Hotels' Holdup: Phone Fees
from the extortion-for-travelers dept
Like most mobile phone users, the idea of using the room phone at a hotel just doesn't make sense any more. However, as more people are doing so, it sounds like hotels are trying to compensate by pushing up the in-room phone prices even higher - forcing those who don't have mobile phones to pay insane rates for phone calls. SF Gate took a look at the phone call rate card in several San Francisco hotels, and found that you're better off not communicating at all. As an example, they listed a 10 minute phone call from one hotel - within the same area code - that would run $31.64. International calls are much worse. A six minute call to Tokyo: $77.71, which they compare to a basic AT&T rate, where the same call would be $0.96. The hotels claim that they need to earn money somehow, but they're basically encouraging people to not use their phones at all. I guess, if they can find one or two suckers willing to pay $100 for a simple phone call, then they come out even, but it's only going to make most people go in search of more reasonable rates - or alternatives like mobile phones. For international travelers, it's probably cheaper to simply rent a local mobile phone than to pay such rates.
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Mobile phones cannot make international calls
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Vegas
The morning after check-in I tried to call the 1-800 number for my credit card company to figure out what was going on and every time I dialed, I got the front desk. I finally asked what was going on and they told me that I had to place a $20 deposit to use the phone. I told them that if I had the $20 I wouldn't need to be making the phone call and that it was a toll-free call, but apparently they charge even for toll-free calls at that hotel.
I walked out of my room, walked about 65 feet to a payphone, picked it up and made a free long distance call to the 1-800 number and got it resolved. Very, very aggravating...
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Re: Mobile phones cannot make international calls
Cingular, you are able to make international calls as soon as you get the phone.
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Re: Mobile phones cannot make international calls
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Re: Mobile phones cannot make international calls
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Re: Mobile phones cannot make international calls
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