Research · Updated 4 November 2026

Answering service reviews: what business owners actually complain about

We read about 60 low-star reviews of 12 answering services and AI receptionist companies. Two complaints dominate: surprise per-minute bills and cancellations that didn't stick. Here are the five problems that repeat, and the five questions to ask before you sign anything.

By the InRevHQ team, Bergen County, NJ. Research done 15 October 2026 on Trustpilot, ConsumerAffairs, G2 and Capterra.

Plumbers, dentists, jewelers and roofers share one problem. The phone rings while they're with a customer, and the job goes to whoever picks up. An answering service is the obvious fix. So before recommending one, or competing with one, we wanted to know what goes wrong.

To be fair to the industry: most of these companies are well rated, often between 4.4 and 4.9 stars, and bad reviews are a small slice. But the bad ones repeat the same five complaints, and those five tell you exactly what to check.

1. The bill was bigger than expected

The top complaint by a long way, in roughly 4 of every 10 bad reviews. Most live answering services bill by the minute or by the call. One well-known service lists $720 a month for 200 minutes. Another charges $8.50 to $11.50 for every call over your plan. Reviewers said they were charged for ring time, hold time, long calls they didn't want, and spam.

One owner put it simply: "They charge by the minute." Another was blunter: "this company will charge you for junk spam calls."

Busy months are exactly when you need the phone answered. A plan that punishes you for being busy is backwards. Ours is one flat monthly price with 500 to 2,000 talk minutes depending on the plan. If you go over, Maggie keeps answering and there is no overage bill. Two heavy months in a row and we talk about the next plan up.

2. Still charged after cancelling

Around 3 in 10 bad reviews, at 8 of the 12 companies. A typical line: "the company continued charging our card month after month."

Ask how cancellation works before you ask about features. We do three months to start, then month to month. Give us 30 days' notice and that's the end of it. No yearly contract.

3. Wrong messages and missed instructions

About a quarter of the bad reviews: names spelled wrong, instructions ignored, callers told the wrong thing. If the callback number is wrong, the job is gone.

This is where an AI receptionist set up for your business has an edge. Maggie doesn't scribble a message. She books the appointment onto your calendar, and every call shows up in your app as a customer record with a transcript and a summary of what they needed.

4. No real person to call when it breaks

Another quarter, mostly aimed at AI-only products. One review of an AI receptionist company read: "0 human customer support."

Fair point. Software still needs a person behind it. We're local, in Bergen County. Support runs Monday to Friday, 10 to 5 Eastern, with same-business-day help for emergencies, and "my phones are down" goes to the top of the list.

5. Paying every month and nothing gets booked

The smallest theme, and the one that stings most: "not 1 appointment has been scheduled using your service."

We put a guarantee on this. If Maggie doesn't catch at least 3 calls in your first 30 days that you would otherwise have missed, we refund your setup fee.

5 questions to ask any answering service before you sign

1. Do you charge per minute or per call, and do ring time, hold time and spam calls count?
2. What happens to my bill in a busy month?
3. How long is the contract, and exactly how do I cancel?
4. Do you book appointments on my calendar, or just take messages?
5. Who do I call when something goes wrong, and how fast do they answer?

Ask us the same five. Or skip the sales talk: call 201-228-3680 at any hour and hear Maggie answer.

Common questions

How much does an answering service cost?

Live answering services we checked list per-minute or per-call plans; one lists $720 a month for 200 minutes, and extra calls elsewhere run $8.50 to $11.50 each. Check what counts as a billable minute before you compare prices.

Is an AI receptionist better than an answering service?

It depends on what you need. An AI receptionist answers instantly, any hour, and can book appointments straight onto your calendar. A live service gives you a human voice but usually bills by the minute. The question that matters most is whether calls turn into booked work.

Do answering services lock you into a contract?

Some do. Cancellation problems were the second most common complaint in the reviews we read. Ask for the cancellation terms in writing before you sign.

Do you work with businesses outside Bergen County?

Yes. We're based in Bergen County, NJ, and work with local businesses across New Jersey, New York and the rest of the US.

How we did this: on 15 October 2026 we read low (1–2 star) and critical reviews of 12 answering service and AI receptionist providers on Trustpilot, ConsumerAffairs, G2 and Capterra, about 60 in total. Shares are approximate, and one review can mention more than one problem. Reviews are individual customers' accounts, and companies often reply to them. Pricing comes from the providers' own pricing pages on the same date.

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