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Call rates are the subject of much analysis, and erudite
comparisons by consultants, but rarely do they factor in other
quantitative aspects such as minimum call charge, call
connection charges, and monthly subscriptions, and perhaps more
excusably, qualitative aspects such as quality, and customer
service.
The principle error in such analyses is that, unlike gas and
electricity, a telephone minute is not a commodity. It
actually has few of the properties that would qualify it as a
commodity. Most obviously, the line quality and the rate of
successful call connection vary from the "indistinguishable
from BT" to the downright useless. This vast quality range is
inhabited by many carriers.
Quality is mainly to do with the compression rates.
Obviously if you can cram more calls simultaneously down the same
wire, you can drop your rates. Many different carriers are often
involved in the chain that delivers a call to a foreign
destination. It only takes one carrier in the chain to compress
their call traffic beyond the recognised limits, and you will be
unable to send a fax or maybe be entirely unable to connect. M-Line
believes business customers have no time for that type of cost
saving, and we only deal with high quality carriers.
Consideration of the quantitative issues listed above is a highly
technical issue, and therefore a highly successful method of
obfuscating true call rates. The sheer impenetrability of the
subject is apparently of great appeal to many service providers,
and the customer really should ask himself why. M-Line has
attempted to analyse the effect of this in the accompanying
leaflets, "Tricks That They Play", and "The Minimum
Call Charge Trick".
M-Line's minimum call charge is the minimum unit of
currency. We always attempt to discuss and agree tariffs with
customers in terms of "true" rates, that is those
corrected for distortions due to minimum call charge. This is
ultimately the only reliable benchmark. If, however, a customer
prefers one of the minimum call charge schemes utilised by our
competitors, our billing system can bill them on a basis that
emulates that, and we can agree rates appropriate to that
regime.
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