linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu (Linc Madison) (03/03/91)
I just got my phone bill, and I'm rather upset about some of the charges, but, before I go fuming to Pac*Bell about it, I wanted to see if maybe they managed to sneak a new tariff by me without my noticing. Specifically, the charges relate to some calling card calls made in ZUM Zone 2 (Zone Usage Measurement; Zone 2 is 8-12 miles). After some mathematical dissection, I've figured out the charges as shown below: Item published tariff actual charge ==== ================ ============= Calling card surcharge $0.40 $0.60 First minute (daytime) 0.17 0.08 Additional minutes (day) 0.07 0.02 These calls were made from a Pac*Bell payphone within my LATA, specifically from San Francisco Central Zone to Berkeley. Gee -- some of the charges are only inflated 50%, while others get inflated a whole 250%. I wonder why they didn't just charge me $50 and claim they've been taken over by an AOS company.... If anyone has any info on any recent tariffs (say, last seven months or so) involving calling card surcharges or zone charges, please e-mail me. I placed these calls on my calling card because when I attempted to make them sent-paid, the computer quoted me an incorrect rate (75c for the first three minutes, when the tariffed rate is .25 + .08 + 2x.02 = .37, round down to .35). However, it isn't just a single glitch in the rate tables, because the calling card surcharge also appears in some calls from Santa Cruz to Oakland and Berkeley. Linc Madison = linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu
linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu (Linc Madison) (03/12/91)
I wrote recently about a situation in which I felt I was overcharged for some calling-card calls from Pacific*Bell payphones here in the San Francisco LATA. After speaking to two service reps, an operator, two supervisors, and a manager, I found out the following: (1) Calling card surcharge on Pac*Bell-handled calls has been REDUCED from 0.40 to 0.35. HOWEVER, (2) An additonal 0.25 surcharge applies on calling-card calls from coin phones, EVEN IF THEY'RE PAC*BELL PAYPHONES. (3) Even though San Francisco Central to Berkeley is a ZUM Zone 2 call, billable at 0.08 first + 0.02 add'l, on calling card calls it is charged at the higher toll rate of 0.17 + 0.07. This fact is carefully NOT mentioned in the discussion of Pac*Bell rates in the phone book. I didn't get any answer except, "I don't know" on the question of how or when they snuck this new surcharge through. Linc Madison = linc@tongue1.berkeley.edu