Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!wuarchive!decwrl!hayes.fai.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: churchfield1@ncf.al.alcoa.com (B CHURCHFIELD) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: COCOTery!!! (I is ONE!!) Message-ID: <13201@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 9 Oct 90 18:27:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 53 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 725, Message 1 of 13 [Moderator's Note: Today I saved the best for first. Say howdy to Mr. Churchfield, who wishes to recant and give his public Confession to the entire congregation here assembled. PAT] ------------------ I own one if these detestable devices, and it is detestable. In fact I get physically sick whenever I see a payphone now. I read the Digest daily and find the COCOT flames very interesting, but quite possibly unfair in some cases. I would quess that a significant portion of COCOTs are a one or two unit mom and pop operation, as my own. In my case after going to a couple of Small Buisness Expos, I became interested in vending to supplement my income. The one drawback to vending is restocking machines. A payphone doesn't have that problem; you just take money out. I called a local vending machine company and sure enough they had payphones for sale and would get back to me. Next day a salesman called and could let me have a phone on location that was generating $500/mo in coin and would only cost me $4500 with a 5/yr location lease. Sounded good but I wanted to see records. No problem -- that info could be provided. That afternoon the salesman called back and said that someone else had a deposit and if I wanted that location I would have to act within the hour. So "stupid" me bought it. Once it was installed I am told that the vendor is also the AOS and that was where the real money would come from (GREAT$$$$!) I have access to the phone counters as it is intelligent, but was provided with limited instructions and was told not to play with them as I would cause the phone to work improperly. My association with the AOS has been bad. I have been ripped on AOS commisions constantly as there is no accountability. The location averages $150/mo in a good month and that is gross; you then have to deduct telco charges and location commission so I am basically losing money on the whole deal. I appreciate Craig Watkins' PA. Regulations for COCOTs in Digest # 709 as it enabled me to bring my phone into compliance. (The vendor did not do this on install or any service calls.) But the guy at "Joe's Bar" or "Jim's Gas and GO" who also owns a COCOT is at the mercy of the vendor who programmed his phone and is unaware of the problem. It doesn't take very many $60 service calls to unjam a coin slot or $100 to replace a handset to put these people in the red, as a payphone does not make a lot of money. It is not always the actual COCOT owner who is the bad guy, but quite possibly a vending company or an AOS who is at the root of the problem. [Moderator's Note: Thank you, Mr. Churchfield, for an interesting account of your experience with COCOTery. All of us appreciate your candor. PAT]