Date: Sat, 12 Sep 92 02:04 PDT
From: john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Working Assets Long Distance
Reply-To: John Higdon <john@zygot.ati.com>
Organization: Green Hills and Cows
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 701, Message 1 of 10

Rob Woiccak <REWOICC@ERENJ.BITNET> writes:

> They advertise their long distance rates as "guaranteed to be lower
> than AT&T, MCI and Sprint."

Don't you believe it. It is surprising how few people, including those
that hang out on this forum, realize that if one digs deep enough, he
can find much cheaper arrangements from the major carriers than those
advertised to the masses. None of these arrangements are available
through resellers such as Working Assets.

> There is a mention of up to 15% off on volume discounts and a 20%
> discount on calls to other Working Assets subscribers.

These are chump-change discounts. Unless a carrier is talking 40-50%
off "normal" rates, it is wasting my time.

> - 100% fiber-optic sound
> - Convienent "dial 1" calling

Who does not offer this?

> - Low, competitive rates

What does that mean?

> - Volume discounts
> - 24-hour operators
> - Free calling cards
> - Direct international dialing
> - Friendly customer service

Well, I have certainly never heard of these things before! These are
supposed to be unusual features? Or is it trying to sound "real"?

> On the surface, it doesn't *look* like a bad deal and the idea of
> having 1% of your phone bill going to a good cause (they contribute to
> Planned Parenthood, Greenpeace, Rainforest Action Network, Oxfam
> America, Amnesty Inter- national, National Coalition for the Homeless,
> and Fund for a Free South Africa among others) is a nice one.

Au contrare. The best statement you can make is with your pocketbook.
This is precisely why I keep my charitable, artistic, business, and
personal transactions separate and distinct. When I contribute to
charity, PACs, and artistic organizations, they know who is
contributing the money. My contribution is a statement of my support.
Granted, it may be conscience-soothing for someone who normally does
not make these contributions to think about that 1% of the phone bill
going to "good causes".

But if I am doing business with a long distance company, I want to
reserve the right to deal directly with the actual entity providing
the service. Is Working Assets in the telephone business or in the
Politically Correct business? If you have highly technical problems is
someone at WA going to be able to discuss them with you? And on the
other side of the coin, if you have a problem with a facet of Planned
Parenthood, do you think you can convince WA to take up your problem
with that organization -- up to and including the withholding of
funds?  (I use Planned Parenthood as an example because I do
contribute directly to the organization.)

> wonder how much the rates are raised to defray the operating costs
> after the contributions are made. I'd be interested in hearing from
> any other subcribers as well.

Does it matter? If you go with this operation you are doing one-stop
shopping: telephone service and political action conscience-relief
with one easy payment. My advice is this: if you want telephone
service, do business with a company that provides telephone service.
If you feel the need to express yourself through contribution, then
pick and choose among the hundreds and hundreds of lobbying and
political action organizations and hand over your money directly. This
usually entitles you to also express yourself to other members and you
are pinpointing the focus of your donation.

> Environmentalists will be happy to know that WALD says they use 100%
> recycled paper and soy-based inks (when possible) for their bills and
> that they plant 17 trees for every ton of paper used.

I think if I hear much more about the selling of the environment in
the form of "environmentally correct" use of resources, I will puke.
If you really believe that the world will be a better place because WA
uses soy-based inks (when possible, of course), or that those reps
will weigh all the bills going out the door and when the scale tips
one ton, go out and plant seventeen trees -- then by all means go out
and save the world and use WA for long distance.

As for me and my house, we will use AT&T, MCI, and Sprint. And with
the real money saved we will make contributions to those causes we
really believe in. And answer this: I can talk to technicians at AT&T;
can you do the same at Working Assets? Do you think there will never
be problems?


        John Higdon         |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 264 4115
    john@zygot.ati.com      | San Jose, CA 95150 |       M o o !