Ahh yes, the deadly rip-off charging for ‘touch tone phone service’ on Bell home phones, it never ends, well maybe it will

Toronto, Canada – Let’s face it, Bell Canada and others, charge these extra fees as a way to generate revenue, if people are shy, and don’t bother to scrutinize their bills they get over charged. They prey on us, with all these small charges, and hope we won’t find out, and trust them. Trust them? I haven’t trusted Bell for 40 years, with all the “stock answers”  I get from them, even in the last few months.

A story in the Toronto Star  today uncovered that the fee for touch tone may be withdrawn.

They said they were going to switch me to online billing, “to save the environment” what a crock, it’s to save them from doing any work and increase their profits. Plain and simple.

I’ve said it many times before, there is ‘little old ladies’ in Northern Ontario still paying for the rental (about $4-5) per month of a phone that may not have touch tone, and yet Bell Canada still charges them rental fees. Sure they could go to Radio Shack and buy a phone, but how would they know? They have probably paid over $2,000 for this Bell Canada equipment and Bell will service it, if there are having any problems. And how many times have there been problems, in 40 years, maybe once or twice, if at all.

In the last ten years or so, Bell Canada has clearly lost their monopoly on home phone service and when Rogers Home Phone came on-line, everyone tought it might be better. But as recent revelations have confirmed, Bell and Rogers are in bead together, well at least in the ownership of the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is being reviewed by the Competition Bureau of Canada.

Others have also jumped onto the VOIP (Voice over internet protocol) system which allows consumers to use a home phone through their internet connection.

Companies such as, Primus, Vonage, Ooma Inc and Comwave, have been around for years and are cutting into Bell’s former monopoly and they (Bell) are just fighting back. A new player on the block is Magic Jack who offer phone service anywhere in North America for $20 a year, I said a YEAR not a month. Sure it’s not reliable always and a little scratchy at times, but for a second long distance line it is great. You will need a fast internet connection for best performance.

Daniel … Toronto, Canada   丹尼尔     دانيال … تورنتو، كندا،
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@dandmb50