FAQ

  1. Who is ICSolutions?
  2. What options do you have available to receive calls from an incarcerated person?
  3. Which account option is best for me?
  4. What is the main difference between a Prepaid Account and a Debit Telephone account?
  5. How can I set up a new account?
  6. How can I make a prepaid purchase for an account?
  7. How do I make a prepaid purchase to an account?
  8. Can an incarcerated person call me at more than one telephone number?
  9. Can I have more than one Prepaid Account?
  10. Can I receive calls from more than one incarcerated person?
  11. How long are the minutes I purchased available my Prepaid Account?
  12. Can I get a refund if I close a Prepaid Account?
  13. How can I get a refund of unexpired minutes in my Prepaid Account?
  14. Can an incarcerated person get a refund from a Debit Telephone Account?
  15. Can I leave a voicemail message for an incarcerated person?
  16. Are my phone conversations with the incarcerated person recorded?
  17. I am an attorney. How can I ensure that my phone calls will not be recorded or monitored?
  18. Does ICSolutions offer a Direct Billing option?
  19. After prepaid phone services are purchased, how long does it take before I can receive phone calls?
  20. My phone call was inaudible or was disconnected during the call. How can I get a refund for the cost of that call?
  21. How do I avoid disconnection of my call to an incarcerated person?
  22. Why have I suddenly stopped receiving calls?
  23. What do I do if calls from an incarcerated person are being blocked by my carrier as a robo call?


1.    Who is ICSolutions?

ICSolutions is the telephone service provider at the correctional facility where your friend or family member is housed. ICSolutions offers you the option to set up one of two account types that enable you to purchase prepaid minutes to receive calls placed to you by an incarcerated person.

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2.    What options do you have available to receive calls from an incarcerated person?

We have two options available: 1) a Prepaid Account, which only allows calls to the specific telephone number that you designate, or 2) a Debit Telephone Account, where your prepaid purchase is deposited into an incarcerated person's telephone calling account. It is important to know that after a purchase is made to an incarcerated person's telephone account, it now belongs to the incarcerated person, and is not refundable to you.

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3.    Which account option is best for me?

ICSolutions offers two types of calling accounts to help you stay connected with a family member or friend:

  1. A Prepaid Account enables you to purchase prepaid phone services for receiving phone calls on one specifically designated telephone number (a home phone, cell phone or business phone). The incarcerated person only can make calls to that designated telephone number.
  2. A Debit Telephone Account enables you to purchase prepaid phone services for the incarcerated person. The incarcerated person can then make calls to any telephone numbers that are not restricted by the facility, including your telephone number. After purchasing minutes for a Debit Account, they become the property of the incarcerated person. If the incarcerated person is released or transferred to another facility, the incarcerated person may receive a refund for any funds remaining in the account (at the discretion of the facility).

After prepaid phone services are purchased for a Prepaid or Debit Telephone Account using a debit card or credit card, calls can be accepted immediately after the purchase is made. Mailed in prepaid purchases may require additional processing time.

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4.    What is the main difference between a Prepaid Account and a Debit Telephone account?

When you purchase minutes for a Prepaid Account, that phone time belongs to you. You control whether the incarcerated person uses those minutes by either accepting or rejecting each call placed to you by the incarcerated person.

When you purchase minutes for a Debit Telephone account, that phone time belongs to the incarcerated person. He/she can call any phone number that is not restricted by the facility.

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5.    How can I set up a new account?

Call ICSolutions Customer Care at (888) 506-8407,

OR

Access ICSolutions online at www.icsolutions.com and complete the fields in the "Create an Account" box. Click Submit to begin the account registration process.

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6.    How can I make a prepaid purchase for an account?

You may purchase prepaid services for a Prepaid Account or a Debit Telephone Account by using any of the following payment options:

  • Visa and MasterCard credit cards
  • Debit card

With these two options, your prepaid purchase amount is available for immediate use.

  • Western Union (for Prepaid Accounts only; cannot be used to purchase phone time toward a Debit Telephone Account)
  • Money order or cashier's check

Since this type of prepaid purchase requires additional processing, the prepaid amount is not available for use until it has been posted to the calling account.

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7.    How do I make a prepaid purchase to an account?

Visa and MasterCard credit or debit card may be used for purchases: You may call ICS Customer Care at (888) 506-8407 or access the ICS Payments portal online at www.icsolutions.com to access your account by login/password.

Cash payments (Western Union, cashier's check, or money order): Mail your payment to:

ICSolutions
2200 Danbury Street
San Antonio, TX 78217

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8.    Can an incarcerated person call me at more than one telephone number?

Yes and No, depending on the account type.

With a Prepaid collect account, NO, because the account is associated with one phone number only. Therefore, you must set up a Prepaid Collect account for each telephone number – unless you want to set up and purchase prepaid phone time for a Debit Telephone account as described below.

With a Debit Telephone account, YES, because the prepaid phone time belongs to the incarcerated person – and he/she can call any number that is not otherwise blocked by the facility.

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9.    Can I have more than one Prepaid Account?

Yes, because each Prepaid Account is associated with only one designated telephone number. If you have more than one telephone number (for example, a home number and a cell phone), you can set up a separate Prepaid Account for each number and purchase prepaid phone services separately under each account.

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10.    Can I receive calls from more than one incarcerated person?

Yes, as long as you are willing to accept the calls and your phone number is not restricted by the facility or for the specific incarcerated person.

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11.    How long are the minutes I purchased available in my Prepaid Account?

Prepaid Account phone services expire six months from the date of your last purchase to the account, unless otherwise required by state law. In other words, if you do not make any additional prepaid purchases to the account for a period of six months, you will forfeit any minutes remaining in the account.

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12.    Can I get a refund if I close a Prepaid Account?

Yes. If you elect to close a Prepaid Account, you may request a refund of an unexpired balance.

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13.    How can I get a refund of unexpired minutes in my Prepaid Account?

Prepaid Account phone services expire six months from the date of your last purchase, unless otherwise required by law. If you elect to close a Prepaid Account, you may request a refund of an unexpired balance. To request a refund by phone, call (888) 506-8407. Customer Care Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

You may also submit your request via our Contact Form, or in writing to:

ICSolutions
2200 Danbury Street
San Antonio, TX 78217

Be sure to include your name, address, and the Prepaid Account phone number with an e-mail or mail-in refund request.

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14.    Can an incarcerated person get a refund from a Debit Telephone Account?

Maybe. If the incarcerated person is released or transferred to another facility, the incarcerated person may receive a refund for any unexpired minutes remaining in his/her Debit Telephone Account. Since the prepaid purchase becomes the incarcerated person's property after you apply them to a Debit Telephone Account, any refund due to the incarcerated person is subject to the discretion of the correctional facility.

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15.    Can I leave a voicemail message for an incarcerated person?

Yes. In order to leave voice messages for an incarcerated person, you must have a Prepaid Collect Account established with available prepaid minutes (not available with a Debit Telephone Account).

If the correctional facility offers voice mail services for an incarcerated person, a special Voicemail Number is set up for you to call to leave voice messages. This number will be provided to you by the facility.

When you call the Voicemail Number, you will be prompted to enter your Prepaid Account information to confirm that you have an established account. You will then be prompted to enter the incarcerated person's ID or the first three letters of the incarcerated person's last name. After selecting the incarcerated person from the list, you will be prompted to record your voicemail message. The message will be immediately available for immediate retrieval by the incarcerated person as long as they have current phone usage privileges.

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16.    Are my phone conversations with the incarcerated person recorded?

Yes. At most correctional facilities, all calls are subject to monitoring and recording. Exceptions are made in the case of confidential calls, such as those between an attorney and their client. For specific policies, please contact the correctional facility.

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17.    I am an attorney. How can I ensure that my phone calls will not be recorded or monitored?

State regulations regarding the recording of calls between an attorney and an incarcerated person may vary depending on the state. You must contact the facility directly to determine what information they require to set up your phone number for confidentiality. After submitting proof of your status as an attorney (such as your Bar information), the facility will configure your telephone number as "confidential" – and therefore not subjected to monitoring and recording

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18.    Does ICSolutions offer a Direct Billing option?

At the discretion of ICSolutions, a Direct Billing option may be available for law offices or bail bonding service providers that receive high volumes of collect calls from a correctional facility. To inquire about setting up a Direct Billing account, contact ICSolutions at (800) 464-8957. Direct Billing representatives are available from 8:00am to 5:00pm Central time, Monday through Friday.

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19.    After prepaid phone services are purchased, how long does it take before I can receive phone calls?

After prepaid phone services are purchased for a Prepaid Account or Debit Telephone Account using a debit card or credit card, calls can be accepted immediately after the purchase is made.

After prepaid phone services are purchased for a Prepaid Account or Debit Telephone Account using a money order, or a cashier's check, calls can be accepted only after ICSolutions has received the payment by mail and has posted the purchase to the account.

After prepaid phone services are purchased for a Prepaid Account using Western Union, calls can be accepted only after standard processing of the purchase.

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20.    My phone call was inaudible or was disconnected during the call. How can I get a refund for the cost of that call?

If you encounter one of these problems, call our toll-free Customer Care line at (888) 506-8407. Customer Care Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to submit your inquiry for review by our investigations team. Our investigations team will determine the root cause of the problem and notify you of those results.

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21.    How do I avoid disconnection of my call to an incarcerated person?

Several events can cause a failure to connect a call, or disconnection of a call in-progress. To prevent such events, please comply with the following guidelines:

  • Do not attempt a three-way call.
  • Do not use call forwarding or call waiting on your phone.
  • After your call is connected to an incarcerated person, do not press any numbers on your keypad.
  • Avoid long periods of silence during conversations.
  • Do not connect a "tele-zapper" device to your phone.

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22.    Why have I suddenly stopped receiving calls?

Have you checked with your phone service provider for a spam block? The phone system has a computerized automated dialer (robo call). Many national telephone service providers have enabled spam blocks in an effort to combat telemarketing or robo calls. This has impacted how you receive calls from friends and loved ones using ICSolutions telephone services. If you think this is happening, please reach out to your telephone service provider to request any spam blocks be removed.

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23.    What do I do if calls from an incarcerated person are being blocked by my carrier as a robo call?

The Incarcerated Person/Patient/Resident/AIC/PIOC phone system has a computerized automated dialer (robo call). Some phone providers may block this type of call. If you think this is happening, you may need to contact the carrier and have them unblock calls from 888-506-8407.

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