To: JDN who wrote (6041 ) 3/27/2000 3:22:00 PM From: B.G. Galbraith Read Replies (1) | Respond to
I think that guy has the right idea, just a couple of years ahead of the game. By the time res long distance is "free" WCOM should be mostly business revenue-wise. There is still a big question in my mind how "free" long distance is really going to be. Sure, when WCOM and others offers an integrated package of all services to residential consumers, (which some claim to do now in certain areas) I expect that explicit charges for long distance will disappear, but will actually be hidden in the costs for other services (internet, wireless, etc). So far most of the carriers have been playing 3 card monte with consumers about long distance charges, and are downright fraudulent in their representations to consumers. Try to get a cold-caller offering long distance to send you a complete written list of rates for all their services. Try to call corporate customer relations and ask for the same thing. It will never happen until the FCC gets some guts and starts to instill some truth in advertising discipline in the telecom industry. My wife recently signed up with a cell-phone outfit (against my will) and got a "free" phone in the process. Did she get a list of their fee structure for all their consumer services? No. Did she even get an accurate depiction of her local operating area, and the different operating areas for the other "special offer" packages? No, and No. The whole residential telecom industry kind of reminds me of this little man in New Yawk City with a lightweight foldup cardtable set up at the entrance to a convenient alley, hawking his wares to his "suckers", er, ah, "customers". By the way, WCOM is one of the worst offenders. I hope they treat their business customers better. No, I am not short WCOM. Embarrassingly long, in fact.
