Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uwm.edu!bionet!hayes.fai.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: 0003829147@mcimail.com (Sander J. Rabinowitz) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: MCI As Slamming King Message-ID: <12195@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 15 Sep 90 22:38:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 40 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 649, Message 6 of 10 John Higdon of Green Hills and Cows quoted an article regarding MCI's apparent practice of becoming the primary long-distance carrier without the customer's consent. He concluded the article by saying: >From all accounts MCI does seem to be the slamming king. I have, >on several occasions, had to "clean off" MCI as the default carrier >on some of my clients' trunks. Associates of mine report the same ... I had a similar experience with MCI. For a time, I was making a number of long-distance calls from my parent's phone line, so I established an account with MCI where my parents would continue to have AT&T as their primary carrier, but 10222+ calls would be billed to me directly (and NOT on my parent's bill). One day I got a notice saying they would start billing those calls through Michigan Bell ("For my convenience," it was claimed), and so I called their customer service to explain my situation and to see if I could still get direct billing. Soon after that, my parent's bill showed a $5.00 charge for an MCI switchover. (They were NOT thrilled.) I promptly called MCI, where they immediately credited my account (without haggle) for $10, to cover the original switchover, plus the switch back to AT&T. Since then, I've had my own line installed, where AT&T is the primary carrier. (Note: That I was going to do anyway.) But because I still have an MCI Card account with them, I dial the 700-555-4141 test number for BOTH lines on a weekly basis, to ensure that there aren't any additional arbitrary switchovers. Given John's latest account of MCI practices--- > What a slimepit! --- the extra caution is not without merit. Sander J. Rabinowitz | 0003829147@mcimail.com Farmington Hills, Mich. | +1 313 478 6358