PAY PHONES 2

[mikeydidit]

I have some questions about payphones that some of you may be able to help with. I have received a notice that our current pay telephone provider, is getting out of the payphone business. We are looking at purchasing these phones and maintaining them ourselves.
I am looking into possible problems that I may run into by doing this. I have a PBX that I will run the numbers off of. These are Bellsouth payphones.

If any of you have any experience with this kind of equipment of potential problems that I might run into this with this, Please post you thought here.

Thanks in advance.



Mikey

 

[mattKnight]

Umm

In the UK, you need to have charging pulses generated.

Chewck that your PBX can generate them...

I guess that working the charge rates may be very time consuming!

Take Care

Matt
If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is not for you.

 

[skip555]

as to the problems

the telcos and others are getting out of the pay phone business due to lack of profitblity

very few peaple dont have cell phones these days

the only areas I see payphones are in the high crime type areas where vandalism would be a real concern along with your saftey in servicing them.

most all the conveince stores in this area have removed them as well as most gas stations

I would pass if it were me

 

[mikeydidit]

We are a hospital skip, so i really have to keep something. We are also making money on these that are in place. I was mainly worried about the parts as these were converted to all electronic not ot long ago.


Mikey

 

[skip555]

that puts a slightly diffrent spin on it

I did a google search for elcotel as they are a local manufacturer here and I beleive they are one of the top manufacturers of quality payphones in fact your bell south phones may have been made by them

this site looked interesting

http://www.payphone.com/

you might want to contact them both for parts for your bellsouth phones and also to see what they could sell you replacement phones for vs what bell south wants for theirs

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&safe=off&q=elcotel+pay+phone&spell=1

the googler search brought up lots of other interesting links

 

[jeepguy267]

There are also a number of refurb and parts places that would be more than happy to provide you with parts (and service when needed). I don't want to sell or post phone numbers, but I would be happy to refer you to an outfit I have had a lot of success with.

jeepguy267@yahoo.com

 

[mikeydidit]

Thanks all for your replies.


Mikey

 

[PeaveyPhones]

Mikey,
Where have you gotten with this? I am going thru the same thing. Here is what I know so far.

1.BellSouth (henceforth to be referred to as BS) will sell you the phones ($160) that are already installed. They remove the upper housing and lower housing lock, and vault door. You would in turn have to find a vendor to replace those parts. Then you still have to get dial tone, which you and I can do with our PBX’s. Good for us, since that’s (the dial tone) is basically free.

2.Find another provider. Contact Southern Public Communications Association.

Kasandra Watson (318) 442-6009

http://www.southernpublic.org

They can get you a list of vendors that will support the payphones. There are several in your area (Baton Rouge?). If you get a vendor in before BS takes the phones off the wall, they buy the phones from BS. They then charge you something like $55 to $80 per phone, per month. If a given phone does not generate enough revenue they will charge you the difference. If a phone makes more than the $55 (or whatever fee you get) you get some of it back.

3.Buy your own phones. Like was mentioned earlier just do a search and you’ll find payphones.com and some others. They are totally aware of what’s happening and very happy to sell you phones and provide tech support. They start at $100 and work up to $1,000.

4.Get a revenue report from BS (800-451-2646) They sent me one for all 11 of our payphones. Most of them generated very little revenue. I can see why they are getting out of the business.

5.I’m leaning toward buying my own payphones from a vendor like payphones.com and replacing the one or two phones that are in areas that the general public has access to and make some money. Being a manufacturing company, accept for our service center, we don’t have much walk up business. Most of our calls are employees on break. (a break, what is that?) I say just put in a single line phone that is restricted to local calls and be done with it.

6.My only concern is the public utility commission (Mississippi Public Utilities) Do I even bother with that bunch?

Richard

PS I drive thru your area often. My kids live in Houston. I’ll wave next time I pass by. On occasion their mother and I meet in a park right off of I-10 and Dalrymple to exchange them. Nice area.