🚀 go-pugleaf

John Higdon wrote:
> 
> > 'Cause I never heard of the other 150 people?
> 
> So if you have never heard of them, they CAN'T be any good, right? The
> five pages in the Yellow Pages of long distance carriers never got your
> attention, eh? Do you EVER shop anywhere or buy anything that does not do
> saturation advertising? You might be surprised how much more cheaply goods
> and services can cost without the overhead of major advertising.
> 

You are right, I don't shop for long distance.  I don't have to.  They come to me.  If 
the company isn't coming to me when others are, I figure they aren't worth it.  Sure 
there may be others hiding somewhere, but I really don't think it is worth my time to 
try and find them.  Let them do the work, I am the customer.

I don't look in my telephone book for a store, I see the advertisements and look for the 
best price.  If someone tells me through word of mouth of a great deal somewhere else, I 
look but pretty poor strategy for a company to rely on that method.

> > 'Cause the one company that did call me that wasn't one of the big 3 had
> > worse rates than I was being charged by one of the big 3?
> 
> Well, that is certainly a thorough approach. Unless the company crawls to
> you, you cannot be bothered, right. And since ONE company had higher rates
> than the Big Three, that is Proof Positive that there are no better deals
> to be had, anywhere. I got it.
> 

Didn't say it was proof, just that the one that called me was more than the one I have 
now.  Should that give me the incentive to go out and find others?  Seems to be a 
disincentive.  Yes, they do have to crawl to me, I am the consumer!

> > 'Cause the others don't send me $80 checks to get me to switch?
> 
> Well, either you don't spend enough on long distance to even be worth
> having this discussion, or you don't mind being soaked when someone waves
> a token enticement in front of you. The difference EACH MONTH between the
> carriers I use and AT&T's "best plan" is more than $80/month. (Oh, yes,
> that is part of the secret: you use different carriers depending upon the
> time of day and the place you are calling. You see, they do internal
> subsidies and you figure out what they are and then you beat them at their
> own game.)
> 

I spend only about 80-100 per month on LD, so maybe not a great deal.  However, in the 
last year, I received $160 from 2 companies (1 company 2 times).  That adds up and yes 
it makes me switch (especially when there is no minimum time requirement).

> > 'Cause the others don't offer frequent mile credits to my airline for
> > using the phone?
> 
> Well, you got me there. I'm one of these kinda guys that when he buys a
> product, he likes to get the best deal FOR THAT PRODUCT, rather than get
> suckered into a confusing shell game of unrelated discounts and cross
> bonuses.
> 
> Guess it is just a difference in style.
> 

Look, those frequent flyer points add up.  That makes the product I am getting cheaper. 
 So of course I factor it in.  If I wouldn't use the product that would be different.  
But to argue that because I am looking for a boat and they offer to throw in the trailer 
to I should ignore it would be foolish.  I look at both products (I want them both) and 
figure the total value to what they are charging.  Makes $$ sense.