[comp.dcom.telecom] The MessageCenter

kjhart@pacbell.com (Kenny J. Hart) (12/20/90)

I would like to respond to some of Mr. Higdon's remarks:

The five dollar/month voice mail is residential *only*, not both
business and residential.  The $20/month VM was business VM.  We offer
two different voice mail packages.  Also, the residential VM boxes
would reside in your CO, but the business VM is not located in your
CO, thus the offer you received was for business VM.

Yes, Mr. Higdon it is for real, and an excellent product, and you
should bite.  The thing I can't understand is why you have to
continually think Pac*Bell is out to screw you!!

BTW, I work in the non-reg arm of Pac*Bell that offers the
MessageCenter along with other innovative, enhanced services product.


Kenny Hart

john@bovine.ati.com (John Higdon) (12/23/90)

"Kenny J. Hart" <kjhart@pacbell.com> writes:

> Yes, Mr. Higdon it is for real, and an excellent product, and you
> should bite.  The thing I can't understand is why you have to
> continually think Pac*Bell is out to screw you!!

Well, you sort of asked, so I'll tell you. When the non-reg arm of
Pac*Bell offers a product that depends on CO access, doesn't that sort
of tilt the playing field for that product's competitors? What service
bureau would be able to compete with MessageCenter?

Now the reasonable person would ask, "Why not just use Pac*Bell's
product and forget the competition?" Well, for one thing, if there was
competition to the MessageCenter, I could have it now. As it is,
Pac*Bell can't even give me a date when it might be available in my
area. And what happens when Pac*Bell decides to raise the (non-reg)
price? If you're hooked on the service, they have you by the bells.

Like many who read the Digest, I am a service junkie. But everytime I
call my friendly rep about this new service or that, it's, "I'm sorry,
that service is not available in your area." There is no SS7 in my CO,
so that automatically excludes CLASS. "*70" gets a recording on my
line with Call Waiting. In short, I'd love to check some of this new
stuff out but living in the only CO in the Bay Area that doesn't offer
ANYTHING makes one wonder. Ok, I know Pac*Bell didn't plan it that way
just to get back at me, but really...


        John Higdon         |   P. O. Box 7648   |   +1 408 723 1395
    john@bovine.ati.com     | San Jose, CA 95150 |       M o o !