Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!mnetor!seismo!gatech!hao!ames!sdcsvax!ucbvax!onecom.UUCP!sjk From: sjk@onecom.UUCP (Scott J. Kamin) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Submission for comp-dcom-telecom Message-ID: <266@onecom.UUCP> Date: Wed, 13-May-87 10:26:25 EDT Article-I.D.: onecom.266 Posted: Wed May 13 10:26:25 1987 Date-Received: Sat, 16-May-87 07:44:16 EDT References: <8705111943.AA20127@gatech.gatech.edu> Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Reply-To: gatech!tektronix!zeus!sjk (Scott J. Kamin) Distribution: world Organization: TelWatch Inc., 2905 Wilderness Place, Boulder, CO 80301 Lines: 36 Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu > Last week I stayed at the Days Inn in Alexandria, VA while on TDY. I > was suprised to find that, plainly marked on the phone cradle, they > charged 30 cents for 800 numbers as well as for local calls. Can they > charge a "service fee" for toll-free calls? > > --Frank > > [The Sheraton Boston charges 60c for every 3 minutes on local calls, > 950 calls, calls to the operator (except toll calls), calls to 911, > and calls to 800 numbers. Apparently they can get away with it. --JSol] >> Does anyone know if 800 calls can be "charged" to an AT&T credit >> card, thus eliminating the service charge? The charge is levied by the hotel as an attempt to recover the costs involved with supplying a sufficient number of trunks to service all the guests. It is not dependent on where the call goes or how it is paid for. An attempt to charge 800 calls will be met with the (true) statement that 800 calls are TOLL free. That is, the phone company does not charge the owner of the phone for the call. Most hotels these days have gone away from the AT&T provided billing (remember the old teletypes that hotels had in their offices to receive their billing info). These days with smart PBX's and add-on call-costing systems, most hotels route all direct-dial calls through their own networks or non-AT&T circuits and charge whatever the traffic will bear to their customers. This includes the charges for non-toll calls. All you can do is complain, threaten to stay elsewhere, or use the pay phone in the lobby. -- Scott J. Kamin {stcvax, isis, ihnp4}!onecom!sjk TelWatch Inc. (formerly OneCom, Inc.) 2905 Wilderness Place (303) 440-4756 (switchboard) Boulder, CO 80301 (303) 938-6726 (direct)