Bell greed continues: payphone increases

[InMontreal]

Bell wants to raise cost of pay telephone calls to $1 from 50 cents
By The Canadian Press | The Canadian Press – Mon, 2 Apr, 2012

GATINEAU, Que. - Bell Canada and Bell Aliant Inc. want to double the price of a local pay-phone call.

They are asking the CRTC to approve a rate increase that would raise the cost of a cash call to $1 from 50 cents and raise calling card or debit card calls to $2 from $1.

The companies say they need more money to deal with new loonies being brought out by the Royal Canadian Mint.

They say the existing technology won't be able to recognize the new coins.
The application has angered consumer and anti-poverty groups.
They say the increase hurts people who can't afford cellphone or landline service.

The Public Interest Advocacy Centre is urging people to contact the CRTC to oppose the increase.

"We don't think Bell's proposed pay phone charge increase is right," the centre says in a flyer urging opposition to the hike.

The companies, however, say without the extra money, pay phones will disappear faster.

"The new $1 coin will have different characteristics from the current ones and so will not be recognized by the current coin validation systems," they say in their application to the regulator.

"Permitting the companies to recover the costs associated with upgrading their pay phones to accept the new $1 coins through rate increases for local pay phone calls will also assist the companies in slowing the decommissioning of pay phones as profitability will be more likely."

They say pay phone use has been steadily eroded by increasing cell phone usage.

Source: http://ca.news.yahoo.com/bell-wants-...155540236.html

-------------

Sooo, let's recap.
1) There's an accident, you don't have a cellphone on you, you need to find a phone FAST. You remember there used to be payphones there where you can call 911, but they're now GONE because, in 2012, the multi-billion profits per year company Bhell couldn't get the requested price increase to finance the modifications of their payphones (which doesn't return change) to recognize the new 1$ coin. Accident victims died due to a lack of phone service.

2) No cell service on the road all the way throught the provincial park, next city in 200 km, but there used to be payphones every 10 km... but not anymore because Bhell decided their payphones aren't profitable enough.

3) No cell service on the road all the way throught the provincial park, next city in 200 km, and next payphone 10 km away... No change in pockets... Credit card accepted but... it's 2$ ?!?! AND it's a long-distance call ? F*** that greedy bastard phone company!

[NakedGord]

4) Like the last blackout (or natural disaster) Canadians will find that their cellphones don't work but now are unable to find any payphones locally in an emergency.

5) The next generation of Canadian Supermen will be arrested for public exposure.

[aytononline]

What's a pay phone.

[oggie]

DUH a payphone is a public telephone used by the public

[InMontreal]

Some of you remember the fade away of 1$ paper bills in 1987 to coin, and 2$ paper bills to coin in 1996. We guess payphones upgrades were done happily.

Payphones were almost all upgraded to a model with a display in the 90's.

Bell's logo changed 2 or 3 times between 1990 and 2010, each phone cabin
exterior were updated to reflect the new logo.

On June 2, 2007, payphone fees increased to 50 cents.

Sometime in the 2000's, SMS abilities were added to some payphones.

Now they want users to pay 1$ per call in order to recognize the new 1$ coin. Stupid.

[ottawasnowdog]

Some of you remember the fade away of 1$ paper bills in 1987 to coin, and 2$ paper bills to coin in 1996. We guess payphones upgrades were done happily.

Payphones were almost all upgraded to a model with a display in the 90's.

Bell's logo changed 2 or 3 times between 1990 and 2010, each phone cabin
exterior were updated to reflect the new logo.

On June 2, 2007, payphone fees increased to 50 cents.

Sometime in the 2000's, SMS abilities were added to some payphones.

Now they want users to pay 1$ per call in order to recognize the new 1$ coin. Stupid.

No matter how you sell it a $1 to make a local call just plain stupid.

[fettesps]

DUH a payphone is a public telephone used by the public

I think you should get your sarcrasm meter recalibrated.