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From: sjr@m-net.ann-arbor.mi.us (Sander J. Rabinowitz)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Measured Local Service
Message-ID: <14715@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 14 Nov 90 01:36:13 GMT
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Organization: TELECOM Digest
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 823, Message 9 of 12


I wonder how any TELECOM Digest readers might react to the following:
 
For the last five months, my Dad's telephone bill included a statement
urging him to switched to a measured local service (i.e. first 50
calls are free with the remaining calls being charged). Presently, for
a fixed monthly fee, unlimited local calls are allowed. The statement
also reads something like this (these are not Michigan Bell's exact
words):
 
"As a free service to you, we have kept track of the number of local
calls you've made this month so you can see if you save money with our
measured service.  This month, you made -0- local calls--therefore,
you would have saved $3.44 this month had you used our other plan."
 
Now I KNOW for each of the last five months, more than 50 local calls
per month were made on that line.  (I made many of them myself.  =)
Meanwhile, my own telephone bill doesn't have that message, even
though my line also has the unlimited calling feature.
 
Is this something for the local public service commission to look at?
It seems like a harmless computer glitch, but I can't shake the
feeling that something fishy is going on here.
 
 
Sander J. Rabinowitz    |   !sander@attmail.com   | +1 313 478 6358
Farmington Hills, Mich. | -OR-  sjr@mcimail.com   |       8-)