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From: biar!trebor@uunet.uu.net (Robert J Woodhead)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: MCI as Slamming King
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Date: 2 Oct 90 12:16:14 GMT
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dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com (David Tamkin) writes:

[in response to my conspiracy theories about why the BOC lets slamming
happen]

>No, it doesn't follow.  The BOC could get more PR mileage out of
>calling the customer to confirm and not only making the would-be
>slamming IEC out to be the villain but also declaring itself savior of
>the day.  "See, we're here to serve *you*, not *them*."  In par-
>ticular, if they are in bed with AT&T (and let's face it, there is a
>lot of overlapping stock ownership), by thwarting a slam on an AT&T
>customer, they would make sure the customer's long-distance business
>stays with AT&T straight through.

Yah, except that 1) it costs the BOC money to do the confirmations.
Why should they pay to clean up an IEC's messes? and 2) I for one
would be mildly pleased if the BOC called me and prevented a slam, and
mildly PO'd at the IEC -- but I'd be royally furious at an IEC if the
slam went through, and never even consider using them again.

Not to mention that when a slam happens and gets corrected, ATT may
have lost the POTENTIAL PROFIT on a few calls, but the IEC loses the
income, and still had the expense of providing them.  A positive sum
game from the standpoint of the bell boys.

Of course, this is just harmless suppositition ;^) and playful
commentary.  I don't have the twist of mind to really decipher phone
industry plots.  They make the Oswald conspiracy look like something
out of an average kindergarden.


Robert J Woodhead, Biar Games, Inc.  !uunet!biar!trebor trebor@biar.UUCP