🚀 go-pugleaf

Ken Leonard (ken@kaiwan.kaiwan.com) wrote:
: Charles Bain (cbain@idi.net) wrote:
: : On behalf of TRAC, I'm posting this announcement of TRAC's release of its
: : new Tele-Tips Long Distance Residential Comparison Chart.  The chart is
: : available at a very low cost to all consumers.  The following message also
: : has other helpful hints to help consumers save money on their phone bills. 
: : We also just released a long distance business rate comparison, available
: : for $5.00.  TRAC is a non-profit, independent consumer interest
: : organization. 

: :            --------------------------------------------

: : FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:               FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
: : Charles Bain                                      August 31, 1994
: : (202) 462-2520


: :        RESIDENTIAL LONG DISTANCE COSTS INCREASED IN 1994,


: Thanks for this info. it is quite useful. I just have a couple of 
: comments. There are several things about this that lead me to believe 
: that this is not indeed a non-profit independent service as it claims. 
: For one thing it was posted twice. For another it seems to favor the 
: major carriers. 

: I understand that information is derived from publically available 
: sources and many of the switchless resellers are not required to make 
: this information public. However to base the opinion that switchless 
: resellers are not always the lowest is a mistatement. The report is 
: probably correct that *some* switchless reselllers are not always lower 
: than the big 3 but I know of many that are indeed lower.

: You cannot provide a useful service if you do not include all players and 
: all plans. To do otherwise gives the reported ones an unfair advantage. 
: This is a very complex market and I am afraid the public will never know 
: the full truth as rates and spoke & mirror claims are on-going.

: To say that switchless resellers are the most agressive is pure bunk. You 
: tell me what the big 3 are doing with the nearly $4 billion they spent on 
: advertising last year? You tell me that they are not trying to pull the 
: wool over our eyes by giving the glitzy TV hype and then flashing a 
: disclaimer in a little box for 1 second.

: Most of the Big 3 carrier plans require a minimum usage, a monthly charge 
: or some other way of getting you to stay with them for a set amount of 
: time. I feel that AT&T is guilty of pure bribery by offering monetary 
: checks to people to switch back. However they have the power and will do 
: as they da*n please.

: Plans that offer flat rates are not always the lowest. These are usually 
: switchless resellers. To try to keep up with who is the lowest at any 
: given time is pure lunacy. Base your research on your own calling 
: patterns and what is useful to you. For instance my company gives away a 
: very nice Hotel/travel package absolutley free. Hey, some people don't 
: travel!

: I will take Trac up on the $2 offer as I want to see some figures for the 
: big guys.

: Ken Leonard
: Excel Telecomunications, Inc.
: ken@kaiwan.com



Ken,

The Chart makes it clear that the four largest resellers do not provide
less expensive service that the major carriers.  They are less 
expensive only on the "standard rates" , which TRAC says are not to be
used and are the most expensige options.

Sam