Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!news From: news@accuvax.nwu.edu (USENET News System) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: PacBell Coinphone False Info Message-ID: <9445@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 2 Jul 90 08:34:51 GMT Reply-To: Ron Schnell Organization: MIT EE/CS Computer Facilities, Cambridge, MA Lines: 35 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 466, Message 1 of 7 While at a country club on Saturday, I needed to make a phone call. I found the payphone, and was relieved to see that it was Pacific Bell and not one of the private companies. I double checked the "information card" which all of the coin phones in CA. seem to have these days, and indeed it said that BOTH coin calls AND calling card calls would be handled by AT&T. HOWEVER, when I entered in the calling card number, I head a male voice saying, "Thank you for using Com Systems." I never thought I would see a BOC payphone which displays misinformation like this one did. I immediately called AT&T at (800) 222-0300 (knowing that this wasn't the right number but hoping they would know the right number). After a few minutes, she connected me with someone who asked me for the phone number and the hours of business. She then told me that in the future I should call Pac Bell, and that they are the ones who should know about it. I explained to her that AT&T is the one being hurt by this and they should want to know about it. She refused to believe that it had anything to do with AT&T and she kept telling me that "They can choose any long distance service they want." Am I crazy here? #Ron ronnie@eddie.mit.edu (213) 443 - 9688 [Moderator's Note: No, you are not crazy. You should have heard the referrals I got when I asked about red-lining certain neighborhoods last week. I was told to call New York Tel, Pac Bell, GTE, South Central Bell, you name it. Anybody but AT&T. It was the fault of the phone companies. One AT&T rep said it was 'The Mexico Telephone Company which asked us to disallow those calls ...' ... and when I called Corporate Public Relations and asked them, they promised to call back ... and haven't so far. PT]