TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Different "cultures" For Business Calling


Different "cultures" For Business Calling


Mr Joseph Singer (joeofseattle@yahoo.com)
Sun, 2 Apr 2006 10:40:52 PDT

Just wondered if my perception is that there are different "attitudes"
about calling businesses. In the US (and I believe in Canada) it's
quite common that for someone to reach a business (such as an airline
or a telephone company) that you will call a toll-free
(800/888/877/866) number.

When visiting the Netherlands I found toll-free "freephone" was not at
all the norm. What appears to be the norm in the Netherlands is
premium rate calls to reach pretty much any major business or other
concern. To call an airline, telephone company, a telethon or even a
product that you see in an "infomercial" you have to use an 0900
number for which you pay a premium rate. 0800 "freephone" numbers are
available but they are far and few between. Is this just a culture
difference between the US and the way things are in the Netherlands
similar to paying for outgoing only on mobile phones?

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