Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!usc!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!lll-winken!unixhub!shelby!agate!bionet!hayes.ims.alaska.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: heiby@mcdchg.chg.mcd.mot.com (Ron Heiby) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Broken Phone While Out of Town Message-ID: <13963@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 19 Oct 90 20:09:45 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: Motorola Computer Group, Schaumburg, IL Lines: 71 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 758, Message 3 of 11 Last night, I returned from a two-day business trip, and one of the scariest nights of my life. I was in Dallas, TX. My home is in a Northwest suburb of Chicago, IL. Unbeknownst to me, an IBT installer had broken a wire on the pair leading to my home's unlisted number (the one we answer). I had made specific arrangements with my wife for her to be home by about 7pm. I tried calling at 7:15, 8:15, 11:10, 12:00, and 12:30. Each time, ring-no-answer. I tried my voice-mail system several times. I tried her sister. I tried her employer. I tried our Health Maintenance Organization and Hospital. I tried the police department for the town where she works (in a chemical laboratory). I finally found out that all was well when the police in my community sent a black and white over to my home and determined that she was fine. Throughout this period, I figured that there probably was nothing wrong with my phone as A) I was getting ring signalling, and B) My modem on my published number answered. I didn't know at the time about the massive cable cut in the western suburbs. It seems not to have affected my area, anyway. I figured that since my modem answered, a cable cut was unlikely. Further, I figured that since there was ring, a call to IBT repair was apt to get me nowhere. Once I found out (from my home town police) that my home phone was out of order, I figured that I'd report it to IBT repair, in case my wife didn't think to use the modem line to do so. Here's where things started getting really interesting. I, not knowing how to reach IBT repair, called 708 DA and asked them. They told me to dial "611". I explained that I was standing in DFW international airport in Texas. (I was waiting for an associate's plane to arrive.) The DA operator said there was no listing for repair, but could give me the main number in downtown Chicago. I called that number and asked to be connected to Repair. I was told that since it was after hours, they couldn't connect me. They told me to dial "611". I explained that I was in Texas and that I didn't think that dialing "611" would get me IBT repair. The person in the Chicago office then told me to "just dial '0' for Operator and have her connect you with IBT's 611". I expressed my doubts, but she assured me that that was the way to do it. So, I called the local (GTE) operator and asked to be connected with IBT repair service. The operator was shocked to receive such a request and told me that she could not do so, that Chicago IBT was mistaken in thinking that she could. I then called the Chicago IBT office back and spoke with someone else, explained the whole sequence, and received another phone number in 312 which (she said) would connect me directly with IBT repair. I dialed it and got nothing but some "click-clack" noises with about a 1 per second frequency for about 20 seconds, then silence. I called the AT&T (my LD carrier) operator and reported this event. She tried placing the call and got the same noise. She contacted another operator, I presume near Chicago, who also tried it. Same noises. The two AT&T operators probably spent 5-10 minutes trying to get me connected to IBT Repair. Finally, I had no option but to give up. When I reached my wife at work the next day, I asked her to deal with it (she hates that kind of thing). Well, my phone is fixed, now. I guess I know that next time I want to report a phone out of order somewhere other than where I'm standing I should write a letter! Ron Heiby, heiby@chg.mcd.mot.com Moderator: comp.newprod Moderator's Note: Here in 312/708 (except Centel) 611 translates into a seven digit number: 312-I forget the rest. David T, can you reply? PAT]