msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) (09/17/90)
An insert in the current Bell Canada phone bill reads in part: # Effective August 24, 1990 Bell Canada customers will be able # to reach only Bell 976 Service programs within their area code. # Long distance calls to Bell 976 Service programs elsewhere # within Bell Canada territory -- for example, Ottawa to Montreal # -- will automatically be blocked. # # ... Bell filed the proposal to block long distance calls to 976 # Service programs as a result of customer complaints over unauth- # orized calls. This restriction is meant to protect them from # unexpected long distance charge for 976 Service. Now, all of Bell Canada territory still has the rule that dialing only seven digits is equivalent to the call being local and therefore free. Long distance calls within the area code are dialed as 1+ seven digits, except in 416 where they are 1-416 + seven digits. Local calls to another area code are dialed as seven digits. So it is not possible here to dial a long distance call by accident here. Now, to be fair, I should note that because 976-number calls are not free, Bell Canada introduced the rule that dialing a 976-number within your area code is done like dialing a long-distance call within your area code, even though there may not actually be a long-distance charge in addition to the 976 charge. (I don't know if there ever is one.) So there may be some room for confusion about charging for 976. But blocking all long-distance calls to 976-numbers, just because some people weren't aware of the charging structure, strikes me as unreasonable. (This is not to say that I am in favor of the existence of 976- numbers in the first place, but that's another story.) Mark Brader, SoftQuad Inc., Toronto, utzoo!sq!msb, msb@sq.com
wisdom@cs.uwindsor.ca (09/22/90)
In article <12292@accuvax.nwu.edu>, msb@sq.com (Mark Brader) writes: > An insert in the current Bell Canada phone bill reads in part: > # Effective August 24, 1990 Bell Canada customers will be able > # to reach only Bell 976 Service programs within their area code. > # Long distance calls to Bell 976 Service programs elsewhere > # within Bell Canada territory -- for example, Ottawa to Montreal > # -- will automatically be blocked. > # ... Bell filed the proposal to block long distance calls to 976 > # Service programs as a result of customer complaints over unauth- > # orized calls. This restriction is meant to protect them from > # unexpected long distance charge for 976 Service. Right. The unmentioned reason is that BC's customers don't make any money from calls out of your Area Code ... such calls are only charged the LD rates, NOT the maximum $3 per call for a maximum 4 minute recorded msg. With service providers losing out on, for instance, calls to their 416 numbers by 519 dialers, instead of to the 519 numbers, BC had to appease their REAL customers somehow. Thus the "restriction". In almost all cases, the "unexpected long distance charge" works out to about half the cost of an "unexpected local 976 charge". Service providers for Ontario 976 numbers are required to rent a minimum of 30 phone lines, with equipment in specific locations (closer to certain CO's, the cheaper the line rentals). I can understand why they want to make as much money as they can; but BC's "meant to protect" smoke is just annoying. Ah well, at least we don't have to worry about 900 numbers; the only ones we have access to here are the automated voting lines; the most popular one is used on the national Movie Channel to pick a new release to be shown early. Pete Smith