Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: T720019@univscvm.csd.scarolina.edu (Volkhart Baumgaertner)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Trouble Getting Telephone Service
Message-ID: <9830@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 17 Jul 90 18:30:13 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 492, Message 8 of 9


  I have been in the States since August (I am from Germany) and am
just trying to get a phone installed (the first in my own name over
here). However, there seem to be some problems. I am just about to
move, and my new roommate (who is also my landlord) had another
roommate some time ago who had a phone in his own name and apparently
still owes the phone company about 140 Dollars. When I called Southern
Bells customer service here in Columbia (SC) to order my line, my
order was taken, but I was told that I could only get my installation
if my roommate's former roommate paid his debts.  My question is: Does
it conform to common practice if the phone company makes my
installation dependent on whether a person whom I don't even know pays
his bill?

  Also, I was asked how much I estimated my mothly long distance calls
would be. I said that at my old address, where I shared my old
roommate's phone, it was usually between 50 and 100 Dollars. After
being put on hold for a while, I was told that according to the
information I provided the deposit would be 240 Dollars. This seems a
bit high to me, for I know that my old roommate, who initially did not
have to pay a deposit at all, even after repeatedly not paying his
bill in time, had to deposit only 135 Dollars, the amount of the
monthly long distance calls being about the same or even a bit higher.

  I would appreciate any comments on this.

Volkhart Baumgaertner    BITNET:    T720019@univscvm
                         INTERNET:  T720019@univscvm.csd.scarolina.edu