Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: Dave_JOHNSTON%01%SRJC@odie.santarosa.edu Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Plagued by Wrong Number Calls Message-ID: <10569@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 7 Aug 90 12:19:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 42 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 549, Message 2 of 8 On 6 Aug 90, Dave Levenson wrote: >The U. S. Department of State has established a hotline for people >seeking information about their friends/relatives in Kuwait. The >number, as published in the New York Times and shown on television, is >(202) 647 0900. >Here at Westmark, Inc., in New Jersey, we have since 1983 used the >number (201) 647 0900. (We still receive calls dialed to that number, >though NJ Bell now calls this area code 908.) Since last Thursday, we >have received approximately a dozen calls per day from people asking I experienced a similar event some months back when US Forces went to Panama. The US Military, (Army I think) had a casualty information line at (800) 233-5255. This number was available in the media. My employer, Cellisys, Inc. had an 800 number of (800) 233-5525. We were deluged with calls for several days during the height of the event. We were a small company (under 60 employees) and our receptionist was having a hard time handling our calls, plus explaining to the callers that they had reached the wrong number. Our answering service also reported calls into the night from people trying to find out about their loved-ones. At first, we thought that either people were misdialing or somewhere in the media, the wrong number was being given out. Upon contacting AT&T they stated that there were "network overloads" causing the calls to be routed incorrectly. They said there was _nothing_ they could do about it. Sort of boosts your confidence in AT&T, doesn't it? The only good news I can offer Dave is that eventually it will all blow over and things will return to semi-normal. I just wanted him to know that he wasn't the only one who had ever had the problem. Dave Johnston johnston@odie.SantaRosa.EDU Santa Rosa Junior College (707) 527-4853 1501 Mendocino Ave. Opinions? My wife has all Santa Rosa, CA 95401 my opinions for me.