Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!samsung!sdd.hp.com!decwrl!hayes.fai.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: marc@ttc.uucp (Marc O'Krent) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: GTE/Contel Merger Questions Message-ID: <9858@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 18 Jul 90 05:01:29 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Reply-To: Marc O'Krent Organization: Cochran&Associates, Menlo Park, CA Lines: 25 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 495, Message 2 of 10 In article <9695@accuvax.nwu.edu> John Higdon writes: >GTE loves to consolidate. When you try to call the business office at >some 800 number, you get perpetual busy. When you finally break >through, you are put on permanent hold. When I call the "local" GTE >business office, the call goes to Thousand Jokes -- about 300 miles >away. Contel, on the other hand has a business office right there in >Gilroy -- serving all two of Gilroy's prefixes. When I tried to pay a >Victorville Contel phone bill there, they were very nice and handled >it for me, but they had to call Victorville to make the arrangements. >They are not centralized and it's a plus for the customer. As another example of the "intelligence" behind GTE, the business office here in LA had an 800 number that ended on 7713. When you dial that number, you now get a referral recording to the same NPA with the last four = 7712!! I suppose a bigger customer came alone and just had to have 7713. Marc O'Krent The Telephone Connection Internet: marc@ttc.info.com MCIMail: mokrent Voice Mail: +1 213 551 9620