If I call an 800 (or 888?) number from a coin-operated payphone (e.g.,
> in an airport concourse), does the owner or operator of that 800
> number get charged 30 cents for each time I call (and they answer)?
Yes indeed.
More specifically, does this apply to *all and every* 800 number
> owner? Or do some 800 number owners negotiate special (that is, much > cheaper) deals?
It's billed through the carrier that provides the 800 number, so I would be rather surprised. I suppose the payphone owner could rebate part of the 30 cents to 800 number owners they like, but I don't know why they would.
And do some 800 number owners -- scumbag types, maybe -- just not pay
> these charges? And if so, do they perhaps get away with not paying?
Unlikely. It's part of the phone bill. I have a bunch of 800 numbers on my ECG bill, and when someone calls from a payphone, the call costs
55 cents more than it would otherwise and there's an "a" next to the line on the bill. I suppose there could be IXCs who don't pay their payphone charges at all, but that would affect all of the company's customers.Regards,
John R. Levine, IECC, POB 727, Trumansburg NY 14886 +1 607 330 5711 snipped-for-privacy@iecc.com, Mayor,
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Member, Provisional board, Coalition Against Unsolicited Commercial E-mail
[TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: Wait a minute ... either an 800 call is a 'free call' to the caller or it is a chargeable call to the caller. One or the other. If it costs me 35 cents, then it should be referred to as a 'premium charge' call rather than a 'toll free' call shouldn't it? How does the recipient of the call know that the call is originating from a COCOT style phone instead of a 'regular' line? How does that fact (COCOT instead of regular) make any difference where what the carriage costs telco? Or is that 35 cents only to appease the COCOT owner? PAT]