Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| reply to Jim Gurd
Re: Let's face it
Perhaps it's directly tied to the product or service, but it isn't a fee that they are being told to charge the customers. They are being charged it and they are passing the cost onto the consumer.
This, in and of itself, isn't unusual. Businesses do it all the time. It's how they do it that's underhanded. They don't announce that DSL prices will rise by X amount. Instead, DSL prices stay the same in all of their ads and a fine print fee is added to the bill.
The phone companies have realized that this is a perfect way to get away with what would otherwise be false advertising. They advertise a low price for a service and then load up on fees in the bills themselves to raise the price and get more profit.
For an example, check out this "Dirty Phone Bill":
»www.newnetworks.com/dirtyphonebill.htm
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-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| I, for one, would rather have an itemized description of why it costs so much. My phone line costs $29.95, but after the government gets done with it, it's upwards of $45. I'd rather know why I can't get cheap service rather than just paying a no-questions-asked $45/month.
By the same token, I'd rather us have to pay our taxes by writing a check every time we get our paychecks than to have it taken out in withholdings and not even feel it; it's BS. I'm just an idealist, but that would change things.
I agree, that dirty phone bill is outrageous, but I don't blame the company, I blame congress and the people who elect them.
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"Those who want to take our money and gain power over us have discovered the magic formula: Get us envious or angry at others and we will surrender, in installments, not only our money but our freedom"—Thomas Sowell. |
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Madness
A flea circus at a dog show.
join:2000-01-05
Quincy, MA
 ·Verizon Online DSL
| reply to Jason Levine
Yannow, I just got my bill yesterday and did some comparisons to your your "dirty phone bill." I'm in MA and have the Local Package (Local Unlimited + 3 option features) which is $24.95 by itself. All those taxes & fees add almost another $10 to that.
That's just the POTS side. Verizon 1500/128 @ 29.95 + the $2.40 FUSF they've been hitting w/ since early last year. Now I'm expected to see this new "recovery tax" starting next bill? Did receive that email and had to laugh at the opening. Like: "Dear Valued Customer, since you're *so* valued to us, we decided to add some more fees to your DSL bill!" Me: }:-þ |
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