Sticking with calling centres

THE EDITOR: This is an open letter to the CEO of TSTT, Sam Martin, in response to the recent news of the cut in overseas calling rates. Mr Martin, I’m afraid I remain unmoved by this seemingly spectacular slashing of overseas rates. Cynic that I am, I can only believe that this is in response to the fabulous rates provided by the International Calling Centres. Still, it is a poor response when compared to the $1 a minute provided by your competitors.

As for Talk Fuh So, I’d much rather spend my $1 calling my friends in foreign lands from the comfort of an air-conditioned, private booth in an ICC than out in the hot sun on a payphone where everybody can hear my business. What can I say? Thank God for competition, or else we’d all still be forking out a hard-earned $4.50 a minute. Mr Martin, you really can’t be serious about raising the rates of domestic calls. They’re high enough already for such a small country. I’m sure your profits from these calls will far exceed any losses you might make (yeah right) on the cut in international calls. Once again, it is the Trinbagonians who suffer. What do we need to change this situation, a domestic Voice Over Internet Protocol Service that charges five cents a minute?

I for one will not be picking up my residential line to call overseas. Nor will I be standing in the hot sun in a phone booth to talk fuh so. I will stick with the centres who proved themselves to me. They didn’t have to price their calls at $1 a minute from the start. They could have priced calls at $2 a minute and they would still be cheaper than the exorbitant rates imposed upon us by an uncaring monopoly. But they didn’t. For that I am grateful to them.

NALINI SINGH
Port-of-Spain