Is PATLive legit? 35 years of live answering, read closely

PATLive puts eleven plans on its pricing page, and each one shows its own rate for additional minutes. The bottom tier costs $49 and includes no minutes. Every minute on it is billed at $2.99. From there, the per-minute rate falls as the monthly commitment grows. Taxes and fees are extra.

PATLive's receptionists are US-based and answer around the clock, weekends and holidays included, at the same rate. They screen and transfer calls, take messages, collect leads, book appointments and run new-client intake. Emergency dispatch, order taking and event sign-ups are on the list too.

You're updated after every call by email, text, PATLive's apps or an integration with software you use. Every call is recorded, and you can play recordings back in the web and mobile apps.

Several extras cost nothing more. You get a reporting dashboard, real-time statuses that tell receptionists when you're free for a transfer, and multiple scripts for different teams or locations in one account.

Most PATLive questions are really about the bill. So here's one call traced through PATLive's pricing FAQ and terms of service, from the ring to the invoice. It restates PATLive's published rules. We didn't test the service ourselves.

Businesses that want a person on every call get it at any hour. PATLive says every call is answered by a live receptionist, and callers only reach voicemail if you ask for that.

Buyers who like to check the maths before a sales call can do it here. The whole ladder, from 50 minutes to 5,000, is printed with its overage rate.

Owners wary of lock-in will find month-to-month billing and cancellation at any time, by phone or online. The trial runs up to 14 days, and only for accounts that have never had one.

Disclosure: GreetKeeper is our product. It bills per answered call, not by the minute. Starter is $49 a month for 200 answered calls. A three-minute booking and a thirty-second question each count as one.

Professional holds 750 calls for $149, and Scale holds 2,000 for $349. Past that, each call costs $0.45, $0.35 or $0.25 by plan. Very short calls, robocalls and screened spam never reach the count.

GreetKeeper books into Google Calendar or Outlook during the call, on every plan. It reads the caller's name, number and time back first. A call that needs a person transfers to your team, and GreetKeeper tries a second number you nominate if the first isn't picked up.

You forward your line to a dedicated local number in the mode you use today. You get a 14-day free trial with every feature on, no card and no setup fee.