TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Another VoIP Company Adds Bogus Fee

Another VoIP Company Adds Bogus Fee

(no name) ((no email))
Sun, 09 Jan 2005 18:09:32 -0500

According to this thread on BroadbandReports.com
<http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,12318025~mode=flat>,
another VoIP company is adding a bogus fee to their price. I
personally think such fees amount to false advertising and unfair
competition because they allow the company to advertise one price, but
actually charge the consumer a higher one. In this case the culprit
is Primus, which markets their VoIP service under the "Lingo" brand
name. Vonage was the first to do this, and Broadvoice is another one
that jumped on this bandwagon.

What next, you go to the supermarket for a gallon of milk and at the
register they tack on a "milk marketing fee" to the price to cover the
"Got Milk?" ads? I say again, this is false advertising and unfair
competition, and I truly wish some attorney versed in class action
lawsuits would file a suit against all three of these companies and
any others that engage in this despicable practice. If they want to
charge an extra $1.50 per month, let them add it to their advertised
monthly rate so that consumers can make fair comparisons between the
carriers, but don't try to hide it from the consumer in this way.

What's doubly bad about this is that it's companies doing things like
this that are going to add fuel to the fire of those who want
regulation of VoIP companies. The states will claim that they need to
have authority over VoIP companies to prevent them from charging the
consumer any old price they want to, while labeling part of it as a
tax or fee. Again, I say they should be able to charge whatever they
want to, but only as long as that is the price they advertise. To
advertise one price and charge another is simply unethical and if it
isn't illegal, it sure ought to be.

There is a Lingo user that is mounting a protest against this added
fee - the thread on that is here:
<http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,12330570~mode=flat>. I
hope it does some good, but somehow I doubt it will.

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