BILL.BLOMGREN@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (BILL BLOMGREN) (01/13/90)
>LMS, if done properly, is about the sanest way to charge for service. >The rates need to be much lower than rates currently in use in many >parts of the country. This makes phone lines essentially free to those >who use them sparsely, and reasonable for those of us who tie them up Well, down here the current Genitel suggestion is that both RECEIVER and ORIGINATOR get billed for a telephone call. That means 1) Boards will go out of business (Can you afford the equivalent of a continuous long distance bill)... 2) Grandmothers who only have the phone for communications go out of business.... and so on. They would like us, nay LOVE us, to think that! Frankly, when it happens, there will not be any telephone service in this house. I won't have a service that I can't control the billing on myself... and doing a fixed charge is easy... Doing long distance is easy.. you just don't call..but the local measured service with both ends getting charged? NOPE. They want to hit you every time you pick up the phone.... PCRelay:PETEXCH -> RelayNet(tm) 4.10.9 St Pete Programmers Exchg *HST* 813 527-5666
DON.KIMBERLIN@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (DON KIMBERLIN) (01/14/90)
DA>LMS, if done properly, is about the sanest way to charge for service.
DA>The rates need to be much lower than rates currently in use in many
DA>parts of the country. This makes phone lines essentially free to thos
DA>who use them sparsely, and reasonable for those of us who tie them up
DA>for hours and hours.
..I agree with the theory, Dan. What I object to is the practice.
..First, of waiting to get LMS until the flat rate price is high enough,
then NEVER reducing the flat rate price, calling the instituting of LMS
a way to "avoid" rate increases. That's the way it's always done.
..Second, the crazy-quilt way it gets structured with multiple counts
charged to some places but not to others, in a way that the caller
cannot reasonably outguess, then presenting the heap of pulse counts in
bulk on the bill. And, cases of the "meter getting stuck" are more
common than people know about!
..Would you like to authorize your power, water company or gas company
to charge several rates for their product depending on where they got it
from..dynamically, in a way nobody could figure out, different for every
account, changing monthly?
..Would you authorize your power, water or gas company to keep the meter
down in their plant and never let you see it..only tell you what it
said?
I'mnot disagreeing with you at all..only raising points we should be
wary of rather than jumping into LMS without question. That's the sort
of thing the sharks we are after want us to do.
DA>---
DA> * Via ProDoor 3.1
DA>
DA>PCRelay:COSUARD -> RelayNet (tm)
DA> ** COSUARD NET ** 713-487-3911 **OPUS**106/15
. EZ 1.24 . What do you sense of it Counselor Troi?
PCRelay:PETEXCH -> RelayNet(tm)
4.10.9 St Pete Programmers Exchg *HST* 813 527-5666
DAN.ARSENAULT@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (DAN ARSENAULT) (01/14/90)
Yes, the shorthand can be daunting - my apoligies. LMS stands for
metered local service.
* Via ProDoor 3.1
* RNet 1.02: COSUARD Net:COSUARD BBS-Houston, Tx-713-487-3911
PETER.MARSHALL@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (PETER MARSHALL) (01/14/90)
Wrong, wrong, wrong. This subject should be changed to "MORE Thought."
What you seem to advocate here was just what the telcos tended to push
re: LMS and just what consumer groups, etc. tended to oppose.
PCRelay:POVERTY -> INTELEC-NET * NorthWestern Region
4.10.9 Poverty Rock +Seattle WA+ 206-232-1763 HST38k
JEFF.WOODS@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (JEFF WOODS) (01/15/90)
CH>DA}Here's an idea. Why not propose mandatory LMS instead of business rates
CH>DA}for BBSes. That would bring IBM and Sears to COSUARD's side in a hurry.
CH>DA}You know that what IBM wants, IBM....
CH> Define please: " LMS "
Local measured service, where each local call is paid for by the minute,
rather than a flat rate per month. There is usually a flat rate lower
than the normal rate (say, $6.50 a month) plus 1 to 6 cents per minute
for local calls. For heavy BBS'ers or teenagers with boy/girlfriends,
that could get QUITE expensive. Many Bell companies have similar
business rates. Pacific Bell's business rates, for example, are $19.50
a month plus 4 cents first minute, 1 cent per additional minute. In
San Diego, things are broken down into Zones, and if you call outside of
a zone (more than 11 miles), add up to 12 cents a minute for local
calls, even without measured or business service.
. . .
..eff ...oods
. DeLuxe 1.11.18 #171 Seems like Deja-Vu all over again!
PCRelay:MUSICAL -> The Musical Chair, Kansas City, 913-262-2087
4.10.9 RelayNet (tm)
JEFF.WOODS@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (JEFF WOODS) (01/15/90)
>LMS, if done properly, is about the sanest way to charge for service. >The rates need to be much lower than rates currently in use in many >parts of the country. This makes phone lines essentially free to those >who use them sparsely, and reasonable for those of us who tie them up I work as a telemarketing manager, and I can imagine that MANY upset people would call the literally thousands of firms that telemarket, too. That would literally put us out of business. . . . ..eff ...oods . DeLuxe 1.11.18 #171 My residence phone line is MINE to use as I like! PCRelay:MUSICAL -> The Musical Chair, Kansas City, 913-262-2087 4.10.9 RelayNet (tm)
PETER.MARSHALL@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (PETER MARSHALL) (01/15/90)
Sorry, but try again: how about "Local Measured Service"?
PCRelay:WHHCL -> WESTNET + msgs Copyright 1990 by author.
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DAN.ARSENAULT@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (DAN ARSENAULT) (01/16/90)
I agree completely. There's no sense in just jumping into ANYTHING,
least of all LMS. And of course you're quite right. LMS implementations
that I have seen have been incredibly sleazy, like most things the baby
bells do. I can only look back fondly to the days when I subcontracted
out to do some work in the 713/409 uplink here in Houston. In those days
it was just after the time when the AT&T oart of the building got cut
off from the SWB part. Those folks couldn't even talk to each per
policy. There were lots of heads being scratched among SWB suits whilst
gazing over rack after lovely rack of Western Electric load monitoring
computers.
* Via ProDoor 3.1
* RNet 1.02: COSUARD Net:COSUARD BBS-Houston, Tx-713-487-3911
DAN.ARSENAULT@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (DAN ARSENAULT) (01/16/90)
>>LMS, if done properly, is about the sanest way to charge for service. >>The rates need to be much lower than rates currently in use in many >>parts of the country. This makes phone lines essentially free to those >>who use them sparsely, and reasonable for those of us who tie them up > >I work as a telemarketing manager, and I can imagine that MANY upset >people would call the literally thousands of firms that telemarket, too >That would literally put us out of business. Now THERE's a thought! * Via ProDoor 3.1 * RNet 1.02: COSUARD Net:COSUARD BBS-Houston, Tx-713-487-3911
DAN.ARSENAULT@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (DAN ARSENAULT) (01/17/90)
OK, have it your own way. I probably goofed yet again. In point of fact,
though, measured service has reared its bewildering head under several
guises. I hope the point is not lost. We are (were) talking about Local
Measured Service.
* Via ProDoor 3.1
* RNet 1.02: COSUARD Net:COSUARD BBS-Houston, Tx-713-487-3911
chuckp@ncr-fc.FtCollins.NCR.com (Chuck Phillips) (01/19/90)
In article <10208.25B33297@urchin.fidonet.org> JEFF.WOODS@p6.f889.n106.z1.fidonet.org (JEFF WOODS) writes:
]]LMS, if done properly, is about the sanest way to charge for service.
]]The rates need to be much lower than rates currently in use in many
]]parts of the country. This makes phone lines essentially free to those
]]who use them sparsely, and reasonable for those of us who tie them up
]I work as a telemarketing manager, and I can imagine that MANY upset
]people would call the literally thousands of firms that telemarket, too.
]That would literally put us out of business.
I don't particularly favor LMS. However, if it keeps telephone solicitors
from calling me while I sleep, then there's _one_ good argument for it. :-)
(Sometimes I work odd hours.)
Just my own personal opinion,
Chuck Phillips
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