[leafsfan]

I was looking at changing my long distance provider (currently with bell) and when doing some online research, came across this new network charge policy from bell:
"Bell’s world-class telecommunications systems are used by all Canadians, whether they are our own customers or the customers of other companies.

Canadians rely on us, so we invest millions of dollars to maintain and enhance these systems right across the country, in urban as well as remote areas.

The network charge helps us support this system..

You’ll see a network charge if you are a Bell Home phone customer but subscribe to a long distance plan with another company. Bell Home phone customers who also use us for long distance are not charged a network fee."

So now i do not have to pay the $5.95 network charge if i stay with bell and if i switched to yak, i would?

Is this right?

So what are the chances bell will reimburse me the $5.95/month i've been paying for the last 2 years, if i call them on it?

 

[DMat]

The wording is interesting.

In the past, you only paid a network charge if you had a long distance plan WITH Bell, if you had it through another company or just the tariffed rates (TERRIBLE IDEA), you paid no such charge.

Where did you see this? Could you post a link, or scan in the document? PM me your email addy if necessary to talk about this.

Do you have the unregulated "Bell Home Phone" service, or the regulated "Bell Landline" service?

Basically, Bell isn't forced to provide the regulated service anymore in many areas, and can essentially charge whatever they please. The workaround in these situations is to find another home-phone provider that runs off of Bell's tariffed landline network.

 

[DMat]

Looks like this is legit:

http://support.bell.ca/en-on/Custom...the_network_charge_on_my_Bell_Home_phone_bill

Historically, on regular regulated Bell Residential Service (when it's not called Bell Home Phone), you paid a Network Charge for having a Bell LD Plan. So everyone switched to other LD companies, which were cheaper and had no Network Charge.

But Bell Home Phone is unregulated, so they can charge whatever they want, and are now going to charge you for the privilege of going through a competitor, and waiving it if you deal with Bell.

I've written a rather comprehensive article about it all here:
Bell Home Phone Network Charge for Not Having Bell Long Distance

Bell's assault on competitive LD providers I guess.

Solution looks to be to switch to Teksavvy Home Phone is you value a proper Landline, or VoIP if you don't. You could go with a Bell Long Distance plan, but that's just giving in to the enemy.

 

[leafsfan]

I called bell and threatened to cancel my LD service with them and switch to yak. They put me thru to their "loyalty dept". and they ended up giving me free unlimited LD up to 1500 minutes/month (plenty for me), which is not a promotion so won't expire ever, $5/month off my phone service (which after reading Dmats post sounds like I have a "residential line") for 1 year, I had to commit to a 1 year contract ($75 fee to break) and while I was talking to him he checked my tv service and reduced it by 20% for 1 year. all in all about $50/month savings from what I was paying....all for making a phone call.

 

[DMat]

Actually, if you were able to sign up for a contract for your landline, you were on Bell Home Phone, not the tariffed service.
What exactly does it say on your bill? I've never seen a Home Phone one, so I'm not sure what it looks like on those bills.

 

[cautiousone]

I'm really confused about this. I have the BELL Home Phone Lite pkg. (residence line) at $24.95 per month AND I pay the monthly $5.95 network charge AND I have the First Rate TM Worldwide LD plan (5 cents a minute) at $1.95 monthly. (High LD usage for me is 200 minutes per month.)

BELL says that the wording on the site is an error that BELL will correct but that was two days ago and the same wording remains posted. Three different BELL reps said that the only way that I would NOT pay the network fee is if I have my LD from a provider OTHER THAN BELL.

This seems to conflict with DMat's statement, "But Bell Home Phone is unregulated, so they can charge whatever they want, and are now going to charge you for the privilege of going through a competitor, and waiving it if you deal with Bell.

Without challenging me on my bad decision to stay with BELL, please clarify.
Thanks.