Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Blake Farenthold Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Unauthorized Disconnection Message-ID: <9687@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 12 Jul 90 18:28:40 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 67 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 480, Message 1 of 8 In-Reply-To: message from drears@pica.army.mil [Stuff about moving out and the new resident having his phone cut off] >her supervisor whom after much argument agreed to turn my service >back on with no charge. This conversation took place at 12:30 PM >on Monday. When I left the apartment today at 0900 it still >wasn't on. They will, of course turn YOUR phone service back on AFTER you move out and the lady moving in will be running up your long distance. :-) >First, the representative said that unless somebody specifically >tells the phone company they want any change request for service >verified it is not done. Southwestern Bell does the same thing. Its really bad when you are running a BBS. I had to remove a user's account for doing something nasty (in fact, a few months later the FBI came knocking on my door asking about a guy who was arrested for defrauding a long distance company out of about $30,000 who had my BBS number on something they confiscated). Anyway this user (he may not have been the phreaker, I'm not sure) called SW Bell to have the BBS line disconnected. The SW Bell rep volunteered that I had twelve other lines (including my main non/published voice line) and would he like those disconnected as well. After a fair amount of complaining and some threats about going to the PUC about it I got the lines re-connected. Apparently they gave away one of my pairs because one line didn't come back for almost a week and there were a lot of phone trucks in the neighborhood. After this incident they said that they could put in the record to ask for either my driver's license or social security number before processing an order. This didn't strike me as that secure as my Drivers licence was on every check I wrote and my social security number was on enough paper to worry me (credit aps, student ID', and every test I took at the Univ. of Texas. I suggested a "password" but they couldn't phathom that so we finaly agreed that they'd do nothing without calling my voice line for confirmation. ALWAYS ASK THE PHONE COMPANY FOR THIS SERVICE. They may not be security concious, but YOU CAN BE. I have, however, wondered if you could get around some of these security measures by saying the subscriber is DEAD... >The last point is do I have any course of action? I am out about >$25 due to having to use pay phones and lack of a calling card. Not worth worrying about I'd suspect. I can't believe that they couldn't have got it right back on if they were using a digital swich. I was able to get a phone cut off for non-payment of a bill turned on within 20 minutes (without paying) by citing a Texas PUC regulation forbidding disconnects (for non payment or the like) on the day before the business office will be closed. You could check your states PUC regs, there MAY be somthing about speed of repairs/correcting errors but I doubt you'd be able to get consequential damages without litigation, and perhaps not even then. UUCP: ...!crash!pnet01!pro-party!blake Internet: blake@pro-party.cts.com Blake Farenthold | Voice: 800/880-1890 | MCI: BFARENTHOLD 1200 MBank North | Fax: 512/889-8686 | CIS: 70070,521 Corpus Christi, TX 78471 | BBS: 512/882-1899 | GEnie: BLAKE