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

Re: Another VoIP Company Adds Bogus Fee

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
12 Jan 2005 09:35:16 -0800

Bart Z. Lederman responded in article <telecom24.13.3@
telecom-digest.org> from Jack Decker by writing:

>> 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?

> Of course, your payment to support the advertising campaign is buried
> in the cost of the milk, because it's the farmer that has to pay it.

I think the original poster meant that the posted sale price turned
out to be less than the price that had to be paid (not including the
cost of advertising.)

> I don't disagree with your complaint about telecommunications
> companies tacking on fees to disguise the true cost of their service.
> We've all seen many of them documented here. But I now have doubts
> that the government is going to do anything about it.

Actually, it's govt regulation that contributes to the problem. The
govt demands "full disclosure". No problem! The companies disclose
everything. But it's in microfine print written in difficult legalese
and poor grammar (long run-on sentences with all sorts of
exceptions/exclusions that make it hard to follow).

Jack continued:

> 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.

Actually, I think you'd be hard pressed to find products and services
where the advertised price is actually the price paid without extras
nowadays.

> 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.

Very true and deservedly so.

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