Required Modem--Extra 16.3% - 32.5% Per Month?

Internet access discussion, including Fusion, IP Broadband, and Gigabit Fiber!
143 posts Page 3 of 15
by dane » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:06 pm
kkeller wrote:Hi Dane, that is a great explanation, thanks. Are you allowed to put this explanation somewhere on the web site, so prospective customers can see it? They might feel better about the equipment fee if they realize it ultimately saves them money.

Come to think of it, maybe Fusion should be free and the equipment lease should be $47/month. ;-)
This first item is a good idea, we should link a FAQ that covers points like this.

As for the second - we have to base the equipment rental fee upon the cost of equipment and its ongoing management service, maintenance and software updates from the manufacturer, and while it would be nice for customers if we could make the equipment expensive and the service cheap, the federal, state and local entities that are entitled to the taxes and fees for the voice service would take issue with this. :)
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by Guest » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:38 pm
dane wrote:If we embed the cost of the equipment into the price of service, various taxes attach, which drives up overall cost for customers. This is one of the reasons that all the major service providers now separate the cost of equipment as a monthly fee.
While this may be an excuse to charge $780 over 10 years for a $99 modem, it does not at all justify boldly advertising a rate of $39.95, when the real monthly charge is $46.45. I'd expect this type of deception from Comcast, not Sonic.
by dane » Thu Sep 27, 2012 1:46 pm
Guest wrote:
dane wrote:If we embed the cost of the equipment into the price of service, various taxes attach, which drives up overall cost for customers. This is one of the reasons that all the major service providers now separate the cost of equipment as a monthly fee.
While this may be an excuse to charge $780 over 10 years for a $99 modem, it does not at all justify boldly advertising a rate of $39.95, when the real monthly charge is $46.45. I'd expect this type of deception from Comcast, not Sonic.
Well, we certainly don't expect the life cycleof these devices to be nearly this long - the technology will be updated as the network and features evolve.

Clearly, it's a cost, and you need to evaluate whether Fusion service remains a compelling value or not. We hope to continue to add value and reduce costs overall to remain competitive.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by kkeller » Thu Sep 27, 2012 4:28 pm
dane wrote:This first item is a good idea, we should link a FAQ that covers points like this.

As for the second - we have to base the equipment rental fee upon the cost of equipment and its ongoing management service, maintenance and software updates from the manufacturer, and while it would be nice for customers if we could make the equipment expensive and the service cheap, the federal, state and local entities that are entitled to the taxes and fees for the voice service would take issue with this. :)
I was just kidding on the second suggestion, of course! :)

I think a fairly prominent FAQ on this would help counter the (somewhat sensationalist) notion that Sonic is trying to be deceptive about its Fusion pricing. If you do post one, please don't bury it somewhere and force prospective customers to find it--link to it right from the main Fusion page, with something that says something like "Why does the equipment fee seem high?"

As to the guest poster who whinged about this, do you think Comcast's CEO would be on their forums debating how to address the issue? Clearly Sonic slipped up here, but all companies make mistakes. One of the many things that sets Sonic apart is, on the few occasions they do screw up, they admit a problem and try to fix it quickly. Do you think Comcast's CEO would be here in a constructive conversation with its customers on how to fix its marketing?
by tanzella » Thu Sep 27, 2012 9:21 pm
dane wrote:Your account includes 15 email boxes, so there is no charge there.
How come when I go to Account Management it ways I have no email addresses to manage unless I add 4 email addresses for a $4 charge?
by dane » Fri Sep 28, 2012 4:19 am
tanzella wrote:
dane wrote:Your account includes 15 email boxes, so there is no charge there.
How come when I go to Account Management it ways I have no email addresses to manage unless I add 4 email addresses for a $4 charge?
It should say in larger text above how many you can add for free, before any fee applies. The $4 for four mailboxes is after the first fifteen, which are included with your Internet access product.
Dane Jasper
Sonic
by tjj » Fri Sep 28, 2012 10:31 am
tanzella wrote:
dane wrote:Your account includes 15 email boxes, so there is no charge there.
How come when I go to Account Management it ways I have no email addresses to manage unless I add 4 email addresses for a $4 charge?
I just took a look at your account and it isn't showing up yet because the Fusion service has not finished provisioning. Once this is done, the system will update and you will see the 15 boxes that you get for no additional charge. Additionally, it appears that your order should be complete in the next day or so. :)
Tage J.
Sonic.net Customer Support
by tanzella » Sat Sep 29, 2012 1:56 pm
Thanks for the clarification. I wanted to get my extra email addresses working first so I didn't have any hiatus in incoming email. I don't know how soon AT&T was going to close my old email addresses.
by wa2ibm » Sat Sep 29, 2012 5:04 pm
It's my understanding that ATT/Yahoo mail will remain as a 'free' email service after you cancel your AT&T DSL service. AT&T just wipes their hands of you once they close the DSL account, and Yahoo just keeps going, even though your domain name may be ATT or PacBell, or whatever.
by tanzella » Sat Sep 29, 2012 10:11 pm
Thanks. I'll let you know when I find out. So far, I haven't heard a thing from AT&T about me canceling the service.
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