djrobx
join:2000-05-31
Valencia, CA
 ·PHONE POWER
 ·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T CallVantage
·Time Warner VOIP
 ·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to borborpa
Re: I don't get it...
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 |
|
borborpa
Slipping Slowly Into Oblivion
Premium
join:2002-02-20
New Cumberland, PA
clubs:
 ·Speakeasy
| 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] |
|
Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| 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/ |
|
zmike2
join:2004-02-16
92680 | 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 |
|
kinneyr2
join:2002-01-24
Carlsbad, CA
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Yahoo
| 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? |
|
justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY
Host:
IPv6
Business Connectiv..
Home/Office setup ..
Console/Handheld g..
Console Tech
| 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. |
|
kinneyr2
join:2002-01-24
Carlsbad, CA
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Yahoo
| 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. |
|
justin
Australian
join:1999-05-28
Brooklyn, NY
Host:
IPv6
Business Connectiv..
Home/Office setup ..
Console/Handheld g..
Console Tech
| The extras that car dealers don't mention are a combination of two things. One, government charges that are actually a percentage of the retail price and so need to be calculated after a price is negotiated, and two, car dealers being sleazy and adding in "delivery charges" and "undercoat" and what not.
telephone companies should not model themselves over the sleaze that is in the car industry. |
|
kinneyr2
join:2002-01-24
Carlsbad, CA
·AT&T U-Verse
·AT&T Yahoo
| said by justin :
telephone companies should not model themselves over the sleaze that is in the car industry.
Chicken and the egg ... which one came first?
Have you noticed that when you buy a product now days that the retail store wants to sell you its warranty for that product?
I went to CompUSA, Circuit City and Best Buy shopping for a modem. Each store will promote selling you a warranty. What's their warranty? They will exchange the product for another within the time of the warranty if it is defective.
Therefore warranties that use to be part of the base price and good public relations are now priced separately as an add on cost after the sale price.
That's the way of things today. What was bundled into the base price is now broken out separately and sold to you. And that is the point of looking at your telephone bill. |
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