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From: CRW@icf.hrb.com (Craig R. Watkins)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Wrong Number Suggestions Needed
Message-ID: <14216@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 30 Oct 90 18:11:19 GMT
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Dave, a friend of mine, has a primary number XYB-5600.  The local
Sears' published number is XYB-2451.  However, Sears recently moved a
few doors down in the mall and installed a new Rolm PBX and switched
their phone number to XYA-5600 (I suspect the number switch was to
move them from the old ESS to a DMS switch).

When people call the old published Sears number, XYB-2451, they get an
intercept: "The number you have reached, XYB-2451 has been
disconnected; calls are being taken by XYA-5600..."  The problem is
that two or three people per day match the old exchange and the new
number and dial XYB-5600 and get Dave.

The problems that have been echoed on this list before apply here.
It's no problem to answer the phone and tell people what number they
really wanted unless you are sleeping/showering/busy/etc. or if the
people don't catch on and continue to call you back, or they want to
argue with you about what you are telling them.  We also really wonder
about the people that leave messages for Sears on a machine that
starts out "Hi, Dave and Dan aren't available...."

This has been going on for months and we are hoping it will let up in
February when the new directory comes out.  We realize that this isn't
Bell's fault and this isn't Sears' fault.  We're looking for a cheap
creative solution to hold Dave over till February (or later).  We've
not made any "official" request from anyone at Bell yet -- we know
that when you call asking Bell for things, you better already know
what you want from them in advance.  The usual Bell response is often
"We'll be VERY nice and change the number for free."  Of course that
doesn't work here as Dave will no longer get phone calls from anyone
that knows his number.  If Bell puts an intercept on XYB-5600 with the
new number, we suspect the Sears calls will simply follow him to his
new number.

The best solution we've come up with so far is to ask Bell (in
conjunction with Sears) to change the number given out on the
intercept to some other number in their hunt (eg XYA-5601 -- we
haven't checked this number).  This assumes something like XYB-5601
isn't in use or the problems will simply move to someone else.  We are
concerned that someone at Bell or Sears will conceive of some problem
with this (eg people may "write down" this temporary 5601 number and
use it forever and there might be some problem with that).

Any other ideas?  


Craig R. Watkins	Internet:	CRW@ICF.HRB.COM
HRB Systems, Inc.    	Bitnet:		CRW%HRB@PSUECL.Bitnet
+1 814 238-4311		UUCP:		...!psuvax1!hrbicf!crw