Text 1080, 165 rader
Skriven 2006-05-10 14:38:00 av Michiel van der Vlist (2:280/5555)
Kommentar till text 1053 av Philip Lozier (1:267/169)
Ärende: none
============
Hello Philip.
10 May 06 01:31, you wrote to me:
MvdV>> Seems to me you pay quit a lot on phone service. My monthly
MvdV>> bill for the fixed phone averages some EUR 15,-
PL> I used to have 4 phones for business use, with telemarketers on them
PL> from 5pm to 9pm, another for the BBS, and used any of the four other
PL> (the telemarketing ones, not another additional 4) lines for my
PL> personal voice call needs. You wouldn't have wanted to see the bills
PL> back then (1994 to around late 1999 or early 2000).
No special deal for high volume users?
PL> All located in my residence, with a part of the home seperated as
PL> the office rooms. Then it seem justified and I "played the system" and
PL> managed to have them all at "home" rates rather than the per call
PL> business rates (at that time even incoming *biz* calls were metered).
That's another thing we do not have. This difference between home and business
lines. A line is a line here and everyone pays the same. But for big firms with
many lines, they have special deals.
It appears to ma however that if you used these lines for telemarketing you
should have had them registred as business lines....
PL> Even at "home" rates it would make you gag. Makes *ME* gag now seeing
PL> that I could do the same thing again at much cheaper rates if the
PL> telemarketing laws didn't change. ( I didn't scam by telemarketing...
PL> I offered chimney cleaning and repair services, and even had MANY
PL> people who said they "usually hang up on telemarketers",
Nothing personal, but I consider telemarketers a pest. I never buy from them, I
would not even if they offered something I actually wanted. They jhave the
nasty habit of calling me when I am enjoying my dinner. Caller ID is a
blessing. These guys seldom sent a caller ID and so I mercileslY divert all
calls between 6 and 8 pm without caller ID to the answering machine. When they
catch me by surprise I say I am not interested and hang up on them.
PL> buy the service by phone because they "needed" it, and hadn't thought
PL> about it in a long time).
Does not work for me. I would still buy elswhere just out of principle.
PL> Now it would be illegal for me to have people blanket an area in that
PL> manner, despite the fact they would buy the service, becasue too many
PL> jackasses scammed and screwed it up for the legitimate people.
Over here e-mail and sms spam is outlawed. Companies may not send unsollicited
e-mail to private persons. They may only send e-mail if they have already
established a client relation with that person. And then there must be an opt
out button.
Unfortunately this does not extend to telemarketing over the telephone. Yet..
PL> Anyway...
MvdV>> Just as good or as bad as any other VOIP setup I gather from
MvdV>> the people who tried it. As with any VOIP, your milage may
MvdV>> vary.
PL>>> wouldn;t inbound be a problem? Can't always be in a hotspot.
MvdV>> Yes, that may be a problem when one is moving around.
PL> That is why people won;t leave to laptops and hotspots for that
PL> particular need.
Not all of them but many may. Given the really outrages international roaming
fees, I think many people would spent some time looking for a hot spot. One can
alwyas leeave the cell on for incoming emergencies...
PL>>>>> Many of the providers have been offering free "walkie-talkie"
PL>>>>> services for people on their network... free calls in essence
PL>>>>> for whoever is on either end, no matter how far away they are.
MvdV>>>> I bet these customers pay a monthly fee for that....
PL>>> Only the normal cell phone monthly charge,
MvdV>> And that "normal" charge would be how much?
PL> As low as around 39 bux a month ... with low actual "phone time"
Wow! That is not what *I* call low...
PL> minutes, but still absolutely unlimited walkie-talkie usage.
Even so. They pay in a month what I pay on calls in a year....
MvdV>> Over here it is different. Contracts are for those who make
MvdV>> lots of calls and they spend more than the average prepay user.
PL> Gas pumps... credit card and debit checking people get charged
PL> slightly less at the pump, at least in my area.
PL> Many stores have "with your good credit" discounts.
PL> Other "offers" include "extra items" with your purchase if you use a
PL> credit card.
Credit cards are not popular here. What we have is a system of bank cards. You
swipe the card thorugh the reader enter the PIN and the amount is directly
transfered from your bank account to that of the vendor. My estimate is that
over 80% of transactions aboive EUR 10 are handled this way.
PL> Other services flat out DENY you if you don't use a credit or debit
PL> account.
That would be unheard of here and illegal as well. Cash is legal tender and
vendors are by law required to accept it.
PL> Funny... (as you put it on the other matter)... in a society that was
PL> based on CASH, you are discriminated against for USING cash.
Odd indeed...
MvdV>> Over here the cell company would get nothing if it is a
MvdV>> prepaid. My estimate is that 80% of all cell phones here are
MvdV>> prepaid.
PL> Things here are done differently with different providers as far as
PL> pre-paid goes here. In your country, is it wide spread that on a
PL> pre-paid account your bought minutes are only good for 30 days, or do
PL> they roll-over?
Credit used to expire after six month and then roll over when you recharge, But
now it does not expire anymore. it is valid forever. But you must use it
occasioanally. If you do not use the phone at all for six month, the number
lapses. A free call to query the balance will do.
PL> A few companies (here) have roll-over for pre-paid
PL> after you spend a certain ammount, but until you spend that ammount
PL> you're only good for 30 days on any given minute buy. Others stick by
PL> the 30 day only on pre-paid. In that scenario of rewarding you with
PL> roll-over for an extended period of time after spending a certain
PL> amount, the company has already determined that you -will- use minutes
PL> up and they will make money off of you.
Hmmm.. that doesn't soujd very attractive. For the customer.
PL> In the event that minutes are only good for 30 days from purchase,
PL> well, then there's you're monthly fee on pre-paid.
Hmmm.... They would not get away with that here. I think there even was a court
ruling on it: you can't let credit simply expire. if they expire you must give
te user a refund on unused credit...
PL> Trust me... they have that business plan down here. They CAN'T *LOSE*
PL> money here, no matter pre-paid or credit/debit with a contract, even
PL> if they offered free inbound. The landline companies never did, and
PL> afterall it's the same type of service but different transport method.
Yes, I see.
Well, we have these outrageous international roaming fees, but other than that,
I think I am pretty well off with my cell phone deal. As long as I stay in The
Netherlands I *only* pay for outgoing calls and there is no minimum amount to
spend.
Michiel
--- GoldED+/W32-MSVC 1.1.5-b20060315
* Origin: http://www.vlist.org (2:280/5555)
|