[LINK] RFI: Change in Telstra Timed-Call Charges

[Roger Clarke]

>Date: Thu, 17 Feb 2011 23:07:12 +1100
>To: Peter.Jamieson at telstra.com.au
>From: Roger Clarke <Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au>
>Subject: RFI: Change in Telstra Timed-Call Charges
>
>Mr Peter Jamieson
>Executive Director
>Customer Sales and Service
>Telstra
>Melbourne   VIC   3000
>
>Dear Mr Jamieson
>
>Re: [Bar-Code Reference]
>[Phone-number and Subscriber-Name]
>
>Your letter dated 14 Feb announces that Telstra is "changing the way 
>we charge for timed calls".
>
>Timed calls (i.e. by subscribers not on various kinds of plan, to 
>mobile, STD and international numbers) are to be charged at the 
>upper end of a 60-second block instead of the upper end of a 
>30-second block.
>
>That's an 11% increase for a call that clicks just over 4 minutes.
>
>And it's a 100% increase in the time-cost for the large numbers of 
>sub-30-second calls.
>
>1.  Would you please advise whether you have had this dramatic 
>increase approved by any authority, and if so which authority that 
>was.  The fact that it's being achieved through a change in the 
>structure of the tariff doesn't change the fact that it's a dramatic 
>increase.
>
>2.  What stops you making it 2-minute blocks say next year?  And 
>5-minute blocks when you think you can get away with it?
>
>I look forward to your answers to these questions.
>
>Thank you for your assistance.
>
>Yours sincerely

-- 
Roger Clarke                                 http://www.rogerclarke.com/

Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/

Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
Visiting Professor in Computer Science    Australian National University