A1410A
Thursday, August 22, 1996
UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Long-distance deals make cents
Several savings plans let callers communicate longer for less
By Liz Musser Kansan staff writer
Long-distance bills haunt every student on a monthly basis. Although long-distance companies do a more than an adequate job of alerting customers of their latest deals, knowing the options beforehand could make confronting eager sales operators easier.
When working with the basics, telephone companies have similar state-to-state rates. No matter what long-distance company customers use, if they are not on a special program, callers pay 28 to 30 cents a minute between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., 17 to 19 cents from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., and 14 to 16 cents from 11 p.m. to 8 a.m. All discounts offered are based on this basic rate.
The list of long-distance savings plans is long and complicated. Pat Barrett, an account representative for AT&T, said the most important thing to keep in mind when choosing a savings plan was the calling pattern.
"The person really needs to figure out when and where they call the most." she said.
Barrett said that one popular plan with students was the True Reach plan. Under this plan, customers' bills are discounted 25 percent when they spend more than $25 a month. Customers get a 10 percent discount when they spend less than $25. Another popular AT&T plan is Simple Savings. This targets people who make calls primarily in the evening. Between 7 p.m. and 7 a.m., customers pay 10 cents a minute. Daytime calls cost 25 cents a
minute. Sprint offers this same rate under the Sprint Sense plan.
For in-state calls, 10-cent-a-minute plans actually cost 15 cents a minute because of Kansas state taxes and local telephone regulations.
Jeffrey, a new customer sales representative at MCI who asked to remain anonymous, said the 10-cent-a-minute plans were slightly misleading because most people don't wait until after 7 p.m. to make phone calls.
"The average American person makes their calls between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. Ten cents a minute may sound cute and all, but if they're not waiting until 7 p.m. to call, they are not saving," he said.
MCI instead offers MCI Minutes, a 15-cent-a-minute rate 24 hours a day. Rusty Owings, Blue Springs, Mo., senior, said he spent about $75 a
"I always know when my bill is going to come, and I always know how much it is going to be," he said.
month on long distance. He said he chose AT&T not only for the savings, but also for its reliability.
For students living in residence halls, the choice of long-distance plans is limited because residence hall phones require a calling card. Jack Royer, business manager of Networking and Telecommunications Services, said that about 75 percent of on-campus residents choose the AT&T College and University Solution long-distance service. All on-campus residents receive an ACUS card that allows them to be billed individually for their long-distance calls.
A per-call service fee, charged by most calling cards, is waived for students using the ACUS card. Students
also receive a 10 percent discount on the AT&T basic rate.
If they prefer, students can choose another brand of calling card. Sprint offers a collegiate calling card that has a nine-cent-a-minute rate between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m. and an 80-cent surcharge per call.
AT&T, Sprint and MCI all have a variety of promotional savings plans for international callers. These vary according to which country that the customer is calling.
Hiyung Jang, Seoul, South Korea graduate student, said she used AT&T for her international calls because they kept her up-to-date on the latest deals.
"It's not so much the money I save, but they have good customer service and always call me about new programs," she said.
Cashing in on competition
Quick cash often made by routinely switching long distance carriers
By Liz Musser
Kansan staff writer
When it comes to choosing a long-distance carrier, Mike Pannacciulli has his own approach. He lets the companies decide for him.
Like many students, Pannacciulli, a Roxbury, N.J., senior, receives calls from long-distance companies about every three months asking him to switch carriers. Sometimes the companies offer him a cash rebate for switching. He usually takes the bait, he said, and he usually comes out ahead.
money," he said. "I don't make a lot of calls, so they pretty much pay my bills with the checks they send me."
"I let them fight, and I just take the
Pannacciuli is just one customer who has realized how to make the competition between long-distance carriers work in his favor. With the sales technique of offering cash awards for switching long-distance carriers, callers can switch companies on a regular basis and some pay virtually nothing for their phone bill.
Zach Alexander, Hutchinson senior, said he switched every time a telephone company called him.
"The more we started switching, the more rebates they started offering," he said. "We've probably gotten almost $250 in rebates."
Alexander said that AT&T paid him the largest sum of money. They gave him a check for $50 for switching from MCI. While rebates often are valid only toward phone bills, this check was for cash.
Jennifer Adams, Consumer Affairs and Media Relations specialist for MCI, said that because the long-distance marketplace was so competitive, this sort of activity was inevitable.
"It's the nature of the beast," she said. "The consumer is the benefactor in a competitive marketplace."
Jim Van Orden, an AT&T media relations representative, agreed that the competition was healthy and said that the company's revenues continued to increase.
But he said that people needed to be careful that they were getting long-term savings and not just quick cash.
"The consumer needs to be aware and careful of what they are really getting into," he said. "It can be easy to get caught into something you don't want."
Alexander did not agree.
"If I ever get into to something that I don't like, 'Tl just switch," he said.
First impressions are not everything Students have entire semester to put forth a positive image
By Megan Jordan Kansan staff writer
While students should strive to make a good first impression on their professors, it may not be as important as they think.
"Of course it is good practice to make a positive first impression," he said. "But don't be frustrated if you don't; you can make it up."
"Unless it is extremely negative, faculty will usually give students a chance to show what they know," said Douglas Houston, professor of business.
Marshall Jackson, administrative associate of the Student Assistance Center, agreed that it is not the end of the world if students fail to make a good impression during the first days of class.
"It wouldn't hurt, especially if you are interested in the class, to go up and introduce yourself after class," Jackson said.
Although first impressions may not be essential to success in the classroom, they cannot be ignored. The Student Assistance Center suggests that students sit at the front of the class, be on time and bring all required materials on the first day.
Chris Engle, Wichita freshman, plans to follow Jackson's advice.
"I think you should always introduce yourself to the professor, not so they know you but so you can get to know them and feel comfortable asking them questions." Engle said.
Houston also said professors appreciate students who show an interest in the class.
"It never hurts to be alert and even assertive early on," he said. "It energizes faculty members to see students thinking." Houston encourages students to ask questions and respond to professors' questions.
When asking questions, Jackson said, don't be shy. Sneak clearly and look the professor in the eve.
' While Engle wants to make a good impression on his professors, he does not worry about them judging him early in the semester. He said most of the faculty are open-minded and do not make hasty evaluations.
Nicole James, Kansas City, Mo., junior, makes an effort to sit in the front of the classroom but does nothing else to impress a professor. James also said she is not concerned with the impression she makes on her classmates.
"I think that's a bigger deal for freshman," she said.
"That's not what I'm here for now."