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Revision as of 02:30, 18 October 2011 by 203.23.60.6 (talk) (Added call charge structure information (TCU))(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)| File:Blue Ridge Communications logo.png | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | 1950 as Palmerton TV Signal Corporation |
| Headquarters | Palmerton, Pennsylvania |
| Products | Cable television, Internet Service Provider (Broadband), VoIP |
| Website | http://www.blueridgetel.com/ |
Blue Ridge Communications is a regional cable television, Internet and VoIP provider that serves much of the Poconos area and central Pennsylvania. Products available include analog and digital cable television, HD television programming, PenTeleData Broadband Internet service, and Blue Ridge digital phone service.
They have recently been expanding into international markets in Australia and the UK and have drawn an amount of negative publicity by the way they structure billing rates. Where most providers have standardised on timed (eg: 1, 30 or 60 second blocks), Blue Ridge Communications uses Total Call Units (TCU's). There has been some debate as to misleading practices because of this billing structure as telemarketers cold calling have advised they are cheaper per unit, although their TCU's are not the same length as a time block. In Australia, there have been reports of Blue Ridge telemarketers advising their tarrifs are per minute, instead of per TCU. Their website confirms that the charges are per TCU, not per minute.
As per their website terms and conditions:
TOTAL CHARGES PER CALL ARE CALCULATED BY USING THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE FOLLOWING TABLE TO DETERMINE THE TOTAL CALL UNITS (TCU’S) IN EACH CALL AND BY MULTIPLYING THE TCU’S BY THE RATES APPLICABLE TO THE SERVICE PROVIDED. THE FOLLOWING TABLE MAY BE USED TO DETERMINE THE TCU’S IN ANY CALL OF A SPECIFIED DURATION AS SHOWN FOLLOWING:
| CALL DURATION (in mins) | FORMULA CALCULATIONS |
|---|---|
| 1 - 19.9 | TCU'S = |
| 20 + | TCU'S = |
Therefore a 2 minute mobile call costs: 9p per unit x = 9p x = 58.5p
which makes a 1 minute call 29.25p per minute.
most business to business providers charge in the region of 15-16p
- http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/archive/217686
- http://www.blueridgetel.co.uk/Tariffs/BLUK_page3_063008.pdf
- http://www.blueridgetel.co.uk/Tariffs/BLUK_Tariff-Rates_063008.pdf
- http://www.saynoto0870.com/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.cgi?board=cheapcalls;action=display;num=1088062939