Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!texsun!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: lars@salt.acc.com (Lars Poulsen) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: The High Cost of Telco Features Message-ID: Date: 6 Jun 89 16:41:43 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 33 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 189, message 3 of 6 In article Michael_Krause.henr801E@xerox.com writes: > In Wayne County, NY New York Tel > [pulse-only private-line service is over $35/month] > [tone dialing offered as a new service for $2.21/month, $9.20 hook-up] >furturistic features of call waiting, call blocking, speed dialing (max of >8 numbers) and who knows what all else as a package deal. Buy now to avoid >the $15.50 hook-up charge and you can then begin to pay $13+ per month. >Is NYT for real, do real people in the rest of the world get charged rates >like this? It's not like NYT has to get out of their chair or anything to >enable these services, is it? I thought it was bad when I paid a base rate >of just over $30 to get a lousy connection that might let me carry on a >short 300 bps modem conversation to my office just 30 miles away, long >distance at that. These rates are certainly much higher than what the much-maligned GTE is charging me; for $22.50/month I get two private lines, one tone and one pulse. For another $6.50/month I could get a feature pack; I am not taking any of those, though; I think this is grossly overpriced. One new offering has me intrigued, though: They have just announced a new expanded feature pack which includes camp-on !!! I think it was $11/month for *all* optional features. Is that a true camp-on, or is it just "busy number redialing" (which is the official name) ? I'd expect camp-on for local calls, redialing for toll calls. It always seems to be toll calls that get the frustrating permanent busy. And for a couple of hundred dollars, I could buy a very fine demon dialer of my own :-). / Lars Poulsen (800) 222-7308 or (805) 963-9431 ext 358 ACC Customer Service Affiliation stated for identification only My employer probably would not agree if he knew what I said !!