 borborpaSlipping Slowly Into OblivionPremium
join:2002-02-20
New Cumberland, PA | I don't get it... "Consumer advocates, like Billy Jack Gregg, director of the West Virginia Consumer Advocate Division, aren't buying it. "We don't want any better descriptions. We don't want better labeling. We want these line items banned. Let the phone companies recover all of their costs in the prices they charge for the services they offer," said Gregg."
So basically, he'd rather just have the companies raise prices without showing any justification for it?? I'd MUCH rather see line items, that way I know what I'm paying for! I don't want SBC charging $50 for a phone line saying "it's our price with all the taxes and stuff figured in..."
As for USF recovery on DSL, the Bells have been doing it for years, it was only a matter of time.
--
There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.[AIM - BoyBandsMakeUGay] |
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| It's complete crap. If the cost is legitimate, let them include it in their advertised price. They can always offer an explanation for the increase when it's announced, but this borders on false advertising. It doesn't take a Harvard business graduate to see where this can lead if the practice is allowed to continue |
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 djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
kudos:2
 ·VOIPo
 ·Verizon Wireless..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·AT&T U-Verse
| reply to borborpa
There's nothing wrong with line items, except that they're getting added on after the advertised price.
In other words, I don't care if my "$26.95" DSL bill looks like this:
HBC Standard Bronze DSL
---------------------
Transport charge: $13.95
ISP Charge: $10.95
FUSF Fees: $1.85
Office coffee fund recovery: 0.01
Office toilet paper fund recovery: 0.02
Electricity recovery fee: $0.18
Total: $26.95
I do care if it looks like this:
HBC Standard Bronze DSL
---------------------
DSL: $26.95
FUSF Fees: $1.85
Office coffee fund recovery: 0.01
Office toilet paper fund recovery: 0.02
Electricity recovery fee: $0.18
Total: $29.01
--
\\ROB - a part of the SCB local network |
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And PrettyPremium
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD | reply to lefty1
said by lefty1:
It's complete crap. If the cost is legitimate, let them include it in their advertised price. They can always offer an explanation for the increase when it's announced, but this borders on false advertising.
It is false advertising, and its only a matter of time before companies that do this get sued for it. I'm the last person to advocate the "there ought to be a law" solution, but any company that advertises the costs of its services should include any non-taxes as part of the advertised price, or advertise the complete price as the actual cost of the service.
When you go to the grocery store to buy something, you pay that price plus a sales tax. You don't pay the price, some BS fee and then the tax. Communications services should be no different.
--
Keep America Strong! Bush/Cheney 2004 |
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 justinAustralian
join:1999-05-28
New York, NY
kudos:7
IPv6
Business Connectiv..
Console/Handheld g..
Home/Office setup ..
Photos of Broadban..
| reply to borborpa
wait, companies are free to put any advertisements on their bills they like:
this bill was 3 bucks more because the government charges us X Y and Z
the thing the consumer groups are rightly angry about is that the advertised price does NOT include the fees. In essence, this is FALSE ADVERTISING. Pure and simple. |
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 n2jtx
join:2001-01-13
Glen Head, NY | reply to borborpa
said by borborpa:
So basically, he'd rather just have the companies raise prices without showing any justification for it?? I'd MUCH rather see line items, that way I know what I'm paying for! I don't want SBC charging $50 for a phone line saying "it's our price with all the taxes and stuff figured in..."
Does this then mean you prefer advertisements like this:
Unlimited Long Distance only 1¢ a month!!*
*Not including $50 recovery fee, $25 USF tax, $25 because we can fee |
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borborpaSlipping Slowly Into OblivionPremium
join:2002-02-20
New Cumberland, PA | reply to djrobx
But here's the problem, there is a base price for DSL, then fees of top of it. The telco fees vary in different areas, so you could pay less than me in fees and taxes. The ISP's can't possibly advertise the correct pricing for every area, just like the bell's don't.
If you're going to bitch about this, make sure you bitch about your telephone bill too. Verizon told me that it's $25.95 for my phone service, but I pay another $10-15 or so in fees and such. I don't see why anyone isn't complaining about that too. Have you looked at your wireless bill ever?? It's the same way.
The difference is whether or not the ISP advertises that the price is before taxes and fees or not. As long as they say they charge taxes and fees on top of the price, it's OK. If there is no mention of it until afterwards, I take issue.
--
There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.[AIM - BoyBandsMakeUGay] |
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borborpaSlipping Slowly Into OblivionPremium
join:2002-02-20
New Cumberland, PA | reply to n2jtx
said by n2jtx:
said by borborpa:
So basically, he'd rather just have the companies raise prices without showing any justification for it?? I'd MUCH rather see line items, that way I know what I'm paying for! I don't want SBC charging $50 for a phone line saying "it's our price with all the taxes and stuff figured in..."
Does this then mean you prefer advertisements like this:
Unlimited Long Distance only 1¢ a month!!*
*Not including $50 recovery fee, $25 USF tax, $25 because we can fee
That's a bit of an extreme example. No one is paying 10,000 times the advertised price for DSL.
For reference though, a few times a month I see advertisements for Columbia House, 5 DVD's for a penny...does that mean THEY are false advertising when they charge S&H on top of that?
--
There are no stupid questions, but there are a LOT of inquisitive idiots.[AIM - BoyBandsMakeUGay] |
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| No, but it does border on deceptive because you need to look at the fine print to realize that after getting your 5 DVDs for a penny, you are required to buy 5 more titles from them at their inflated prices (plus their inflated shipping costs).
--
-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ |
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| reply to borborpa
What djrobx was saying (and I agree with him) is it's perfectly ok to have line items on your bill. In fact, I'd like to see where my monthly fee is coming from. But apart from sales tax, the total of the line items should be the advertised price. It shouldn't be advertised price plus some extras that we won't talk about until you get the first bill.
If they can't account for regional differences, then they should just advertise one price. Sure they would not be making as much in some markets, but in other markets they would be making much more.
And I do resent the fact that my ~$30 phone plan comes to ~$45 before I make a single call. I think the phone companies should be required to follow this as well.
--
-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ |
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lesopp
join:2001-06-27
Land O Lakes, FL
1 edit | reply to pnh102
I agree! If they are really loosing money on regulatory costs, then let them build it into their product prices and prove it to the regulatory agencies. I suspect the reason they haven't gone this route is they can't justify their claims.
Maybe the fee is to pay for their failed litigation, failed attempts to buy politicians and their anti regulation commercials. |
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recrum
join:2002-09-10
Akron, OH | reply to borborpa
Either way they're going to get their money. Whether they add it to the base service price, or include by just increasing the base price. |
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| reply to djrobx
DSL: $26.95
FUSF Fees: $1.85
Office coffee fund recovery: 0.01
Office toilet paper fund recovery: 0.02
Electricity recovery fee: $0.18
phone sevice $28.01
Total: $57.02
cable 44.95 Frichen the phone sevice. get cell |
|
 JakCrow
join:2001-12-06
Palo Alto, CA
 ·SONIC.NET
| reply to borborpa
said by borborpa:
"Consumer advocates, like Billy Jack Gregg, director of the West Virginia Consumer Advocate Division, aren't buying it. "We don't want any better descriptions. We don't want better labeling. We want these line items banned. Let the phone companies recover all of their costs in the prices they charge for the services they offer," said Gregg."
So basically, he'd rather just have the companies raise prices without showing any justification for it?? I'd MUCH rather see line items, that way I know what I'm paying for! I don't want SBC charging $50 for a phone line saying "it's our price with all the taxes and stuff figured in..."
As for USF recovery on DSL, the Bells have been doing it for years, it was only a matter of time.
Higher prices on features or services might cause customers to drop those instead of putting up with the cost. A line item for "recovery fee" means that the customer would continue being charged no matter what services are used. |
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| reply to lesopp
said by lesopp:
If they are really loosing money on regulatory costs, then let them build it into their product prices and prove it to the regulatory agencies.
You ever try to prove something to an uninterested government lackey? |
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 miclVisit Lovely Downtown Port StarboardPremium
join:2001-10-25
Silver Spring, MD | reply to lesopp
said by lesopp:
Maybe the fee is to pay for their failed litigation, failed attempts to buy politicians and their anti regulation commercials.
I would agree that this money goes to their lawyers and lobbyists, members of congress and whoever else they buy off... but unfortunatley it hasn't "failed" them, which is why they can now get away with this crap.
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If I don't see you in the future, I'll see you in the pasture |
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 dvd536as Mr. Pink as they comePremium
join:2001-04-27
Phoenix, AZ
kudos:4 | reply to Jason Levine
said by Jason Levine:
No, but it does border on deceptive because you need to look at the fine print to realize that after getting your 5 DVDs for a penny, you are required to buy 5 more titles from them at their inflated prices (plus their inflated shipping costs).
And if you take notice, what you got to choose from isnt anything late or anything hot. usually just dud titles.
--
You can never be too rich, too thin or have too much Bandwidth |
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| reply to djrobx
said by djrobx:
There's nothing wrong with line items, except that they're getting added on after the advertised price.
In other words, I don't care if my "$26.95" DSL bill looks like this:
HBC Standard Bronze DSL
---------------------
Transport charge: $13.95
ISP Charge: $10.95
FUSF Fees: $1.85
Office coffee fund recovery: 0.01
Office toilet paper fund recovery: 0.02
Electricity recovery fee: $0.18
Total: $26.95
I do care if it looks like this:
HBC Standard Bronze DSL
---------------------
DSL: $26.95
FUSF Fees: $1.85
Office coffee fund recovery: 0.01
Office toilet paper fund recovery: 0.02
Electricity recovery fee: $0.18
Total: $29.01
Reminds me of buying a car ... you have the MSRP price, the sticker price, the invoice price, rebate price, ... etc. Then you have out the door price, which includes sales tax, license tax, extended warranty, etc.
Seems to me the phone company is doing business like the car business. You advertise one price ... but it is not the "out the door" price. So why don't people get equally upset with the way they buy a car as in when they buy services from the phone company? |
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justinAustralian
join:1999-05-28
New York, NY
kudos:7 Host:
IPv6
Business Connectiv..
Console/Handheld g..
Home/Office setup ..
Photos of Broadban..
| I actually do. (get annoyed about that). But car adverts are mostly placed by car companies, not by dealers, and everyone knows that every dealer has different policies/deals/extra charges.
But phone companies are totally in control of their prices, and their advertisements, the whole deal. They have no excuse. |
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| justin "I actually do. (get annoyed about that). But car adverts are mostly placed by car companies, not by dealers, and everyone knows that every dealer has different policies/deals/extra charges.
But phone companies are totally in control of their prices, and their advertisements, the whole deal. They have no excuse. "
On the contrary, dealers do advertise. I see ads all the time on TV, newspapers, and hear ads on radio for car dealers.
I can think of lots of stuff where you don't know the "out the door" price but you go along with purchasing the product or service.
The only thing you can say about the phone company is that there is little to no competition for local service. Otherwise you would shop just like you do anything else where there is competition. |
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