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Non-Tech : Dreyfus Brokerage Services -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Colin Cody who wrote (110)	7/2/1999 3:00:00 PM
From: rrufff	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 159

I believe Dreyfus requires 50% margin for writing puts. Brown requires less. I was thinking of going with Dreyfus and would appreciate any info on this.

To: Colin Cody who wrote (110)	7/2/1999 3:19:00 PM
From: Kevin	Respond to of 159

Overall, they are good and fast. $15.00 is true with up to 5000 shares.I have been with them for more than three years, very please their service.

To: Colin Cody who wrote (110)	7/2/1999 4:17:00 PM
From: Peter V	Respond to of 159

By telephone? Forget it. A long time, like 5 to 15 minutes. I hear Yamner has the best telephone service, but you have to pay for it. Internet executions - very fast for equities, but option trade confirmations are slow. And the free real time option quotes that come up when placing an order don't show all the prices. I put in a bid for an option between the bid/ask and it never showed up on the real time quotes. I called them and they said they could see it, but I could not, and they gave a very lame explanation. So you don't know what is really going on unless you have an independent options quote. eSignal may have this information, I don't know. Documentation is pretty good, but what is really confusing is the on-line account summary, I can never figure it out.

To: Colin Cody who wrote (110)	7/2/1999 8:21:00 PM
From: Spots	Respond to of 159

FWIW, partial answers: >>How fast do you get a trader/rep to place an order by telephone? Do they confirm while you're still on the phone? If not how long until you know? For me, under a minute. I've only done it a few times, so I can't generalize. >>Do they "work" large orders? Dunno, but I doubt it. They don't "work" any orders beyond submitting them to the major exchange, best I can tell. >>Internet execution speed? 1 minute? 5 minutes? or what? For a marketable order, seconds. Almost always less than a minute. With reasonable boundaries (market doesn't move away, no liquidity, etc.). >>Errors? Do they make any? Sure. So? I've always gotten them corrected, but you have to be willing to yell about it. >>Quality of executions? Do limit orders get reflected on level II? Do market orders go off smoothly? Or do you get raped by pay-for-order-flow agreements or other reasons? I can't recall ever placing a market order. I don't have level II, but I have seen my inside orders reflected in the markets. Usually. Sometimes I have had to call and rattle cages for representation, but it has always worked. >>How is documentation: paper trade confirmations and monthly statements? As good as anybody. I'd rate this a B+, maybe an A-. Compared to, say, Datek, outstanding. >>Do you really get eSignal for free? Does it work every month without a hitch? If you are short one or two trades in a month, do they still let you have eSignal for free, or do they watch it like a hawk? Dunno. Don't trade that much. >>Are commissions really $15 for everything??? No, but for everything they say. Option commissions are 1.75 per contract, $15 minimum. I believe stocks are $15 per 5000 shares. >>Are the following trades more than $15: >>500,000 shares of a 1c stock No clue, but I hear they have pricing for penny stocks. I would seriously doubt they'd do it for this price. >>11,000 shares of a $7 stock I think this would be three commissions (15/5000sh). Don't recall precisely, though. >>50,000 shares of a 50c CANADIAN stock? No clue. Dunno if they trade Canadians >>11,000 shares of a $10 stock on the OTC-BB Dunno. >>A trade done via telephone rather than over the internet connection? It's more, as they say in their literature. I forget, but about $25, I think, plus some handling fees. Many of these questions are answered on their web site in the documentation. Pick up the phone and ask; they answer pretty quickly, and that will also answer some of your customer service responsiveness questions too. Spots