r81984
Thread is
Premium
join:2001-11-14
St John'S, NL
 ·magicjack.com
 ·Cox HSI
·Insight Communicat..
 ·AT&T Midwest
| Why are their government fees?
Why are VOIP companies being subjected to fees from the government just like POTS.
VOIP is an internet service. Are we going to see taxes on all internet services like AIM, email, and web servers?
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»www.ryanoneill.us |
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guppy_fish
Premium
join:2003-12-09
Lakeland, FL
 ·Verizon FIOS
| Viatalk is the poster child for VOIP which I nicked named the "maybe phone" and now, month to month its not even a deal compared to POTS
I went back to Verizon POTS, the have the freedom essentials package ( CID/CW/VM unlimited US/CA ), with the winback promotion ( 1 year ) it was 29 buck plus taxes.
No internet,routers, or QOS needed and it always works
Others have posted that Verizon is offering same package now for 15.99 in mailed post cards ... |
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Dominokat
"Hi"
Premium
join:2002-08-06
Boothbay, ME
clubs:
·RoadRunner Cable
2 edits | reply to r81984
Most fees for POTs, Wireless, and VOIP are nothing to do with government fees. But rather, a creative way to charge more without advertising it. They can advertise 24.95 a month, but add 25 dollars in "taxes and fees" making the monthly bill much higher, and get way with it.
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"Do, or do not.... There is no try." (Yoda) |
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r81984
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join:2001-11-14
St John'S, NL | So the fees they add in are not government mandate, but part of the actual cost of service.
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»www.ryanoneill.us |
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TexasPlus
join:2004-06-16
Bedford, TX
 ·Millenicom
·ViaTalk
| said by r81984  :So the fees they add in are not government mandate, but part of the actual cost of service. Correct.
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"The world is a book; those who do not travel read but a single page." -St. Augustine |
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Dogfather
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
1 edit | reply to guppy_fish
No kidding, with these latest increases, my Verizon POTS service was actually cheaper by a buck. |
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esc0
@swbell.net
| reply to r81984
This is a cost for operating as a business. It's the same thing Sprint has been doing to all its customers. This expense should be covered by them the "company".
I been using QuantumVoice. I pay $19.99 a month and this includes taxes and all other fees. That's it. Check em out. |
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Dogfather
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
1 edit | What other overhead would they like to itemize? How about workers comp fees? Or fire inspection fees. It's bull.
They just want to keep advertising $15 while charging 30% more. |
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xsiddalx
join:2005-03-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to r81984
said by r81984 :Why are VOIP companies being subjected to fees from the government just like POTS. VOIP is an internet service. Are we going to see taxes on all internet services like AIM, email, and web servers? Maybe they aren't but they are looking for new sources of revenue.
Just maybe they are taking advantage of the contract you willingly signed that allowed them to add surcharges to your bill. The better business bureau will help you!
Their fees sound alot like.."the ceo needs an extra boat" or more realistically, "our collocation center has raised the cost of power".
It sounds like you opted into a contract that allowed them to increase the cost of your service without your ability to cancel.
Maybe it's time to call the BBR, if you didn't agree. |
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xsiddalx
join:2005-03-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to guppy_fish
said by guppy_fish :Viatalk is the poster child for VOIP which I nicked named the "maybe phone" and now, month to month its not even a deal compared to POTS The poster child is Vonage 
No ones knows who viatalk is.
My 83 year old grandmother knows Vonage. Ask her about viatalk or voip for that matter. |
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xsiddalx
join:2005-03-11
Chicago, IL
·AT&T Yahoo
| reply to r81984
said by r81984 :So the fees they add in are not government mandate, but part of the actual cost of service. Nope. It's the same government mandate that any company deals with..income taxes, property taxes, employment compliance, gross receipts taxes, IRS audits, social security, etc...
Simpler answer, ask your local state and federal goverment.
They got you with the clause in your contract that allows for "surcharges" until someone successfully sues (IMO).
Feels like going into a local quickie mart and getting a surcharge for local property taxes after paying your 1.29 for your super pop or big bag of fritos.
Hey what the heck, they have more money than you, feel free to take em to court  |
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JasonWISP
join:2004-06-29
| reply to r81984
Do you want to be connected with the regular phone network? If the answer is yes, that means your phone conversations travel over to the PSTN. To receive e911 service, you must pay the fee. Otherwise, you could only do SIP to SIP based calling (which wouldn't ever leave the Internet). |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| reply to Dogfather
said by Dogfather :What other overhead would they like to itemize? How about workers comp fees? Or fire inspection fees. It's bull. They just want to keep advertising $15 while charging 30% more. Bla bla... two things.. 1) you guys need to get over this "they're charging me fees" BS.. because that's what it is. 2) There is a law that says how providers much itemize items on the bill.
To add to the post you replied to, the same can be said to POTS services.. they want to advertise their service as "X" price and not have to include the taxes.. it's all relevant.
The bottom line is that if the company/provider is to "pay the cost" don't think for one moment that it's not going into the monthly. In the end, what's the number at the "Please pay" amount line? THAT is where you must compare one provider to another.
I'm going to scream if I hear another person say they are being screwed for having to pay for a service. It's called life and we all play and pay in it. You don't want the fees? There's an easy option - DO NOT BUY. Go with out and live back int he caveman days.
Just as people ask for providers to "be reasonable" or "be fair" and not over do it to the customer, the SAME has to be said to the consumer. You work, you make money, so do not expect that you're going to get to keep it all and tell providers that YOU chose to purchase a service from that they want too much. You have a choice to say no.. not to mention, I STILL can't understand and get past ANYONE that has a cell phone who says their land line phone service is too much, voip or not. Cell phones REMAIN a premium and VERY expensive service... nothing has changed from day one. If the land line is too much money, they drop it and keep the over priced and expensive cell service... OR, if the land line is that important, drop the cell phone. Another option....? better one's self, get a better job, work another, and have more money so more things can be afforded... or, simply make some better personal decisions in life and cut out expenses in other parts of the budget.. |
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Dogfather
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
·Cox HSI
·Verizon FIOS
·Cox VOIP
·ViaTalk
·RoadRunner Cable
·MegaPath
·Verizon west (ex G..
·Time Warner VOIP
4 edits | Blah blah blah, it would be easier to not buy if they weren't lying in their advertising. And WRONG, there is no such thing as a regulatory recovery tax just like there isn't a number portability tax, or you haven't used enough long distance tax, or any of these other bullcrap fees. For the bullcrap 9-1-1 fees, they're uniform to every line and should be included in the ADVERTISED cost of the service. How about when you buy gasoline, should you pay $.99 plus a bunch of itemized "fees" like the state standards inspection fee? Fire department inspection fee? Should the true price of the gallon of gas be buried in some line card in the office while the fake price is out on a sign on the street?
There is no Cost tax. There never was. Cost = overhead and is "recovered" by the total cost of the service, not in some itemized charge buried in a TOS. 9-1-1 is uniformly charged by the provider and by FCC mandate ALL lines have to have it. Include the cost in the advertised price. IOW, don't advertise the service is $15, when it's 20% higher. None of these items are taxes. All of these items are added at a flat rate.
People have a problem with a company who advertises the service at $10 when the real cost of the service is $14. If it's really $14, say it's $14.
And if they want to take an increase, have the balls to take the increase and advertise the new TOTAL higher price proudly all over their site. And stop blaming gov't as if it is some sort of new tax. All businesses are subject to the costs of regulation and taxation but telecom and the airlines are some of the few who use it as an excuse to defraud customers. |
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s13
join:2007-12-06
USA
| reply to fiberguy
said by fiberguy :The bottom line is that if the company/provider is to "pay the cost" don't think for one moment that it's not going into the monthly. In the end, what's the number at the "Please pay" amount line? THAT is where you must compare one provider to another. So where is this "please pay amount" advertised? Can we compare these numbers before ordering the service, or did you happen to overlook that minor detail?
said by fiberguy :I'm going to scream if I hear another person say they are being screwed for having to pay for a service. It's called life and we all play and pay in it. You don't want the fees? There's an easy option - DO NOT BUY. Go with out and live back int he caveman days. If you stretch any further you might qualify for the circus. Nobody is complaining that they "have to pay for a service," but rather the indefensible practice of sucking customers in with a low advertised rate only to have another $10-20 worth of gotchas show up on your first bill. How would you like if you went to the baseball stadium box office to get some $50 tix for your favorite team, only to have a $3 Stadium Cleanup Fee and a $3 Grass Maintenance Fee tacked onto each ticket? How would you like if you went to dinner and, instead of getting charged for what you ordered, you had a $3 Refrigeration Fee, a $3 Glass-Filling Fee, and $3 Visa/Mastercard Recovery Fee? Nothing wrong with this practice at all, right? You as a consumer are clearly WAY out of line to complain about these "unfees." |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| Get an education and learn how our society works.. either get with it or find another one to join.
And if you guys are going to be posting gripes, at least be accurate in them or continue to look a fool.
I've over looked NOTHING... you, however, are just like a small minority that look for any reason to bitch - then do.
Taxes.. they don't advertise the taxes as they vary.. fees? They are fees charged to the provider to provide the service and are ABSOLUTELY allowed to pass them on.
Try not to lump VOIP and POTS into two different categories here. It was said in another post that "X Voip company just wants their price to look better by not including the fees"... and? That makes it any different than what POTS does? There is this culture of people trying to rah rah for one side and then betch slap the other for doing the SAME THING.
The "fee" that you are charged on your bill is the same "fee" that when charged to the provide, will be charged to you and HAS been for YEARS... probably much longer than most people here were born.
I guess I should say.. welcome to adult hood. |
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Dogfather
Premium
join:2007-12-26
Laguna Hills, CA
·Cox HSI
·Verizon FIOS
·Cox VOIP
·ViaTalk
·RoadRunner Cable
·MegaPath
·Verizon west (ex G..
·Time Warner VOIP
2 edits | These aren't taxes, none of these are taxes. They are charges they CHOOSE to itemize. It is revenue just like the rest of the service revenue and covers these costs just like the rest of their operating overhead.
And no they don't vary by market. They are flat rate add-ons that they don't include in their advertising.
There is a big difference between somethink like a gov't levied sales tax or franchise fee which varies not only market to market but depends on the bill and these bullshit itemized charges.
If the service is $14, say it's $14. Don't say it's $10 in the advertising 'cause it's not.
If they're going to take a price increase fine, just do it and advertise it proudly. And if someone is under a contract, abide by the contract, don't INVENT fees or fee increases to circumvent contractual obligations.
You're right in that the fraction of these so-called fees that actually goes to cover this overhead was always paid by the provider, so anyone with a brain can tell it should be included in the TOTAL ADVERTISED price of the service. These costs ARE NOT NEW to the provider.
IOW, stop itemizing overhead. Stop lying in advertising about the cost of the service. Don't advertise for phoney comparisons that the service is $14 when it's actually $20 and ONLY because the provider decides that it's $20 because that is the PROFIT margin the provider wants and not because of some gov't mandated taxes. |
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fiberguy
My views are my own.
Premium
join:2005-05-20
| What you say is one way to look at things. HOWEVER, and yes, I was right in what I said in my other posts, I don't expect them to lump things together to make it one price!
Why? Because the users here want the taxes lumped together as well... and it can't be done. Why? Simple.. advertising / marketing areas over lap. If you put an ad on TV or the Radio and called out a price all inclusive, then it's not going to be the same for my neighboring city who's tax is 1% more than mine.
Also, their phone service is priced at what they say. They are accessed additional fees to provide that service.. In my view, those fees passed on to the company in the part of doing business is NOT the 'true cost' of the service. The service is the service and shouldn't be factored in with what others are making them pay.
NOW, with that said, there ARE some fees that I DO NOT agree with.. VERIZON, can you hear me now? A fee for NOT having long distance? and, the ever so popular, 'do not publish me in any directory' for $2.95 a month.. (On a side note, if you ask me, it's time to do away with "the phone book"... |
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