NEWS / COMMENTARIES

Phonecard News

by Jim Chudnow (JIMCHUDNOW@compuserve.com)

Recently, a friend of mine made a special trip down to a local TOWER RECORDS store, based upon a local Chicago newspaper insert in which they advertised "Give a Tower GIFT CARD... It's a gift certificate in any amount from $ 10 - $ 100...Choose from these [pictured] COLLECTOR CARDS in store now"

There were 5 different cards pictured, each featuring a different performer: 4 were photos of musical entertainers - one of the group 98o (Degrees), plus ones of Christina Aguilera, David Bowie, and Metallica; the 5th one is a drawing of the yellow character from super-hot "Pokemon- The First Movie".

Since the cards were very colorful and good-looking, my friend put a $ 10 amount on each of the five different cards. But, when he later tried to USE the cards to purchase records, he was told, he could MOT have the cards BACK. He pointed out, how then could it be described as a "COLLECTOR" card if the person couldn't KEEP the card?!...

Eventually, he complained to their Customer Service department about the matter. Finally, they agreed to accommodate him-- but only by taking his previously-"activated" cards & giving him cards with the same images having NO value activated on them!... (Keep in mind, the cards he'd originally bought were now completely "used", & thus there was no longer any "value" on THEM anymore!-- So, why go to the time-consuming hassle of getting "NEW" versions?!)...

When he complained to their headquarters about how ridiculous the whole thing was, he was informed that EACH store could set its OWN policy on how it wanted to handle the so-called "collector" cards-- they could give the cards back, or not, as they wished. Possibly, if he left say one cent remaining on the cards, he could thus keep each one "automatically"

(tho there was no "guarantee" of that).

He was told, well, while each card had a magnetic stripe that card-readers could read the current value from, they also had a SCRATCH-OFF number so a person could CALL in, punch in that number, and know how much value still remained on a given card.

But, as my friend pointed out frustratedly, what on earth is the point of purposely describing the cards as being COLLECTOR" types if you don't automatically let people "collect" and keep them?!.

The same poor planning and general lack of consistency can be seen in the company's WEB-site: If you go to www.towerrecords.com, you will see a home page mentioning various subjects. One urges you to enter various CONTESTS.

When I (after "registering" my name) tried to enter those contests, I NEVER was allowed to do so: time and again, on 2 separate contests (one re Austin Powers and the other re winning a car), the web-site never called up any "entry" screen-- it just switched me to some OTHER screen (in one case, the same one I'd "come" from).

If you go to the section on GIFT CARDS, you are told you can get them in various specific denominations from $ 10 up to $ 100. But, if you click on the $ 10 icon (or others), you are NOT shown any PICTURES of the new supposedly "collector" cards-- you're just given a chance to add some un-pictured, un-described card to your "shopping basket"...

Let me go on "record" and say that, Tower seems to need a "coordinator" to get their various efforts "ON TRACK"!

Promotions Update

Concerning the 20-minute THREE STOOGES cards available for purchase at $3.99 each by using a Capital One credit card:

The three main separate images available are "Hole In One" (their # PL5), "Something's Cookin' (PL6), and "General Nuisance" (PL7). Getting all 3 gives you a 5-minute "bonus" card with a close-up view of the faces of the three characters (PL8).

If you get all 3, you can also get a different (not-available-separately) set comprising 3 other images of the group. Again, with the whole 6-card set (called "Soup to Nuts"; PL9), you get the one "bonus" card (all cards being provided by "CardLink Services" in CT). Calls using the cards from payphones incur a 2-minute, automatically-deducted "surcharge".

Regarding the COUNTRY BEAR" phonecards, there are four different 3-card sets, one set for each season of the year. Getting all 12 cards (for $ 47.88) earns you the free stuffed teddy bear.

MLM?

Recently, on a radio news station in Chicago, there have been advertisements touting people to call a toll-free number to sign up for getting certain "territories" to sell prepaid PHONE CARDS for a company claiming to be a major "wholesaler" of such cards.

When I called the number, after many rings, I got just an answering service, who said the company they represent is called "PRO" & they're actually located in Florida. The operator said, she needed my phone number so someone could get BACK to me about the subject.

Is someone attempting to reinstitute the "M-L-M" world of old (ala

Destiny, STS, et al), or is this "legitimate"?-- I expect to have a

further report later...

Telecom New Zealand News

By David Levin

Telecom New Zealand has just released the next set in the much sort after Donald Duck series - part 5.

This set is subtitled "Self Control". Donald is in control - you know he is going to explode, it's just a question of when.

A new era has begun with this release on the new chip phonecards. Technically, the cards are very impressive and now the Disney designs enjoy complete artistic freedom exclusively on the front of the card with all the sundry information designed onto the reverse.

Only 800 of each design have been produced, of which 500 will be sold in presentation sets.

Images of these cards are on my web site now at http://www.fpnet.co.nz/users/j/jdlholdings/donald5.html

Innovative card by STC (Sterling Time Company)

STC recently sponsored the Prepaid Excellence Awards held at Expo 99, the Intelecard News show. They created a die-cut card that was enclosed with the invitation. Only 4000 of these cards were produced. They are designed to look like an award, and are acetate. They are available for viewing at:

For further information on this card, or other STC cards, contact them at 888 367-8591, or e-mail wwwired@bellsouth.net

PRESS RELEASES

Phonetime and Wrigley Announce the Millennium Extra Phone Card

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 1, 1999--Phonetime International Inc., wholly-owned subsidiary of Beverly Glen Capital Corp. (CDN:BGCC.), announced today that it is partnering with Wrigley Canada Inc. to distribute a free package of their top selling Extra gum with Phonetime's ``Millennium'' pre-paid long distance phone card. The special bundle called ``Millennium

Extra'' will be sold through 5,000 retail outlets across Canada - the total value of the promotion will be $750,000.

``This is a unique promotional opportunity for both Phonetime and for Wrigley,'' said Wayne Silver, President of BGCC. ``It's a fun and innovative way to sample Wrigley gum and to use our phone cards.'' He added that this promotion demonstrates the maturity of the phone card industry and the development of Phonetime's retail brand ``Millennium''. ``It was only a few years ago that phone cards were simply promotional give-a-ways and now they are one of the fast growing segments of the telecommunications industry.'' The card and gum combination will feature aggressive international long

distance rates and be marketed as the ``Long-distance card with something Extra''. There will be three flavors: Peppermint, Spearmint and Bubble Gum Extra Sugar-free gum each packaged with a matching Millennium phone card.

Wrigley Vice-President, Brian McDonald said, ``The cross promotional opportunity for our Extra brand with Phonetime's Millennium cards offered Wrigley Canada many brand synergies. The target group for a phone card user matches the demographics of Extra brand consumer and compliments the wide spread retail distribution across Canada of Phonetime cards. We view the Millennium Extra card as a unique advertising program - it is a mini-billboard in consumers' pockets which includes a pre-recorded Wrigley greeting that will provide us with an average of eleven impression per consumer purchase.'' McDonald added, ``Wrigley and Phonetime are both leaders in their own industries and we feel this program is a ''win-win`` for all parties involved.''

Beverly Glen is an emerging telecommunications company with a Class A International Carrier license from the CRTC. It incorporates state-of-the-art VoIP (Voice over Internet Technology) for commercial applications, a high-capacity switching platform and an international network of carriers. Phonetime operates a multilingual, 24-hour/seven-day-per-week call

centre dedicated to phone card customer service and sells its own branded cards under such names as Millennium, Bravo and Nuvo. It also provides phone cards to Blockbuster Canada, Business Depot/Staples, Western Grocers and others. Beverly Glen Capital Corp. trades on the CDN under the symbol BGCC and currently has 30,639,119 common shares issued and outstanding. Web Site http://www.phonetime.com

PROMOTIONAL OFFERS

Xerox Offer

Retailer MicroCentre had one of their regular ad flyers inserted into a Chicago newspaper on December 2nd, offering a special gift people could get by purchasing specific "all-in-one" fax-printer machines from them: If you bought a XEROX WorkCentre model 385 or 480cx (for $ 499 or $ 399 respectively), you got a 400-minute AT&T phone card-- which the ad

states has a value of $ 100.00...

By Jim Chudnow

AT&T Offer

If you bought any AT&T telephone between 11-21-99 and 1-1-2000, you

would get a 30-minute AT&T prepaid phone card. If you made an additional

purchase of accessories, you would get a 60-minute card, picturing ribbons

wrapped around a gift box.

By Jim Chudnow

Hillshire Farms

HILLSHIRE FARMS is offering another card, until 2-1-2000: If you send in proof-of-purchase UPCs and a coupon from certain products (such as L'il Links and Summer sausages), plus $ 1 for shipping, you can get a 10-minute phonecard picturing a man holding 3 plates of sausages. Limit: 1 card per household.

Recently, on a radio news station in Chicago, there have been advertisements touting people to call a toll-free number to sign up for getting certain "territories" to sell prepaid PHONE CARDS for a company claiming to be a major "wholesaler" of such cards.

When I called the number, after many rings, I got just an answering service, who said the company they represent is called "PRO" & they're actually located in Florida. The operator said, she needed my phone number so someone could get BACK to me about the subject.

By Jim Chudnow

Until Next Time,

Alan

Distribution

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