Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Jim Gottlieb Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: 976- and 900- Phone Numbers Message-ID: <11564@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 31 Aug 90 07:26:11 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Jim Gottlieb Organization: Info Connections, Tokyo, Japan Lines: 32 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 610, Message 5 of 11 In article <11370@accuvax.nwu.edu> johnl@esegue.segue.boston.ma.us (John R. Levine) writes: >It seems to me that at the least, 900 numbers should answer >with a message along the lines of "This number is serviced by company>. You will be charged $2.00 per minute starting after the >third tone. ... boop ... boop ... boop" giving you a chance to hang >up. Here in Japan, the telephone company provides a message before it connects you with any pay-per-call service (except their own, those sleazeballs!). It goes something like... "The charge for this call, inclusive of vendor and toll charges, will be ten yen per XX seconds." Then it connects you to the number, so you have time to hang up if you don't like the charge. It's really neat how they include the toll charges in the message. None of this "Two Dollars plus tolls, if any." What us IPs over here really like is the fact that phone bills are not itemized, so it isn't quite clear just _why_ your phone bill is so much higher this month. Our charges are just included on the line that says something like "Usage Charges: 23,980". Just presenting the other side of the story. Jim Gottlieb Info Connections, Tokyo, Japan or or Fax: +81 3 237 5867 Voice Mail: +81 3 222 8429