how-to block ads
|
Comments on news posted 2007-05-04 16:22:53: The Associated Press (via Techdirt) notes that Verizon has started charging landline customers a $2 monthly fee for not using long distance service. Users can avoid paying the monthly fee if they pay $6. ..
| |
 theeinstein
Premium
join:2003-07-31
Fernandina Beach, FL | Verizon Verizon what a piece of Garbage!! | |
| flytip
join:2007-04-06
Denver, CO
| so what happens if everyone dumps verizon and goes to VOIP??
Then the VOIPS start adding fees and bending you over....
Then the GOVT taxes it to hell,
and voila now you have the same problem again... Just different companies....
At least they both start with VOIP | |
| netdogg3
join:2003-02-27
Staten Island, NY | Verizon... This is why my cell phone is my primary phone.Were it not for Fios I would have no need for Verizon and I HAD vonage but please don't get me started about the service and billing problems I had with them. | |
| | | 
dvd536
as Mr. Pink as they come
Premium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
| Re: Get your money's worth... LOL when was the last time ANYONE at ANY telephone company picked up within 4 minutes of you dialing them? 
--
You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth | |
| 
Rob A
Same Old Jets
Premium
join:2005-01-17
Pompton Plains, NJ | Not a big deal... But still unwarranted. | |
| 
ArgMeMatey
join:2001-08-09
Milwaukee, WI
 ·AT&T Midwest
| How about a customer's union? I hear all this complaining about providers and their crazy fees and I don't disagree.
I read the retort about capitalism and I don't disagree.
You don't like it, you go to another provider. Except that there's not enough competition to get "fair" rates and policies.
There's not enough competition because it costs a lot of money to get into the business: Barriers to entry are high.
Existing providers have a real interest in keeping others out of the business. They can buy others, they can undercut them until they go under and so on.
If the "government" tried to regulate them they would simply figure out what they had to lose and spend 10% of that on lobbying and campaign contributions.
Now, one thing that I don't hear a lot about is a customer's union. We all know that big customers get all kinds of deals because they bring in a lot of cash. Little guys get what's offered: No striking out unfavorable clauses, no confidential deals, and certainly no service level agreements.
Have you heard about these clubs in China where a whole bunch of people who want to buy the same thing get together and shop around? For example 500 people each want one Panasonic DVD player. They elect a negotiator who goes to a provider saying: "I'll buy 500 of these. How much?"
Can the same principal be applied in cases like this? Meaning you say "drop the $2 fee or my 50,000 friends and I are dropping you like a hot potato?" Scaling and administration would be an issue.
--
USNG:
16TDN2870
Find your Lat-Long:
Geocoder | |
| | 
PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD
clubs:
 ·Comcast
| Re: How about a customer's union? They exist in the United States, too. They are called *buyers' clubs* and *cooperatives*. UCC TotalHome (now DirectBuy) and Costco (formerly Price Club) originated as buyers' clubs. (One of the oldest cooperatives in the United States is the Greenbelt (MD) Cooperative, which dates back to the Great Depression. The Cooperative still owns and runs the supermarket serving the town of the same name, which is still homebase for the Cooperative.) Most rural electric utilities are also organized on the cooperative model (and yes, you can even find such cooperatives in the seemingly un-rural suburbs of Washington, DC), as are most rural telcos (especially in Iowa, Indiana, Arkansas, and Kansas). | |
| 
Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
1 edit | Kiss It I gave up my Verizon wire line last year because it cost too much. I make MAYBE 10 calls a month, and I have to pay 40 bucks a month for that? Ummm F' that.
Verizon is out of control. They are loosing POTs lines all over the place and this has been their bread and butter. But now that is being lost, and they are holding FIOS as a carrot stick to keep law makers in favor of BS charges and laws that favor only Verizon, not the common consumer.
(Oh, and the added BS to the phone bill won't help get new customers.)
--
"Save The Cheerleader. Save The World" | |
| DadCooks
Premium
join:2005-02-28
Kennewick, WA
| Minimum Service Not The Only Charge Added The "monthly minimum service" was not the only thing Verizon added to my bill. They took long distance out of my calling plan package and started charging me $1.50/month for the "Sensible Minute Plan". Verizon figures that I should be grateful that they are not charging me more than $5.00 (after "taxes" are added in) for the "priviledge" of using them for long distance at inflated rates.
I will not take up the space to relate the more than an hour I spent on the phone with Verizon getting absolutely nowhere and being hung up on twice (never did I lose my temper, raise my voice, or use a "bad" word).
The phone company is required by Federal Law to give at least 30 days notice before any rate changes. The "supervisor" (I am sure just the flunky in the next cubicle) actually challenged me to try and report them.
Since we use our cell phone for all long distance, I said fine--so for now I switched to the most basic service I can get (just to maintain local calling and 911) and will be dropping Verizon as soon as we decide to go all cellular or maybe cable phone (FYI, our "tri-city" area has switched all of its 911 service to the cable phone at a substantial savings to us taxpayers). | |
| 
batterup
I Can Not Tell A Lie.
Premium
join:2003-02-06
Netcong, NJ
clubs: | Fascinating. All you people dropped Verizon for greener pastures. Why doesn't the cry baby that doesn't want to pay $2 do the same thing? | |
| 
nekote
join:2000-12-16
Hopkinton, MA
2 edits | Verizon's "No-Plan" Plan - aka minimum (shortfall) fee ? As I read the AP article, if a Verizon customer has *NO* LD plan with Verizon, there is no fee.
(Apparently, unfortunately, cost $6.75 to "switch" from "non-plan" to *NO* LD plan?)
Those having Verizon's no monthly fee LD plan - Verizon's 50¢ / minute "non-plan" LD plan - that plan's price has been increased from $0 to $2 / month - this new "shortfall" minimum fee.
For those who have *NO* ability to make direct dial LD calls via Verizon (ie cannot make "LD" calls by dialing "1"), there is no fee, as I read the article.
In other words, Verizon's LD plans are now:
1) Nothing - cannot dial 1 - *must* use "local" access w/OneSuite or RNK or 10-10(?) or ...
2) $2 minimum with 50¢ / minute fee
3) all the other LD plans (which all have a monthly fee)
OR, just select another LD company - pay their fees - nothing to Verizon.
I wanted to go for Verizon's "non-plan" LD plan as a backup, but at 50¢ / minute, the hell with that. I'll find another way, if I really have to - "10-10", if absolutely necessary.
--
Government is like fire - a dangerous servant and a fearful master - George Washington
Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all other forms of government. - Winston Churchill | |
| | | | 
72276539
Premium
join:2001-01-19
Atlanta, GA
| said by nekote  :OR, just select another LD company - pay their fees - nothing to Verizon. The company I work for does not have LD fees, don't use it... no charge. Some of our customers will go 6 months without receiving a bill.
--
RIP Dimebag- August 20, 1966 to December 8th, 2004. | |
|
72276539
Premium
join:2001-01-19
Atlanta, GA
| Crap like this brings customers to us My company provides fee-free LD. Things like this done by the incumbents do nothing but to drive people looking for other solutions. Hopefully this will result in us bringing more peeps on board, although Verizon also loves playing games w/PIC codes.
--
RIP Dimebag- August 20, 1966 to December 8th, 2004. | |
| 
PolarBear
The bear formerly known as aaron8301
Premium
join:2005-01-03
·CableOne
| Why land-line LD? T-Mobile and Vonage both allow me to call anywhere in the US. No extra charges for it. Both are completely unlimited when I am at home, The T-Mobile is unlimited during nights and weekends when not connected to a wireless router.
--
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any other invention, with the possible exceptions of handguns and Tequilla. -- Mitch Ratcliffe | |
| |
PGHammer
join:2003-06-09
Accokeek, MD
clubs:
·Comcast
| Re: Why land-line LD? That is, in fact, typical of cellular service (even VZW includes unlimited nights and weekends with their plans, even their INpulse PAYG service; I should know, as I used to use INpulse). Most of the cellular services (again, including VZW) also offer unlimited calls to other customers of the service. Those of you complaining about VZ's pittance fees are simply complaining to complain; if the fee was *that* much of a pain you'd *do* something about it. | |
| 
tannman
Premium
join:2002-09-12
Oxnard, CA
clubs:
| It figures Thank God I dropped Verizon for VOIP which works as good if not better then the zone happy bloodsucker Verizon did. I switched my phone company LD some years ago and was charged by both GTE AND the LD company.
Bank of America was charging a fee just to talk to a teller...It's time...no it's beyond time. | |
| | | |
|
·
