Directory charge

Press, 14 July 1989, Page 8

Directory charge

Sir,—Could it please be explained to me the justification behind the latest charge to be made by Telecom. I refer to the 45c plus GST for the use of the directory service by businesses. Is this constant stream of new charges going to end? If it does, what guarantee do we have that these charges won’t Increase at

Telecom’s bidding? It has surprised me how easily the 40 per cent-plus increase in rentals was accepted by the public. I am aware that tolls have decreased, but, to the point that it compensates the across the board increase for every phone user? Businesses around the country will progressively have to pay 3c a minute for local calls as from September 1, 1989. Operator assisted calls have an extra charge of $2, etc., etc. Soon, a telephone will become a luxury because of prohibitive costs. If competition is a reason for these new charges then can someone tell me of an alternative system that delivers a quality service without the constant threat of new and increased charges?—Yours, etc., B. R. WHITE. June 13, 1989.

[The operations manager, Telecom South, Mr B. W. Finn, replies: “Traditionally, business customers have made the most use of Telecom’s Directory Assistance service. The service, which has just been computerised, operates 24 hours a day, and is expensive to provide. The charge, which applies to business customers only, is consistent with the Telecom Corporation’s policy of basing its prices on an actual cost basis.”] t ?