system reconfigured in order to allow 7-1-1 outdial. Information on how to set up and/or reconfigure your PBX system(s) can be obtained from your PBX administrator and/or vendor. If you are not on a PBX telephone system, and you cannot access Washington Relay when dialing 7-1-1, call a customer service representative at your local telephone company. It is possible that your local telephone company many not have set up 7-1-1 outdial. PBX telephone systems are usually at hotels, businesses, agencies, offices, etc. with extension numbers. And most often, a way around to this issue would be to dial the full 11-digit toll free number.
How much does it cost to use Washington Relay?There is no extra charge to use Washington Relay. Long distance relay calls are billed at the regular rate that is charged between the point from which you are making the call and the point where the call terminates. Long distance calls can be billed to your preferred long distance provider. Give the Communication Assistant your long distance information when placing the call. If you do not provide a specific company, the long distance call will be billed with the provider of Washington Relay, which is Sprint.
Is there a time limit on how long a call can last?There is no time limit on the calls. The Communication Assistant (CA) will relay the conversation until the parties desire to terminate the conversation.
How do I call someone who uses a TTY (Text Telephone or TDD), if I do not have one?Call Washington Relay by dialing 7-1-1 and give the Communication Assistant (CA) the phone number with the area code and/or extension of the person you are calling. The CA will place your call to that person and will type your spoken words to the person you have called who uses a TTY; then, the operator will voice the typed words from the other person to you, and so forth, until your conversation ends. Don't hang up! Voice users may experience high pitch beeps or tones when dialing Washington Relay. Please just stay on the line and CA will voice to you within a few seconds. Many times this happens when a switchboard is used at your location or this may happen the first time you dial 7-1-1 instead of the original 800 number. Remember to say "Go Ahead" when you have finished your part of the conversation. When you hear this, please remember it is your turn to continue the conversation. Remember that the CA is not a part of the conversation. They must type everything they hear including background noises. Remember to speak directly with the person, instead of using third party terms such as "Tell him... Ask her..."
How do I call a hearing person through Washington Relay?Call Washington Relay by dialing 7-1-1 and give the Communication Assistant (CA) the phone number with the area code and/or extension of the person you are calling. The CA will place your call to that person and will speak your typed words to the hearing person you have called; then, the operator will type the voiced words from the other person to you, and so forth, until your conversation ends. Remember to type "Go Ahead" (GA) when you have finished your part of the conversation. When you see this, please remember it is your turn to continue the conversation. Remember that the CA is not a part of the conversation. They must read everything typed to the hearing person, even the things you type in parentheses. The CA is not permitted to make judgmental calls on how the hearing person feels during the relay call; however, you may ask how "loud" the voice sounds.
What is a Communication Assistant (CA)?A Communication Assistant (CA) is the confidential, transparent link between hearing and deaf, hard of hearing, deaf-blind and/or speech impaired callers. The CA voices conversation to voice users and types the conversation to TTY users. The CA is not a part of the conversation. They must voice everything typed to the hearing person, even the things typed in parentheses. Also, they must type everything they hear including background noises. Remember to talk/type directly with the hearing person, instead of using third party terms such as "Tell him... Ask her..."
Are relay conversations confidential?Yes. According to our federal law, all calls made through Washington Relay are kept confidential! No records are kept as the conversations are automatically erased from the computers after the end of each call. Communication Assistants working with Washington Relay agree to adhere to the confidentiality requirements by signing the code of ethics agreement.
How do I connect to Washington Relay when the line keeps ringing?Washington Relay has a delay call announcer that will be played in either TTY or voice when the relay center is busy and unable to take your call right away. After 30 seconds of continuous ringing, you will see an automated message that will say, "Welcome to the relay center. Please wait for the next available relay operator." It will then keep ringing until your call is answered. When you hear this message, please stay on the line and wait, your call will be answered in turn. If you hang up and call again, you will be placed behind the people waiting.
If I have Caller ID on my telephone, and call a person through Washington Relay, whose telephone number will show up?If the person you are calling through Washington Relay has Caller ID, your own telephone number will appear on their Caller ID (not any of Washington Relay's toll free numbers).
Why is my number showing up on Caller ID when I have already placed a block?When a call is placed through Washington Relay, the call comes through a 800 number, therefore, Washington Relay is unable to detect if your number is blocked. If you would like your number to be blocked when placing a relay call, inform the Communication Assistant (CA) to enter the information into your Customer Database Profile.
How do I access relay service in another state when I am traveling?As of October 1, 2001, all 50 states are required to have 7-1-1 relay access. You can dial 7-1-1 anywhere in the United States of America.
How do I use a calling card to place a relay call?When using a calling card to place a call through Washington Relay, please give the Communication Assistant (CA) the following information: the 800 (or 866, 877, 888, etc) toll free number (usually on the back of the card), the calling card number (sometimes requiring a PIN) and then the telephone number you wish to call.
Are languages other than English and Spanish offered by Washington Relay?At this time, Washington Relay offers only English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English translation services as part of its Spanish Relay service (which also offers Spanish-to-Spanish dialogue). However, French Creole (in addition to English and Spanish) is available on Sprint Relay Online and American Sign Language is available on Washington VRS [http://www.wavrs.com].
When I attempt to make a relay call, the person "hung up" on me. Why?Aiming for transparency, Washington Relay allows users to have control of their calls. There are times when voice users who do hang up on relay calls because they are not familiar with Washington Relay. And sometimes they may think that you are a telemarketer, instead of a customer. The Communication Assistant with Washington Relay makes this announcement when they are connected with voice users, "Hello! A person is calling you through Washington Relay. This is Communication Assistant (CA) XXXXM. Have you received a relay call before?" If the voice person says no, then the CA will explain the relay service by saying, "The person on the line is using the relay service to communicate with you. The caller is typing their conversation which will be read to you. When you hear the words 'Go Ahead', it will be your turn to speak. Please speak directly to the caller. One moment for your call to begin." Washington Relay users are free to request that the CA does not announce and/or explain the relay service. In this way, the users can explain in their own words to the other person. For instance, a TTY user can call through Washington Relay to order a pizza, "HELLO THIS IS JANE CALLING TO ORDER A PIZZA Q GA." When electing not to announce and/or explain the relay service, it is your responsibility to inform the voice user that you're calling through Washington Relay. See sample conversation below. WASHINGTON RELAY 6789F NBR CALLING PLS GA If you have experienced repeated hang ups, please send a request to Washington Relay to educate the person or place of business regarding the relay service. Please click here to make the request.
When using the relay, I have a lot of trouble with interactive recordings. The Communication Assistant (CA) always hangs up and redials. Why is that?Because of the way the relay center computers are set up, when a CA reaches a recording and needs to enter a number, they have to hang up and redial to enter the number. You can avoid the delay if you know ahead of time where/what/who you are trying to reach. Before the CA dials out, you can tell them you want "to talk to a live person" or "customer service" and that would minimize the need for the CA to redial repeatedly. What products are available for the hard of hearing?Amplified Telephones and Voice Carry Over (VCO) Telephones that has the features of both a standard telephone and a TTY. VCO users can speak directly into the phone and the Communication Assistant (CA) then types the response from the called party back to the VCO caller so they can read it on the telephone's text display.
Why should I use Washington Relay? I can hear with my hearing aid or cochlear implant, and my amplified telephone.Approximately 10% of Americans have hearing loss; they vary from minimal to profound hearing loss. Some are capable on using their telephones with assistance of their hearing aids/cochlear implants and telephone amplifiers. Some are not able to hear enough to use their telephones; they use their Text Telephone (TTY) type and read words over telephone lines. There are some people who are hard of hearing, may have difficulties in comprehending words over their telephones with their hearing aids and amplified telephones. Normally, they may be reluctant on using TTYs and Washington Relay. Eventually, they will find it much more convenient after several Washington Relay calls. Voice Carry Over (VCO) is a popular feature among hard of hearing Washington Relay users as it allows them to speak directly to other persons. To obtain more information about Washington Relay and Voice Carry Over (VCO), please call TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice)
Why are Communication Assistants (CA) unable to process my request to place a toll free (e.g. 800, 877, 888) or collect call sometimes?If you are placing an out-of-state call, it may be that the number you are trying to connect to does not accept out of state (or out of regional area) calls. If you are trying to call collect to an individual, there may be a "block" preventing collect calls from being accepted.
As my long distance carrier is not Sprint, why was I billed by Sprint for making long distance calls through Washington Relay?Washington Relay will honor requests by users to be billed through their preferred long distance carriers. Washington Relay users will need to inform the Communication Assistant (CA) to bill their calls to a designated long distance carrier. If the user does not inform the CA, the long distance call will be billed by Sprint as a default long distance carrier. For better convenience, Washington Relay users can create their Customer Database Profiles and "lock in" their long distance carrier. This way, any other long distance carriers will not bill Washington Relay users. To sign up for your Customer Database Profile, you can either download the document here or call the TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice).
Why doesn't Washington Relay accept my new long distance carrier?As there are many new long distance companies coming up every year, Washington Relay strives to have them on the Carrier of Choice listing. Major long distance carriers are on the listing. If your long distance carrier is not on the listing, please have your long distance carrier contact the Washington Relay Account Manager by e-mailing or by calling 866-410-5787, extension 89962. What is the Customer Database Profile and how is it used?Individual preferences (such as long distance carrier, frequently dialed numbers, type of relay call, relay service announcement/explanation, etc) will be automatically displayed on the screen of the Communication Assistant (CA) when relay users, who have completed a Customer Database Profile form, call the relay service. This helps reduce set-up time and makes your relay call process smoother. Customer Database Profiles will work from residential lines. It will not work from restricted lines such as coin sent payphones or PBX telephone systems (usually at hotels, offices, agencies, etc. with extension numbers). You can request the Customer Data Profiles by downloading the form here, calling the TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice) or e-mailing the Washington Relay Account Manager at .
What are the commonly used TTY abbreviations?Please be familiar with the following abbreviations. Many times VCO users are not familiar with the common abbreviated words that appear on the screen. When the Communication Assistant (CA) uses these abbreviations, it certainly helps to speed along the conversation.
What are my rights as a relay user?
Why is it that sometimes I get a really good CA and sometimes I get a really crummy CA?Washington Relay users should never experience a crummy CA. If you are unhappy with the service you received, please ask for a supervisor and detail the occurrence. The best way to ensure you receive exceptional service is to let us know. When you notify Washington Relay of any problems you experience during a relay call, the situation can be dealt with immediately.
What do I do if the Communication Assistant (CA) who processed my call did not follow the proper procedure?If you have a problem with a CA, you should record their CA number (as it is a four-digit number, e.g. 4587F or 8902M). You can ask to speak to a supervisor immediately, or you can call Sprint TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice) with your complaint. If a CA does a great job processing your call, you can also let us know. We appreciate all of your feedback.
Who do I call if I have problems making a relay call?You should call the English TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-3777 (TTY/Voice/ASCII), or Spanish TRS Customer Service at 1-800-676-4290 (TTY/Voice). A customer service representative will be happy to assist you with problems or questions on a 24-hours a day, 365-days a year basis.
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Washington State Department of Social & Health Services - Office of the Deaf & Hard of Hearing.
Washington Relay is provided by Sprint.