Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!shadooby!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: c152-ft@cory.berkeley.edu (Steve Forrette)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: How Can 411 Be Flagrantly Abused?
Message-ID: <1966@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 8 Dec 89 08:22:18 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 562, message 3 of 8

In article <1940@accuvax.nwu.edu> you write:

>Mark Cohen in Digest 9.555 mentioned a commercial suggesting viewers
>"dial 411" in order to contact the advertiser.
 
>It seems remarkably straightforward.  Many advertisers do it, and I've
>never heard of one getting in trouble, most likely because there isn't
>a conceivable thing wrong with it.  Or is there?
 
>Miguel_Cruz@ub.cc.umich.edu

I've spent most of this year in Washington state (Seattle), and much
to my surprise, there's no such thing as 411 in this state!  When I
first arrived, I tried it from a payphone (what did I know).  It
didn't work, so I called the operator.  She said "Why would you dial
411?  Directory assistance is at 1-555-1212" She acted as if she had
never heard of 411, and it definately doesn't work from any phone I've
tried.  Also, no 611 (you have to go through the operator to get
repair service).  (Reportedly, 611 will "read" you the number of the
calling phone if you're in a GTE service area).