From: alasnik@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Adam Lasnik)
Subject: Re: Outrageous telephone rate for local calls..
Organization: Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois
Distribution: usa
Date: Fri, 10 Apr 1992 04:48:56 GMT

In <1992Apr10.000825.14345@leland.Stanford.EDU> shiela@goliath.Stanford.EDU () writes:


>Hello netters,

>What is a reasonable rate for local phone calls?  Stanford
>charges $11 plus one time $35 installation charges, for
>unlimited calls... Pacific bell charges about $8
>for the same services.

>Some stanford students are suing the university communications
>services, which has a monopoly to telephone service to univ
>and all the dorms.

>But get this:  a friend in Illinois, in area 618-236-xxxx
>is having to pay: $55 installation charge + $16 per month
>PLUS A PER CALL CHARGE of 0.045$... is this reasonable?
>How could Ilinois bell charge so much more than pacific bell?

>I would like to hear from someone who has had to get a phone
>conection in the above mentioned area.

>Thanks all.

>--shiela "mad at phone company"

>P.S. The first attempt to post this article failed... this is
>     my second try.

Now you REALLY got me started.

Those of us poor saps who go to school in Illinois have really been hit hard
by Illinois Bell.  Here's some info tidbits for your to consider (and make you
thankful that you have any service OTHER than I.Bell!!!!!!!!!!!)

--They do indeed charge every university student $55 to connect, and about
$12 a month in "line fees", "supplemental" line fees "touch tone" fees, and
assorted other bullshit charges.  Then they charge approximately 5 cents per
call, even if you're just calling across the street.  If you call somewhere
more than a few miles away (I think 8), you get charged a minimum of 6 cents
for the first minute, and then more money for each additional minute!!!
--The $55 "installation" fee has particularly angered students here!!!  After
all, our dorms have dedicated numbers that never change (i.e. never enter or
exit I.Bell circulation), and hence need to be merely activated with a flick
of a switch.  What's even MORE insulting than this $55 charge, however, is
that I.Bell has the gall to assert that this is an actual operating cost, and
a supervisor even went so far as to describe the labor costs involved in
"having an order sent out to our central connection office, and having someone
physically hook up your line" with, as they assured me, genuine PHYSICAL WIRE
CONNECTIONS.  They're trying to convince me that ol' Joe actually spends his
time connecting wires on some huge switchboard "lessee... this wire goes to
number 492-0811, oops, wrong hole..."  Yeah, right!  I calculated that I.Bell
essentially made HALF A MILLION DOLLARS PROFIT EVERY YEAR from "installation"
fees on students here at Northwestern!!!
--Their customer sevice is atrocious!!!  One day, I happened to find out that
Illinois Bell overcharged my the previous year (an incorrectly assessed "fee")
by about $30.  Then I realized that they overcharged about 3000 OTHER PEOPLE
as well.  When I asked about this, I was told that as long as I contested the
charges within 90 days of billing, I'd get them refunded.  Of course, I hadn't
found out about this particular law which waived me and thousands of others
from the $30 payment, and so it was too late for us!
--When I came back to school, I found that I had been charged some
astronomical fee for summer phone usage.  Funny thing was... the name of the
supposed "occupant" of my room was none other than the DEAN OF THE JOURNALISM
SCHOOL.  As if he lived in MY tiny dorm room?  I spent hours trying to get
this resolved.
--This is just the tip of the iceberg of problems my friends and I have had. 
I spent over THIRTEEN HOURS on the phone with customer service reps and
supervisors.  I was literally ready to take I.Bell to court until I was told
the following:
1) I would likely have had to bear much of the legal costs personally
2) I could never win, because the Public Utilities Commission is literally
stacked with former I.Bell managers
3) And, THANK GOD, after students protested, our school finally developed
their own central phone system for the dorms.  Get this: starting next year,
there's no installation charge, and only a $6 a month per person charge (in a
double) for unlimited university calls.

-I.Bell is not only deceitful and greedy in their rates, but their advertising
is the most INSULTING and LAUGHABLE in the world!  Every month, they put out a
"public information" bulletin, which usually contains, among other things:
1) A cartoon that is so unfunny, it makes me laugh.
2) and the kicker... A picture and accompanying article to sound off their
slogan "Remember [boys and girls] PHONE FIRST!"  The "article" often sounds
like this "You wouldn't want to wear the wrong thing to Aunt Martha's party,
now, would you?  Clearly, this would be embarrassing... but happily, if you're
smart, you can be prepared!  How?  Just PHONE FIRST!  Your phone is a
convenient way to contact your friends and family, and they'll appreciate
hearing your voice..." [accompanied by a disgustingly grinning, wide eyed
'housewife']  Another article, and I swear I'm not making this up, was titled
something like "Make your Lonely Pet Happy!  Call Home!", which showed a
picture of a cat happily pawing (and supposedly listening to) an incoming call
on the answering machine from its owner.  This article was about 7 paragraphs
on how "just by hearing your voice, your pet will be happier and healthier!"
Even more aggravating is the fact that I.Bell spend my money on frequent and
lengthy radio advertising as well as billboard ads, all serving the important
purpose of reminding me to "PHONE FIRST!"

Explain this one to me.  First of all, WHY is a monopoly bothering to put all
this money into telling us to do something which most of not only already do
(use our phones) but which we usually have no choice in!!!  And more
importantly, why do Illinois citizens put UP with this crap?  Why hasn't there
been a revolt?  True, my fellow college students and I here at Northwestern
will no longer have to deal with this terrible company, but what's wrong with
other people?  Doesn't anyone realize that I.Bell is one of the few (if not
only) phone companies in the entire U.S. that charges such usurious rates?

ARGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you.  I feel much better now.

--ADAM "KEYS" LASNIK

P.S. -- If there are any stockholders, managers, owners, etc., of Illinois
Bell... may you be cursed in a hell with telemarketers calling every hour on
the hour trying to sell you Spam... Oh, and you WON'T have the option of
caller, ID.

P.P.S. -- DISCLAIMER:  I don't work for Illinois Bell, nor, thankfully, do any
of my friends or family.  Really.
Newsgroups: misc.consumers