doppler
join:2003-03-31
Blue Point, NY | This one won't go away
Verizon and other phone entities have very good lawyers.
This will not go away. Trust me |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| Only People Pay Taxes
A tax on any company or corporation is always passed off to people. Since corporations are made up of people, it makes sense: only people pay taxes. The payment is either in the form of higher prices for the consumer, lower wages for the worker (fewer stock options for the eeevil management), or lower dividends to the investor. But only people pay taxes.
In this case, it makes perfect sense, like the myth that ½ of social security is paid by the employer, Verizon is only passing on all the cost of its tax burden. I know what people in this forum will say, since they love to bash eeevil corporations, but really they should be complaining to their congressman about the onerous taxes and regulation that ALL companies have to deal with these days.
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"Those who want to take our money and gain power over us have discovered the magic formula: Get us envious or angry at others and we will surrender, in installments, not only our money but our freedom"—Thomas Sowell. |
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kapil
The Kapil
join:2000-04-26
Chicago, IL |  Bullcrap!
»Speakeasy raises addon taxes again and again |
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Minister
join:2002-01-02
Fleeting | reply to LegoPower77
Re: Only People Pay Taxes
Feh!
So include it in the cost of the DSL line! |
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Shamayim
I already have a Messiah.
Premium
join:2002-09-23
| Let's face it
These fees are nothing but ripoffs. They're crafted by cunning corporate suits, arcanely labeled, petitioned for at the FCC or local municipality, granted permission by the FCC or local municipality, and then passed on to the poor schlub consumer with the explanation "the FCC mandates us to begin charging . . . "
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"tick...tick...tick..." »www.jtf.org/ |
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Skippy25
join:2000-09-13
Hazelwood, MO
| reply to Minister
Re: Only People Pay Taxes
It is/was/always will be part of their cost to provide DSL. As pointed out in the article it is just another way they are milking more money out of their customer's without making it look like they are jacking up the price. They are attempting to separate themselves from this "tax" to make it appear it is something being forced on them (poor them) so they must force it on their customers though they don't want to (yeah right).
Just like what was discussed when SBC pulled this. If it is a direct cost to the having the line, it should be advertised as such. I could care less what it cost, just be honest and truthful upfront without misleading the public. None of this get unlimited DSL for $1.99/month with the small disclaimers of hidden fees making it $26.99/month.
I am just waiting for the "Our pensions are down recovery fee" to be added to my bill. |
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dddane
join:2002-01-10
Chicago, IL | reply to LegoPower77
well, duh. |
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dadkins
Can you do Blu?
Premium,MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA | Can't wait to see...
... what they(Verizon) decides to call these "unfees" when FIOS hits mainstream... or how many more they can think up. 
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No Firefox here, move along! |
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Jim Gurd
Premium
join:2000-07-08
Plymouth, MI
 ·Comcast
| reply to Shamayim
Re: Let's face it
said by Shamayim  :These fees are nothing but ripoffs. They're crafted by cunning corporate suits, arcanely labeled, petitioned for at the FCC or local municipality, granted permission by the FCC or local municipality, and then passed on to the poor schlub consumer with the explanation "the FCC mandates us to begin charging . . . " I have to disagree with you here. They are merely itemizing the cost of government. It is in fact a tax, though an indirect one for the consumer. The govt taxes the corp to provide subsidized internet for the masses and the corp passes it on to the end user. It's truth in advertising.
Now some people will argue that they could then start itemizing all taxes like corporate income and property taxes and that may have some validity. What's different about this FCC imposed fee is that it is directly tied to the product or service being sold thus driving up the cost of providing it. |
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TKJunkMail
Enjoy the sun
Premium
join:2002-03-03
Avalon, NJ
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
·Comcast
2 edits |  Rip Off: Verizon online paying Verizon parent
This FEE is nothing but another rip off. Verizon Online has to pay the telecom company, which for 90% of their customers is Verizon itself. So, the customer pays the fee, which isn't going to some outside company but to its own corporate parent. Just another way to jack up the bill and make it look like the government made them do it. Corporate thievery at its most egregious.
Do what my sister and her family just did - switch from Verizon DSL to another provider, preferably a cable company.
My Web Page
My Blog
Join Red Room Forum |
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PhoenixDown
-- Wants FIOS
Premium
join:2003-06-08
Fresh Meadows, NY
clubs:  
| We need a law to stop this mis-taxation.
Any taxes or surcharges (ie: USF) should be government mandated and companies shouldn't be allowed to pass on these so called recovery fees. If they need to raise prices, so be it, but dont disguise the issue.
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www.pulsetoday.com -- marketing forums! |
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Jason Levine
Premium
join:2001-07-13
USA
| reply to Jim Gurd
Re: Let's face it
Perhaps it's directly tied to the product or service, but it isn't a fee that they are being told to charge the customers. They are being charged it and they are passing the cost onto the consumer.
This, in and of itself, isn't unusual. Businesses do it all the time. It's how they do it that's underhanded. They don't announce that DSL prices will rise by X amount. Instead, DSL prices stay the same in all of their ads and a fine print fee is added to the bill.
The phone companies have realized that this is a perfect way to get away with what would otherwise be false advertising. They advertise a low price for a service and then load up on fees in the bills themselves to raise the price and get more profit.
For an example, check out this "Dirty Phone Bill":
»www.newnetworks.com/dirtyphonebill.htm
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-Jason Levine
http://www.jasons-toolbox.com/
http://www.PCQandA.com/
http://www.urateit.com/ |
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xdeadhead
220, 221, Whatever It Takes.
Premium
join:2000-11-08
Mechanicsburg, PA
 ·Verizon FIOS
·Comcast
2 edits | crock of shit, i'll tell ya what.....
VOL blows. customer "dis"-service and a painful voice response system reinforce the statement. im thinking it's more a recovery of fees that they have to pay the regular side of verizon for going out and fixing iw issues and such. those truck rolls are not cheap. even though there is no charge to the end-user,(until now with the recovery of fees) it seems VOL tries to prevent their customers who are having iw/setup issues from actually getting a tech to visit their home. i also find most of the time, the problem the customer reports to VOL is seldom the same problem listed on the trouble ticket. oh yes VZ has big problems with VOL and VOL has big problems with you. you meaning the customer, not whomevers post this post follows. "We appreciate and value your business." yeah right. |
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verolom
join:2002-03-23
Eagleville, PA
·Comcast
| reply to PhoenixDown
Re: We need a law to stop this mis-taxation.
Isn't there a law or two already? I see this as misrepresentation or false advertisement and unfair business practice. What is this, DSL service of only $29.95/month + $15 in fees? Are there cases when a subscriber does not have to pay the fees to get the service? No. If one cannot get the service for $29.95/month then it is not only $29.95/month.
This should be like negotiating the price of a car. What is the price out the door or the bottom line? Don't care about bank fees, destination charges, etc. just give me the out-of-pocket figure. Or better yet, like buying gasoline, all taxes (there are plenty) are already included. What you see is what you pay.
The difference is there is no competition and frankly no regulation (enforcemnt of the law) of any useful kind on telecom. |
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Drex
Beer..It's What's For Dinner
Premium
join:2000-02-24
La Place, LA
 ·AT&T Southeast
| "Cost Recovery Fee"
Bellsouth has been doing this for a number of months now. I don't recall when they started, but it was some time last year. It really pissed me off to the point I was willing to switch to cable, but that's another story.
Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee @ $2.97 per month
I have yet to get an explanation to exactly what this is. All they tell me is that it is NOT a tax.
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Star Wars Galaxies -- The best form of birth control on the market. |
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TheGhost
Premium
join:2003-01-03
Lake Forest, IL
clubs:
·AT&T U-Verse
·Comcast
| reply to Jim Gurd
Re: Let's face it
The issue was, this cost of doing business was always there, it was just "included" in the fee. The issue arises in that they did not lower the cost of service, but rather just added this new fee, thereby they did a rate increase, no matter how you look at it. |
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aSic
application specific
Premium
join:2001-05-17
Wakulla, FL
clubs:
| reply to Drex
Re: "Cost Recovery Fee"
said by Drex :Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee @ $2.97 per month I have yet to get an explanation to exactly what this is. All they tell me is that it is NOT a tax. Then dont pay it. Plain and simple.
My previous employer was the same way.. if it wasnt listed as a tax, he'd pitch a fit. Eventually he got to the point where he'd only pay the base charges, and the taxes. Before I moved on to another job, he had close to $650 in "back fees". After a bit of yelling to someone high up the foodchain with this particular company, the $650 was agreed to be unfair, and was removed from his bill. From the last couple times I've visited the old shop, I've seen that he's done it on several occasions..
Then again, it all depends on how greedy Verizon/BellSouth or any of these other carriers are. Would they cut you off for having a past due balance of $2.97?
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Teamwork is a lot of people doing what I say. | irc.removed.us #dslr | Starband SRS m360 GE4 C4/S69 | Win2003/DualNIC | 802.11b |
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LegoPower77
Abecedarian
Premium
join:2002-08-03
Arlington, VA
| reply to Jason Levine
Re: Let's face it
I, for one, would rather have an itemized description of why it costs so much. My phone line costs $29.95, but after the government gets done with it, it's upwards of $45. I'd rather know why I can't get cheap service rather than just paying a no-questions-asked $45/month.
By the same token, I'd rather us have to pay our taxes by writing a check every time we get our paychecks than to have it taken out in withholdings and not even feel it; it's BS. I'm just an idealist, but that would change things.
I agree, that dirty phone bill is outrageous, but I don't blame the company, I blame congress and the people who elect them.
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"Those who want to take our money and gain power over us have discovered the magic formula: Get us envious or angry at others and we will surrender, in installments, not only our money but our freedom"—Thomas Sowell. |
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OceanaJones
join:2004-10-18
Suffolk, VA
| Unfair corporation cheats
It has been less than one year since I signed on to the Verizon DSL service. So far this is the second "tax" they have "passed" on to me. As far as I am concerned this is just another example of a corporation CHEATING its customers. The only way a business in America can survive is to "CHEAT" the customer. A little tax here... a fee there... misrepresentation of products, poor service, no quality, inflated prices,bait and switch. I challenge anyone to show me one business in America that is 100 percent honest, upfront and doesn't have a sneaky way to secretly CHEAT their customer. Now when I say cheat, I mean morally as well as legally because we all know these corporations and business owners use the lawyer politicians to make their lack of morals legal. The only right that has not been denied the consumer is the right to say "No thank you, there is not enough value in your product to interest me". |
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Biskit
join:2003-02-07
Fenton, MO | reply to PhoenixDown
Re: We need a law to stop this mis-taxation.
So whats the difference? Either way your bill is going to be higher. Oh I get it , it's an ethics issue. It doesn't matter that your bill is going up as long as they call a spade a spade? |
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