Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: "Robert M. Hamer" Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: 976- and 900- Phone Numbers Message-ID: <11250@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 22 Aug 90 21:00:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 37 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 589, Message 3 of 8 I am troubled by the use of 976- and 900- type phone numbers, and also by AOS, COCOT, etc exploitation of some of the stupider and less sophisticated members of our society. I am troubled saying this, as I would basically like to be a libertarian, and feel people ought to keep themselves informed and make informed choices. However... My wife, who is not a stupid person, did not realize until I told her, that the owner of a 900-type phone number did not just collect for the long distance charges, but in fact could collect anything he or she wished, and have it appear on your phone bill. (She also can't set our VCR to the correct time when the clock fails after a power failure.) I am beginning (only beginning; I'd like the thoughts and opinions of other telecom readers to help me focus my thinking) to for the opinion that the only thing phone companies should be allowed to stick on your phone bill is the cost of telephone calls. If someone wants to have a 900- or 976- number and stick me with the cost of the call, fine (although at that point a POTS phone number would serve as well), and if, once I call them, they want a credit card number so they can charge me $15 to hear Jose Canseco (did I spell that right) babble, or hear someone else talk dirty, then that's their business. But when I get my phone bill, all I want to see on there is telephone charges. Now my thinking is not at all fully focused or complete on this. I'd like to hear others' opinions. [Moderator's Note: The ignorance of the general public relating to matters of telephony is what the 900, AOS, COCOT, and OCC industries have relied on since their inception. I'll bet very few if any of the 900 services would bother stating their rates in their ads if the telcos did not make them do it under their contract. PAT]