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From: snowgoose!dave@uunet.uu.net
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: LD vs Voice Mail / Lower Hotel Phone Charges
Message-ID: <15248@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 3 Dec 90 23:14:11 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 868, Message 1 of 8


    I know that both AT&T and Sprint offer the "feature" of dialing
another LD number without disconnecting from the LD carrier via the
"#".

    I often wish to call my Bell Atlantic voice mailbox from a hotel
with my LD calling card.  The voice mail system wants me to enter "#"
to be prompted for my password.  Guess what happens?  That's right,
the LD carrier disconnects that call and prompts me to make another.
Both AT&T and Sprint suggested, they really did, that I tell Bell
Atlantic they should pick a different key!

    I suppose a DLE key is beyond the computer communications protocol
sophistication of the LD carriers.


	Dave	uunet!snowgoose!dave	dave%snowgoose@uunet.uu.net


[Moderator's Note: But don't you have to hold the # key for at least a
couple seconds to get a carrier disconnect?  Most voice mail systems
require far less. That is, you could probably just give a half-second
of # and access voice mail without it being long enough to trigger the
network disconnect.  Sprint and ATT both indicate in their literature
to hold down the # key for a couple seconds to make it work right.   PAT]