SBC/Ameritech

[Okiewan]

Can you say "Pocket the profits rather than upgrade your antiquated system"?

Here is the Chicago burbs, we've gone thru several area code changes vover the last few years... 312, 708, 815, 847.

Now, if you have a 847 area code and want to call another 847 number.. you have to dial it all! to call my next door neighbor:
1-847-555-5555.

It's not that dialing all the extra digits is that bad... it's that since having a stranglehold over the local phone system, AmeriJunk has NOT upgraded their systems. Proof positive that when utilities are run under a communistic system, quality suffers.

 

[slo' mo]

not to mention raising their rates!!! Here we hae been told that SBC is going up on their rates for extended calling areas (which we have to have to call the next town 5 mi.) the 411 info (up to $1.25 per call!) and 911 charges. I have already cutoff my long distance since I was getting double billed and taxed to death. It's no wonder the NASDAQ is tumbling. These clowns are killing our future!:uh: :ugg: :think

 

[Blue Thunder]

The rates for home usage are just getting higher and higher..thus driving more people to cancel home service except for a basic line for internet, and getting wireless phones. I work for a major telecommunications company and we have many employees that just have the wireless phones for daily use and don't bother w/home lines..there are lots of features these days for we dirtbikers on the move..food for thought.

 

[Okiewan]

That's an option... with free long distance included on a lot of plans... but include a 18 year old daughter and a wife in the house :scream:

The only thing I hate about my cell phone is the bill. Seems that my little town thinks they deserve some tax dollars for me using something that's not even attached to "their" land... oh I see, my cell phone's microwaves pass thru the air that's over town, therefore they should get a cut.... :mad:

 

[biglou]

Can anyone even figure out what all those taxes and charges are on their phone bill anyway? Holy crap, it's like $15 for the phone serrvice and then there's about twenty taxes ranging from 50 cents to $2 bringing the total up to $23 or so. It's a convoluted maze that would drive mere mortals insane to try to figure out. That's where they get you. It's too complicated to waste half the day figuring out so you just pay it.

 

[KDX220rm]

Hey Lou,

All those taxes are established by our friendly government.

I work for Sprint and I still gripe about all those taxes. Its like the road taxes they add when you by tires for your car.

 

[JuliusPleaser]

Phone service. . . JEEZ! I get jacked $200 per month for cell and land line (on average), and that's just for ME! The monthly land line phone charges at the partnership I left were in the $2000 range (Yellow Pages ads, too). At least the Bellsouth product is seamless. I haven't had much trouble with Verizon, either.

It's not just taxes! The last time I put tires on a vehicle, I was charged $8 for "shop supplies" and $10 for "tire disposal". They didn't even offer me a reacharound. :think

 

[biglou]

Death and taxes, JP. Death and taxes.

 

[XRpredator]

Originally posted by Julius Pleaser
. . . They didn't even offer me a reacharound. :think

I hate it when that happens . . . ;)

 

[CPT Jack]

I've gone Euro-style - just cell phones for myself & the wife. Cable modem for the box here, so it's fast & works out pretty well overall. Only thing that sucks is when you have to call ANY "customer disservice" depart and HOLD. I usually try to make those call from work.

 

[Danman]

If I did not need my landline I would go cell only. I work in the telecommunications bussiness and have to dial into some things from home sometimes. I know want you mean about the companies not upgrading.

Every phone system in the US will be upgraded by June 30th. That is the dead line for the C.A.L.E.A. compliancey. It was mandated by the FCC. Its pretty much run by the FBI for steath phone sevalance. I beleive that you get fined pretty heavy if you are in compliance. I'm sure with this change it will only cause more taxes on you phone bill if it already has not. It might not be a hardware update, but only software. At the cost to do a system change out (In the low Millions depending on the size) its no wonder why they use there systems so long. That figure does not even cover network transport (fiber costs bucks and bandwith grows you need more) or copper cableing costs to houses. I'm sure would be pretty easy to slip into the double digit millions for a company like SBC or Ameritech if they did a full system change out on all hardware. It will take a while to pay that off at 30 bucks a month plus keep employees around. I'm sure they make a decent profit. Its not realy the local service that pays the bills for the larger companies its the Long distance charges and carrying those calls to the long distance companies system that makes the profit.

Okie. I would find out what you dialing plan is suppost to be and complain to the phone company. The plan will be complicated for a metropolitan area, but you should not have to dial a 1 to get to a different area code if its a local call. Does your phone company offer different plans (as in pay extra for a extended calling plan)? If so they may have you on the wrong plan (it happens). It would be very easy to put someone on the wrong plan when they set up in the phone switch. Just a couple of simple key strokes could do it. Most of the larger compaines it all input by a recent change database setup though and if a change was made to you by accident then that could have hosed you. They could also have some digit translations problems (very likely). It should be just a 10 digit call. Its now manditory for most larger areas as there is a shortage of numbers and they way they assign the area codes also effects that.

I gripe about the taxes too, but I pay about 30 a month for local service with a decent feature package. Half of that is taxs. That does not include long distance. Its realy not as bad as it was 5 years ago. You would get flat out raped on in-state long distance in this state. I get a flat .09 cents a minute with no monthly charge in or out of state.

 

[Okiewan]

Good info Danman..
The problem here is lack of numbers to support the population growth. Fact of the matter is, they don't have the equipment to handle the market. A little less profit taking and some investments in equipment would be nice... of course when you are the only game in town, you can pretty much screw anyone you want. :uh:

 

[Danman]

The lack of equipment to support the new growth is always a problem. There is not a whole lot that can be done quickly so fix that. I would not expect to see improvement for a while. Its a problem especialy if growth comes in spurts or more that the average. They keep track of the total percentage of network growth per year and forcast what kind of growth they will have in the next five to ten years buy equipment based on those numbers. If those numbers are wrong or you experiance unexpected growth you will have a shortage of equipment. It can be time consuming to get new equipment of expand a network. In some instances it can take a year or better. In that situation they will resort to doing things for a tempary fix. They will install a few High speed circuits (T1s or DS-1) in the congested area and multiplex a bunch of people on it. That doesn't help you modem speeds at all, but more than likly you can't hear the difference on the line.

You have a point about being the only game in town though. Do they have a compatiion local exchange carrier (CLEC) in your area? I bet they do. Most just resel SBC dialtone or put thier tone on SBC cable and make money off you by selling services or subscribing you to their Long Distance company. IF there is any problem the CLEC will have to call SBC to fix it anyway. So its not that much difference, but I could save you money. I live in a SBC exchange and have dialtone provided by a CLEC. I have not had many problems with the service.

Good Luck in getting anything to change. Talking to SBC hear is a lesson in tolerance (operators are wise an all knowing, yea right!). Automated call anwer systems are not fun to talk to. They don't talk back.