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From: tad@ssc.UUCP (Tad Cook)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: More on MCI Mail Rate Increases
Message-ID: <13814@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 19 Oct 90 22:29:50 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 746, Message 4 of 10


In article <13548@accuvax.nwu.edu>, 0002293637@mcimail.com (Krislyn
Companies) writes:

> To those who noted the couple of rate increases on MCI Mail:

> Don't forget about the fact that, in the past 18 months or so, MCI
> Mail ...   -- introduced toll-free access.

But when I complained about the ending of the local numbers, they told
me they were centralizing the service via MCI 800 numbers as a COST
SAVING MEASURE.

>  -- lowered rates for the average email message (501-2500 characters) by 25% 
>     (from $1.00 to $.75).
>  -- lowered fax rates from $.60 for the first 1/2 page and $.40 for add'l
>     half-pages to $.50/$.30.

So the 40% increase in mailbox fees is a CROSS SUBSIDY?

>  -- introduced the Preferred Pricing option which gives up to 75% savings
>     for the first 40 email messages and/or pages of fax.

But you PAY $10 per month for this!

> I don't like price increases either, but there are two sides to this
> coin.

And this is verbatim the company line that my MCI Mail agency rep gave me!

> Paul Wilczynski
> Krislyn Computer Services
> MCI Mail Agency

OH!  ANOTHER MCI Mail agency rep!

In article <13547@accuvax.nwu.edu>, DREUBEN@eagle.wesleyan.edu)
(DOUGLAS SCOTT REUBEN) writes:

> Not only is MCI going to charge $35 per year for a mailbox, but in my
> bill insert there was also a line saying:

> "Letterhead and Signature Graphics:   $30.00/Year"

I finally got a response from MCI on my rate complaint.  They couldn't
answer right away because they were in the middle of moving.  Because
of the lack of response, I sent a message to Bert Roberts, MCI
chairman.  (One of the neat things about MCI Mail is that you can
enter a name, and see who is on there.  You can send mail to Bill
Gates and John Sculley too.)

One of the folks who called me back was answering my message to
Roberts.  The company line from marketing is that they hadn't raised
their rates in "several years" (I pointed out that I had only owned a
PC since July 88, and was an MCI Mail subscriber sometime after that.
I remember the last 40% rate increase, so it can't have been "several
years.")

They said that in the mean time, they had added lots of new features,
like FAX dispatch, and 800 access.  I pointed out that these are all
features that one pays for individually, so it does not make sense to
say that this is the reason (well, 800 service you don't pay for ...
but signature graphics you do).  So if they were raising the mailbox
fee because of these features, then that means that the low volume
users are cross-subsidizing the pay-per-use features.

I also pointed out that when they made the 800 service universal, they
eliminated my local access numbers, which I had complained about at
that time.  There were times back then when the 800 service
experienced blockage, and I needed to use the local numbers.  Anyway,
when I complained previously about the ending of the local service,
they told me they were doing some cost saving to centralize the access
via 800 service.  So this time around, I asked: "How can you now say
that you are raising the rates to pay for a service that was
originally instituted for cost saving??"

Bottom line:  They are raising the rates.  Period.

One interesting thing ... the billing insert didn't say this, but the
rep pointed out that since I am on the $10 per month high volume plan,
I don't pay an annual fee anyway.


Tad Cook   Seattle, WA  Packet: KT7H @ N7HFZ.WA.USA.NA  Phone: 206/527-4089 
MCI Mail: 3288544       Telex: 6503288544 MCI UW    
USENET:...uw-beaver!sumax!amc-gw!ssc!tad   or, tad@ssc.UUCP