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From: SKASS@drew.bitnet
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: My Phone Bill - a Subtle AT&T Error
Message-ID: <15328@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 7 Dec 90 00:48:00 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 874, Message 4 of 5


Check out this weirdness on my latest AT&T bill:
 
DATE    TIME            PLACE           AREA-NUMBER     RATE    MIN     AMOUNT
NOV 11  6:40PM          SAN DIEGO, CA   619-NXX-XXXX    D       48 #    7.28
NOV 11  8:45PM          PASADENA, CA    818-NXX-XXXX    D       54 #    8.17
 
Get this.  Rate code D means DAY (see the time).  The amounts are
correct for rate code E, evening, which is when the calls were placed,
anyway.  BUT, the # means that my Reach Out America discount applies,
and that discount is 10% for day calls and 25% for evening calls.
Looking at the summary page, these two calls were discounted at 10%,
since the rate code field in the record is D (even though the amount
doesn't match that).  So I should get another 15% off of each of these
calls, or a credit of $2.31.
 
Try explaining that to an AT&T representative.  An occasional two
bucks here and there could amount to big money for the
telecommunications giant.  Or maybe a programmer is getting very rich
somewhere.
 
I still like AT&T, but I have to wonder how often I miss things like
this.
 

Steve Kass-Math & CS Dept-Drew U-Madison NJ 07940-(201)4083614-skass@drew.edu