Comcast Unveils New International VoIP Plans - From $4.95 to $9.95 per month
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JahsDisciple @ 1st Jul 10:50AM:
good idea
good idea, why is Jamaica never covered?
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sMoKeNiNja @ 1st Jul 11:01AM:
not bad
seems pretty reasonable pricing too
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TK Junk Mail @ 1st Jul 11:10AM:
One gotcha in the offer
provides Comcast Digital Voice customers with 100 minutes to call landline phones
Since so many users in other countries(up to 50% in many places) are now cell phone only, this feature of the offering really limits the value of the program.
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My BLOG .. .. Internet News .. .. My Web Page
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neko @ 1st Jul 11:14AM:
Re: not bad
said by sMoKeNiNja :
seems pretty reasonable pricing too
0.05 cents a minute to the UK? No way is that good pricing; I currently pay 0.009 cents per minute. ISP's pricing of VOIP is way too expensive. Independant VOIP providers FTW.
--
...virtue gives you heraldry.
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Skeedatl @ 1st Jul 11:19AM:
Telcos need to get a clue
That the solution to their POTS bleeding isn't charging more for stupid crap like $7.50 for Caller ID, $1.50 to stay out of the phone book and "you didn't use enough long distance" fees.
But that will never happen and they'll continue to lose customers...deservedly so.
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DJ_Kismuth @ 1st Jul 11:39AM:
Yeah Right
Read the fine print in the press release: to LANDLINE phone only.
Since most people in other countries (and ours) primarily use CELL PHONES, this entire promotion is a joke.
Nothing beats POTS and 10-10 dial around numbers. Can't beat that reliability and clarity.
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sansri88 @ 1st Jul 11:41AM:
Doh!
No India...
Anyway, anyone see this part of the press release?
quote:
In addition to low-cost international calling plans, Comcast Digital Voice customers can benefit from a number of major enhancements, which will be integrated with Comcast’s video and high-speed Internet services and set to become available this year, including:
# Universal Caller ID - customers can view caller information on their phone, TV and PC.
About time we see Caller ID on TV.
--
Sriram Satish
Comcast of NJ II sucks. Period.
25 HD channels compared to the average 32 or so.
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DaveNJ @ 1st Jul 11:42AM:
Will it take only 2 or 3 appointments ?
Alright thats great, but after you schedule the appointment will the tech actually come to install the equipment ?
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Corydon @ 1st Jul 11:55AM:
Re: Yeah Right
said by DJ_Kismuth :
Read the fine print in the press release: to LANDLINE phone only.
Since most people in other countries (and ours) primarily use CELL PHONES, this entire promotion is a joke.
Nothing beats POTS and 10-10 dial around numbers. Can't beat that reliability and clarity.
That's because in many countries, the calling party is charged extra to call a cell phone, unlike in the US where there's no distinction between calling a landline and calling a mobile.
You'll find that your long distance plan on your POTS phone probably has different per minute charges to many countries depending on whether you're calling a landline or a mobile, even if you use a 10-10 service.
--
"Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea."
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La Luna @ 1st Jul 12:00PM:
Vonage
Vonage has FREE UNLIMITED calling to five European countries (the UK, Spain, Ireland, Italy and France) and Puerto Rico and Canada included with their Residential Unlimted plan. Landline, but most people have a landline in addition to a cell phone (those I call have both).
They also have unlimited plans for other international countries with different rates applied per month depending on which countries.
--
11,347 DEADLY TERROR ATTACKS SINCE 9/11~~SARAH BRIGHTMAN SYMPHONY WORLD TOUR
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jester121 @ 1st Jul 12:13PM:
Re: Doh!
DirecTV.
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benc @ 1st Jul 12:13PM:
I'm NOT impressed
These plans are for only 100 minutes of talking in a month. After that, any minutes are charged at the regular international rates. The rates, by the way, are similar to that of AT&T.
What would impress me would have been unlimited calling to some foreign countries.
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Ricci @ 1st Jul 12:15PM:
Too expensive.
They are charging 10c/min for Brazil. I pay 2c/min.
This is a joke.
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jester121 @ 1st Jul 12:15PM:
Re: Will it take only 2 or 3 appointments ?
In the interest of full time Comcast bashing, let's go ahead and mention that the contractor may kill a kid in the neighborhood driving drunk, light your garage on fire, or get hit by a hammer wielding granny.
Or, maybe they'll show up and install everything and it will work. Who knows!
Waiting for someone to mention that the service has caps....
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sansri88 @ 1st Jul 12:15PM:
Re: Doh!
LOS issues.
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jester121 @ 1st Jul 12:18PM:
Re: Doh!
Oh. By "we" in your original post I thought you meant "society as a whole", not your household. :)
DirecTV has had TV Caller ID on screen for years, if you take the trouble to plug in a phone line.
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Ebolla @ 1st Jul 12:35PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
the "stay out of book fee" is charged by the company that owns local phone book not the phone provider and the charges are passed on as it is the person requesting it not the provider.
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MadMANN @ 1st Jul 12:36PM:
Re: not bad
said by neko :
Independant VOIP providers FTW.
As long as you don't mind your calls traveling over the public internet.
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kapil @ 1st Jul 12:37PM:
Re: Doh!
Yes, India is never included in any of these "unlimited to asia" plans. Since I know first hand that the wholesale cost to India is essentially the same as the cost to call other "asian" nations like China and Japan...I must conclude that this happens because the average American just needs better geography lessons.
For the "America is the greatest country on earth" crowd - No, India is NOT the "middle east". ...and why is it middle "east" to begin with. It's the middle...otherwise it would be called the east or the west.
--
»www.DumbLogic.com
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moonpuppy @ 1st Jul 12:44PM:
Re: Doh!
said by kapil :
Yes, India is never included in any of these "unlimited to asia" plans. Since I know first hand that the wholesale cost to India is essentially the same as the cost to call other "asian" nations like China and Japan...I must conclude that this happens because the average American just needs better geography lessons.
For the "America is the greatest country on earth" crowd - No, India is NOT the "middle east". ...and why is it middle "east" to begin with. It's the middle...otherwise it would be called the east or the west.
It is not that at all. Sometimes companies just want to charge extra for popular things.
When I did work in the travel industry, my agency had a contract by an american airline to South America. Funny thing is they didn't want to give use better commissions to Lima, Peru because "it was not in South America." The reality was that was a popular destination and they wanted to charge more.
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Skeedatl @ 1st Jul 01:22PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
It's not their business to put my private information in their book. And in my area, the local telcos print their own books.
If not for the telco turning over the information, they wouldn't have it.
They charge it for one simple reason, it's desirable and people are WILLING to pay it.
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nitzan @ 1st Jul 01:41PM:
Re: Doh!
said by kapil :
Since I know first hand that the wholesale cost to India is essentially the same as the cost to call other "asian" nations like China and Japan...I must conclude that this happens because the average American just needs better geography lessons.
And how do you know this "first hand" exactly? do you operate a wholesale carrier? If you can get me a wholesale carrier that'll give me India minutes for under 1 cents/minute (China), or under 2 cents/minute (Japan) - I'll be happy to give you free service.
As it stands right now - India wholesale costs more than double Japan, and 4-5 times China.
So no- it's not because "we need a geography lesson". It's because you need a lesson in economics.
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nitzan @ 1st Jul 01:55PM:
Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
As a VoIP provider (read: I'm biased), I must say Comcast must think their customers are suckers. All of these countries with no exception can be called for under 5 cents/minute with any decent VoIP provider - some of them as low as 1 cent/minute or less.
As a Comcrap customer (read: I'm not biased), I must say they suck. I've had cable and internet from them for a while, and let me tell you, it's been a trip... you can read my review/horror story...
--
Nitzan Kon, CEO
Future Nine Corporation
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Ebolla @ 1st Jul 02:32PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
well in all fairness the number isnt your private information, it is owned by the company not you, you are leasing it, so yes they can put it in the local phone book. If you opt out then it will be charged.
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voipdabbler @ 1st Jul 03:17PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
One of the reasons I quickly moved off of POTS once I moved west and had to deal with a large, east coast based company that services as the RLEC here is that they charged much more than Verizon did back in DC, plus after paying more monthly for a private, non-published phone number, I started getting more calls from telemarketers than I did back east. Now I know that telemarketers can get phone data from multiple sources, but I asked one of the local vendors who called how they got the phone number--the caller claimed it was from the very RLEC I was paying extra money to not to publish my phone number.
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Corydon @ 1st Jul 03:19PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
Actually I believe that the telcos still collect and turn over your directory listing information even if you're unlisted. They just flag it as unlisted. Collecting the information is necessary because it's used for other purposes besides directories (like E911).
As far as I'm aware, every landline provider, including VoIP providers charge extra to keep you out of the directory.
That tells me that, unlike calling features like Caller ID, this really is a charge that a third party (the maintainer and publisher of the directory) is passing back to the telco.
And if you think about it, it does make sense for the directory publishers to give you an incentive to leave your number in the phone book: if large numbers of people starting getting unlisted numbers then the directories would become useless.
Also, FWIW, I believe that all of the ILECs have spun off their phone directory services. They may still share the same name, but they're separate companies.
--
"Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea."
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Skeedatl @ 1st Jul 03:24PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
said by Ebolla :
well in all fairness the number isnt your private information, it is owned by the company not you, you are leasing it, so yes they can put it in the local phone book. If you opt out then it will be charged.
The number is theirs. The name and address are mine. They charge 'cause they can. They sell your name and number for profit and you have to pay to opt out. It sucks and it's part of the reason why telcos are losing subs hand over fist to competitors.
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Corydon @ 1st Jul 03:26PM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
said by nitzan :
As a VoIP provider (read: I'm biased), I must say Comcast must think their customers are suckers. All of these countries with no exception can be called for under 5 cents/minute with any decent VoIP provider - some of them as low as 1 cent/minute or less.
As a Comcrap customer (read: I'm not biased), I must say they suck. I've had cable and internet from them for a while, and let me tell you, it's been a trip... you can read my review/horror story...
I'm kind of curious just how VoIP providers manage to get such low rates (Vonage advertises free to France, the UK, etc.). I'm assuming you don't do what most CLECs do, which is to contract international long distance with someone like AT&T.
Do you establish an interconnect in countries with a lot of volume and then use the internet to get the call to the right country, bypassing the PSTN in the US altogether?
If so, that may be why Comcast's rates aren't as good as VoIP providers. They don't use the internet (at least not the public part) to place calls. They can keep their costs down by keeping stuff in network as much as possible in the US, but they have to send calls overseas the old fashioned way.
--
"Every man thinks meanly of himself for not having been a soldier, or not having been at sea."
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anon @ 1st Jul 03:31PM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
comcast is not like most other voip provider. the comcast service does not go through the public internet. it goes through there own network. just like the phone companies. i have had all three service for a few years now and i have never had any problem with the service.
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PhonePower @ 1st Jul 03:36PM:
Re: Yeah Right
Considering 10-10 dial around numbers (and many POTS long distance calls as well) are usually VoIP, I think you're lulling yourself into thinking you're getting "POTS quality". The reality is that VoIP is clear enough that you can't notice any difference.
said by DJ_Kismuth :
Read the fine print in the press release: to LANDLINE phone only.
Since most people in other countries (and ours) primarily use CELL PHONES, this entire promotion is a joke.
Nothing beats POTS and 10-10 dial around numbers. Can't beat that reliability and clarity.
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ironweasel @ 1st Jul 03:39PM:
Re: Doh!
said by kapil :
For the "America is the greatest country on earth" crowd - No, India is NOT the "middle east". ...and why is it middle "east" to begin with. It's the middle...otherwise it would be called the east or the west.
If you go east from the Atlantic seaboard, Europe is the nearest continent to us. Then you arrive at Asia, which contains Iran, Iraq, Syria, and all those other countries that are called "Middle East". After that, you get to China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and so on. All those countries are usually referred to as "Far East".
Of course, mid east and far east are used in relation to the US.
How all that got started, I have no idea...but that's the typical naming convention.
--
But there’s no sense crying over every mistake
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake
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kapil @ 1st Jul 03:44PM:
Re: Doh!
said by nitzan :
do you operate a wholesale carrier?
sort of, yes. In any event, I probably know more about the subject than the average joe.
said by nitzan :
If you can get me a wholesale carrier that'll give me India minutes for under 1 cents/minute (China), or under 2 cents/minute (Japan) - I'll be happy to give you free service..
Pretty close. I can get you India, major cities, wireline termination in the 2's.
--
»www.DumbLogic.com
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nitzan @ 1st Jul 03:53PM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
Exactly. While Comcast and traditional carriers just contract better prices with tier 1 carriers - this is not VoIP. They may call it VoIP and it may travel over IP to the Comcast switch - but once they transfer it over to a tier 1 carrier in the US it is no longer VoIP.
"True" VoIP means the call will travel over IP from origin to destination, to be terminated to the PSTN locally in the destination country. That is how smaller VoIP carriers can offer such great international rates - we don't have to worry about anything other than what the local carrier at the destination charges. AT&T and the likes are completely out of the picture. :)
--
Nitzan Kon, CEO
Future Nine Corporation
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Alcohol @ 1st Jul 03:58PM:
Re: good idea
They should follow cablevision and do a "call anywhere in the world" - 250 minutes for $19.99.
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Ebolla @ 1st Jul 04:04PM:
Re: Doh!
Those areas were called "far east" and "middle east" long before america, remember that the world was once thought of as flat, far east and middle east would be references from the point of the europeans and romans since they concidered themselves the center of the world and was not aware of the lands to the west, i.e N/S America.
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tlcbob @ 1st Jul 05:08PM:
Re: good idea
From what I have been told, the Jamaicin gov't calls the shots in everything; airlines, services, etc.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:12PM:
Re: not bad
Stop comparing everything to these internet phone companies as they are not in the same league. Even Karl needs to stop calling Comcast & Time Warner's phone service "voip phone" because it is to imply that it's the same as Vonage and the rest which are completely a different class of phone service.
I don't agree that it is too expensive at $0.05 cents per minute for an "international" call to another country. If you want to place your entire home phone service in the hand of a company that can't even guarantee your calls can be placed (ie, they have no control over the very conduit in which your phone service is ABLE to exist; the net connection) then you go right ahead and enjoy those un-realistic savings. Also enjoy the unreliability and unpredictability of 3rd rate phone carriers.
It costs real money to provide services. Every day someone or some people post how they get something for little to nothing or want it for little to nothing. Not everything can be cheap or free and actually be expected to last.
If we got everything unrealistically cheap or free, then why work more than an hour a day? Why have a job at all? Why not just collect welfare. Or, is that job we all have so we can have "things" and not worry about the basics in life.
So.. I disagree that it's not good pricing. If you knew much about the reality of international calling prices, then $0.05 per minute is a good price.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:14PM:
Re: One gotcha in the offer
True, however, these other providers that provide service for either "included at no additional charge" (ie: Vonage) and most like this alleged "$0.009 cents per minute" plan as stated a few messages above, too, are also to land line customers as well. (the .009 per minute, I have no clue because they were too busy ripping a 5 cent plan with their .009 cent plan they forgot to mention they company they get it from)
Like I said above.. real prices for real services. Gimmicks always come back to bite people in the ass.
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anon @ 1st Jul 06:30PM:
Re: not bad
said by fiberguy :
Stop comparing everything to these internet phone companies as they are not in the same league.
You don't work for Verizon, perchance?
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:30PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
Hey hey! We agree!
What that $1.50, in some cases $2.95 for private number, (435.40 annual) is really getting people is a little check box in a database somewhere so when reports are generated, the information isn't included in the book and/or online.
This has GOT to be one of THE most expensive stored bits of data ever sold.
This is guaranteed income. If they don't get it from the book publishers, they are going to get it from you, and, it's likely they are getting more from the user than they are the publisher.
Even worse, they charge per line, not per billing customer. I have 4 lines in my home, and it costs me $11.80 a month and $140.60 a year to own my privacy.
Personally, I'd like to see the phone books done away with all together. If people want to be in them, they can pay for them. Otherwise, maybe go all online. And, for those people that don't have internet, then they can pay for access to 411.
Tree-huggers should love this idea.. just think of how much "carbon footprint" these phone books put out each and every year. The number of trees it takes, the process of the factories to make the paper, to deliver the books, pick them up, those not even used, and then to recycle these things. I HONESTLY can't think of that many people that I know that USED to use the white pages who still do today. I for one haven't picked up a white page book in over 10 years.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:34PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
The white pages ARE useless. The data should go online only, or through a user subsidized service such as 411 where they can pay the 25 or 50 cents per call if they can't use the internet. (The internet, you know, that thing that everyone needs so badly and wants to throw the kitchen sink at? ;) )
If it went purely online then the cost to operate the site should become reasonable, right? I mean, AnyWho, Dexonline, and other directories on line look up white pages for free, right? AND, the data there should be MORE up-to-date than a white page book that can be outdated before it's even printed.
The fact is that people move so much, change numbers, etc these days more than in the past when the books started.
Maybe it's time to evolve.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:36PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
The day AFTER I got my Comcast native line, I was already getting solicitation calls BY NAME and that number was private. THIS solicitor even told me that they get lists from phone companies and mentioned comcast by name.
SHAME!
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:38PM:
Re: Doh!
said by jester121 :
DirecTV.
Yes.. phone call data read from a phone line physically plugged into a box with a cheap chip installed to read that data and print it on the TV itself.
Cable VoIP service: more complicated.. line data collected at the head end is looked up on incoming call, associated data is transferred associated account CPE at the head end and sent to the converter in the home for display on TV.
I can certainly see how it's that easily compared.
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EPS @ 1st Jul 06:38PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
Look at the stock of IAR (Idearc Media, Verizon's yellow-page spinoff)- down over 93% since it was split off... Those yellow pages may be gone soon enough.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:41PM:
Re: Will it take only 2 or 3 appointments ?
.. don't forget falling asleep on the couch and raping you. MAYBE if you're lucky and you're kid is drowning, they'll save it too.
Love your post.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:42PM:
Re: Vonage
said by La Luna :
Landline, but most people have a landline in addition to a cell phone (those I call have both).
You need to spend some time researching those statistics that deal with the countries in a whole and not just those you know. ;)
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:45PM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
Thanks for the entertainment today.
Now you're comparing your company to a real phone provider. You're not talking about MagicJack today.
Ballsy, I must admit, so I'll give you credit for that one.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:54PM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
I think they should all go.. the internet is a viable resource.. HOWEVER, the yellow pages are pretty much supported by the advertisers themselves and still do serve a pretty good purpose. Still, however, they ARE a big waste of resources AND they can easily out-date.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 06:55PM:
Re: not bad
OMG.. I have an opinion that is not popular and I must work for one.
So far I work for Comcast, Cox, Qwest, ATT, Time Warner, and NOW.. drum roll, Verizon.. which of all of those above is my least favorite.
No.
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neko @ 1st Jul 08:25PM:
Re: not bad
said by fiberguy :
...then you go right ahead and enjoy those un-realistic savings. Also enjoy the unreliability and unpredictability of 3rd rate phone carriers.
The savings I get are not unrealistic; they are very real. I also get great service - It's not shoddy, third rate, or poor. It's reliable, good quality & great value for money. I certainly will go right ahead & continue to enjoy the services I use.
There are many people who use Asterisk & enjoy a professional level voice service, with third party VOIP providers. Why shouldn't they have the choice over which company gets their dollars? Would you rather I pay inflated prices from the incumbent ISP's for VOIP service?
--
...virtue gives you heraldry.
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anon @ 1st Jul 08:57PM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
This is not VOIP....get it straight Broadband reports..you make this mistake all to often....VOIP is voice over internet protocol or some crap...this does not go over the internet...get it straight cable companies do not provide VOIP....do you need it spelled out for you ...I just did.
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RRMAN @ 1st Jul 08:54PM:
Learn what VOIP means
It would be real nice if someone could teach Broadband reports what VOIP means..
THIS IS NOT VOIP
--
Two people shorten a road.
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Myrrdin @ 1st Jul 10:06PM:
Re: One gotcha in the offer
said by TK Junk Mail :provides Comcast Digital Voice customers with 100 minutes to call landline phones
Since so many users in other countries(up to 50% in many places) are now cell phone only, this feature of the offering really limits the value of the program.
But it costs around 20 to 50 cents per minute to call cell phones locally in many countries so there's no way they can offer that service at that price if it included cell phones.
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fiberguy @ 1st Jul 10:36PM:
Re: not bad
didn't tell you that you couldn't use it. BUT, you, if I recall, made a statement that it was not a good price at 5 cents a minute.
The problem is that, while it works for you, 3rd rate voip providers are not a reliable service and most Americans aren't using it yet. Cheaper service, cheaper rates.
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jester121 @ 1st Jul 10:52PM:
Re: Doh!
??? I think you need more fiber, you seem grumpy.
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JahsDisciple @ 1st Jul 11:42PM:
Re: good idea
said by tlcbob :
From what I have been told, the Jamaicin gov't calls the shots in everything; airlines, services, etc.
i always wondered that.
--
"Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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anon @ 2nd Jul 07:37AM:
Re: good idea
I can load up my magicjack account for .02 a min to make over seas calls when I need to. Monthly phone bills are a thing of the past for me! I love it! Same features as
Comcast overpriced service, without all the expense.
I'll never switch back!
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EPS @ 2nd Jul 09:16AM:
Re: Comcast, yet again, prove they suck.
Hm? It still uses IP, even if it's not the general I.
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fuziwuzi @ 2nd Jul 10:42AM:
Re: good idea
said by CDVSuckss :
I can load up my magicjack account for .02 a min to make over seas calls when I need to. Monthly phone bills are a thing of the past for me! I love it! Same features as
Comcast overpriced service, without all the expense.
I'll never switch back!
Exactly, and now magicJack's international calls are handled exclusively by AT&T. I can call China via magicJack for $0.02/min, which would be hard to duplicate even on a calling card and some of those calling cards are far less reliable. So far crystal clear calls without a problem.
I look for Comcast to start trying to block magicJack in some way.
--
***************
I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.
- Stephen Hawking
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avd706 @ 2nd Jul 11:19AM:
Re: Doh!
Actually, if there is no western hemisphere, Europe is not in the "center of the world", it is the Far West (maybe northwest).
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avd706 @ 2nd Jul 11:22AM:
Re: Learn what VOIP means
Its a digital phone, agreed. But is there a difference between internet protocol and applications that run on the Internet.
I think VOIP doesn't mean what it says.
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Ebolla @ 2nd Jul 01:14PM:
Re: Doh!
You try telling the roman empire who controlled the majority of the known world at that time that they were NOT the center. and by center I dont mean they thought themselves the middle of the known maps, I mean the center of civilization. Since there was no known lands to the west then the east would be eastern europe, the middle east would be.. well the middle east.. and the far east would be the asian countries.
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LP Eliezer @ 3rd Jul 12:19AM:
Re: Telcos need to get a clue
Yellow Pages do seem less and less relevant. In my area, we have the Idearc (Verizon) Yellow Pages, and their competitor YellowBook.
What I have seen is that many people no longer pick up the books off their lawns and take them into the house! They just leave the Yellow Pages book on the grass and let it decompose.
I feel torn about this. On one hand, I am actually a Yellow Pages advertiser, so I am upset. On the other hand, I hate Verizon and Idearc, so I reluctantly admit to a little pleasure.
No surprise that Idearc stock is way down since spinoff from Verizon. Here's what some of those smart executives and MBA types failed to realize:
1) Of course, the most obvious point, why bother with the Yellow Pages when you can Google?
2) Idearc is such an awful name. How can these people be trusted for advice on advertising when that's the best name they could come up with?!
3) Idearc has been having lots of trouble getting people to pay their Yellow Pages advertising bills. Here's why:
a) Before the split from Verizon, Yellow Pages advertising charges were billed on the monthly phone bill. People paid the bill because they were afraid not to. Now, with separate billing, there is no big fear associated with delaying payments to "Idearc", especially in a poor economy, and especially because the bills arrive after the books are already printed and distributed.
b) Likewise, when YP charges were just a part of the Verizon phone bill, businesses never looked at them very much. NOW, with a separate Idearc bill each month, businesses look at that bill and say WOW! WHY ARE WE PAYING SO MUCH FOR THOSE YELLOW PAGES ADS EACH MONTH!
Am I wrong about this? It is hard for me to believe that so many big-shot executives did not see this coming.
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anon @ 14th Jul 01:44AM:
NEWS FLASH
NEWS FLASH: If you don't like what comcast charges for their services, don't sign up for them. Yes, there are cheaper VoIP services, but do they provide you with E911 that'll actually route your call to your cities 911 center? I didn't think so *cough* Vonage *cough*. Does comcast "alienize" your voice when the internet gets bogged down? No, their calls are routed priority over everything else on the network. Do other companies provide international calling that doesn't have latency so bad that it sounds like you're using tuna cans and string? Maybe, good luck finding one that has decent E911 and doesn't "alienize" your voice in the process though. I'm charged 8 cents a minute to call a landline in the Netherlands on CDV. NOW, with a quick jaunt over to Qwest's website, they want several DOLLARS a minute to connect the same call. Yes, calling european mobiles is about 20 cents on the average more expensive, BUT that is charged to OUR phone carriers from the the european carriers because the european mobile companies do not charge for incoming calls (AT&T Mobility could take a few lessons from them!). End of rant.
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LeftOfSanity @ 4th Sep 04:50PM:
Re: good idea
Yea..try and call 911 with that.
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