Perhaps the right thing to do is to eliminate unnecessary surcharges and taxes from the telcos, not tack them on to alternative providers . . .
Universal service cost recovery fee? You don't see cell companies passing a line item charge along for expanding their network coverage. They expand in order to improve service availability and quality, something that should have motivated the expansion of the landlines in the first place. How long should we be expected to pay extra to recover their costs? It will continue forever, as we have no way of declining short of changing service providers.
I cancelled my landline years ago. Some local gas company dug up my yard when I wasn't home, and to no surprise, my phone wasn't working when I returned. Three times I scheduled someone to come repair the line, but each time, the service tech swore that there was a problem inside the house (for which they can pass along a service fee to me). Even though I'm an electrical engineer, wired my own house, made no changes for months prior, and tested the interior lines myself. I told the customer service pukes that the tech probably fell in the hole in my yard on his way to check the line, and that it couldn't possibly be inside my house. But they are "unable to do anything without the recommendation of the tech". When I questioned whether the tech could be lying, and what his motivation to be honest was . ..they couldn't give an answer. I suggested I would be best served by offering half of the service fee in cash to the tech, so that he would just repair the underground line's connection to the box. They said he wouldn't take a bribe because he would lose his job! Ha! They totally couldn't understand the situation . . . Dropped them like a rock.
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Perhaps the right thing to do is to eliminate unnecessary surcharges and taxes from the telcos, not tack them on to alternative providers . . .
.they couldn't give an answer. I suggested I would be best served by offering half of the service fee in cash to the tech, so that he would just repair the underground line's connection to the box. They said he wouldn't take a bribe because he would lose his job! Ha! They totally couldn't understand the situation . . . Dropped them like a rock.
Universal service cost recovery fee? You don't see cell companies passing a line item charge along for expanding their network coverage. They expand in order to improve service availability and quality, something that should have motivated the expansion of the landlines in the first place. How long should we be expected to pay extra to recover their costs? It will continue forever, as we have no way of declining short of changing service providers.
I cancelled my landline years ago. Some local gas company dug up my yard when I wasn't home, and to no surprise, my phone wasn't working when I returned. Three times I scheduled someone to come repair the line, but each time, the service tech swore that there was a problem inside the house (for which they can pass along a service fee to me). Even though I'm an electrical engineer, wired my own house, made no changes for months prior, and tested the interior lines myself. I told the customer service pukes that the tech probably fell in the hole in my yard on his way to check the line, and that it couldn't possibly be inside my house. But they are "unable to do anything without the recommendation of the tech". When I questioned whether the tech could be lying, and what his motivation to be honest was . .