ID:53588
 
Keywords: rich, swine
While I was reviewing our latest phone bill, I noticed an extraneous charge filed under a category that made me start investigating their competition for better deals.

We go through CenturyTel in the state of Wisconsin (in the United States for those unaware) and we get unlimited 512 asymmetrical DSL for $36.99 a month, and after the already copious amounts of taxes tacked onto the bill, we end up paying $45.60 a month to CenturyTel, since we have no land line telephone and DSL service is all we get out of them.

Recently, I started seeing a new charge surfacing on the bills: nearly eight dollars labeled "Federal Regulatory Cost Recovery Fee". Isn't this what businesses do to begin with? By determining their costs and market share, they structure fees to recover costs. Apparently, CenturyTel decided that, instead of raising rates to keep up with costs during this economic slump, that they'd slyly slip in an eight-dollar-a-person "cost recovery fee" to maintain their "low price" when advertising.

So is the way of corporate America. It's safer to assume by default that you're getting it in the bum with a wooden pole against the grain, and most of the time all you can do is get some Vaseline applied.
Write to http://consumerist.com and make it known.

Also, $36.99 for 512 aDSL? You must be living in the middle of nowhere to not be able to do better. I live in a very rural town and still got 5mb cable for 29.99 (later raised to 34.99)
Not just CenturyTel, my mom was telling me about how we got some new $9.50 fee added to it. I have no idea, but I'm sure this will eventually happen to all of them.
Airjoe wrote:
Write to http://consumerist.com and make it known.

Also, $36.99 for 512 aDSL? You must be living in the middle of nowhere to not be able to do better. I live in a very rural town and still got 5mb cable for 29.99 (later raised to 34.99)

In his one blog post, he mentioned that he got the only DSL provider available at the time :P
Airjoe wrote:
Write to http://consumerist.com and make it known.

Also, $36.99 for 512 aDSL? You must be living in the middle of nowhere to not be able to do better. I live in a very rural town and still got 5mb cable for 29.99 (later raised to 34.99)

I live in a town of 900. The closest city has a population of 7200 and is five miles away, and the nearest "large" cities have populations of 42000 and 65000 and are nearly equal distances of 20 miles. The line I'm on originates in the city of 7200 so I'm deemed "extended service" and pay extra on basic services anyways.

I'm also in an area that's quietly monopolized in several service areas.
Mobius Evalon wrote:
I live in a town of 900.

You must get very lonely sometimes.
Move to Madison.
Sue them! It's the American way!!
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We do too. Centurytel sucks, very much ;(
The annoying part is when they discover a loophole that allows them to advertise cheaper prices the rest are forced to follow.
The only way their other ISPs can advertise a competitive price is by pulling the same scam. You can either be honest and let your business die or find a way to make up the loss with stupid hidden costs.