Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!wuarchive!texbell!attctc!vector!telecom-gateway
From: albert%endor@husc6.harvard.edu (David Albert)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Charging Telephone Solicitors (was Re: Annoying phone calls)
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Date: 1 Oct 89 13:31:34 GMT
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 423, message 2 of 5

In article <1627@l.cc.purdue.edu> cik@l.cc.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) writes:
>But the real problem is solicitation....
>
>The only solution that has any chance of working is to make solicitors
>pay you for soliciting you.  A $5 or $10 payment up front for making a
>solicitation call to your number would do a good job of eliminating the
>problem.

Suppose I got a 900-number as my personal home phone, and charged $5
for each call.  Of course, I could keep track of personal and other
solicited calls and send everyone who deserved one a refund at the end
of the month.

Questions (to whomever knows):  (1) Can 900-numbers be called from
anywhere in the country at the same rate?  (2) How much does it cost
to maintain a 900 number (monthly charges, etc.)?  (3) Does the owner
of a 900 number get a detailed listing of all the calls received?
(4) How much of the $5/call would I get to keep?  (5) Are there any other
problems with this scenario, except for the obvious paperwork problem
I'd have sending everyone their refunds?


David Albert			      | "What are you trying to do,
UUCP: ...!harvard!albert	      |   change the world?"
INTERNET: albert@harvard.harvard.edu  | "No, just our little corner of it."