WhitePages capitalises on Telus price hike

WHITEPAGES, the Canadian online directory, has wasted no time in seeking to capitalise on the Directory Assistance price rise announced last week by Telus.

Telus, Canada's second largest telecommunications provider, announced that it will increase the price of a 411 directory assistance call from $.95 to $1.50, an increase of over 50 per cent, with calls from wireless phones costing as much as $2.50.

WhitePages has jumped at the opportunity to point out to Canadians that their online service can be used to trim the enormous cost of directory assistance from the budget of businesses and consumers.

"Every loonie, or in this case toonie, counts for businesses and consumers during these tough economic times," said Alex Algard, founder and CEO of WhitePages. "Whether you're in Canada or the US, there's one simple way to put money back into the family budget, and for businesses potentially several thousands of dollars back into the business budget - go online for free directory assistance and stop calling 411."

In Canada, directory assistance costs consumers and businesses an estimated $252 million and in the US, it's been estimated to be as high as $6 billion a year – although there is some dispute about that with call volumes falling by an estimated 20% year on year. The cost has dramatically escalated over the past decade with the increase of cell phone usage. The average directory assistance expense for cell phones is around $2.00 (CAN) and $1.67 (US) per call. Traditional landline directory assistance is slightly lower but still between $.95 and $1.50 (CAN) and an average $1.26 (US) per call.

"For busy parents, travelling sales executives, or small business owners whose employees make lots of directory assistance calls on their cell phones, the annual expense can quickly add up to a pretty big number," said Kathleen Pierz, managing partner at The Pierz Group, LLC, a worldwide provider of directory assistance/directory enquiry, DA/DQ, 411 and WDA consulting services.

"Very few people have any idea how much a 411 call really costs and those expenses can go largely unnoticed until they become a big expense. While there's absolutely a need for directory assistance, some of the financial burden can be relieved if people used online directories like WhitePages."

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