Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!sun-barr!cs.utexas.edu!usc!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: IZZYAS1@oac.ucla.edu (Andy Jacobson) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Non-Payment Disconnects Message-ID: <15428@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 15 Dec 90 13:59:00 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 883, Message 3 of 9 Two days ago one of my POTS lines was disconnected by GTE California for supposed non-payment. Generally when this happens anywhere else I've encountered, the line still has DC on it, but no dial tone. All incoming calls reach a recording explaining that the number has been temporarily disconnected, and you have to go deal with the service office. Here however, GTE does things differently. You have dial tone, and can dial any number you want. As you enter the last digit though, instead of a pause or a ring (if the same switch), you instantly get this stern but mellow low key recording saying something to the effect that "Your number has been temporarily disconnected. Please call the GTE billing office at 1- 800-223-6177" Click. Dialing in to my number, you get the standard GTE "The number you have reached is not in service, please check the number ..." No mention of it being temporary, or ever having been in service for that matter. Well I tried a few things out. You can call 611, and also get your number read back to you (1223), but you can't call 0, 411, or any seven or 10 digit number except the one for their billing office. I decided to try 611, as they seem to have access to at least read your service records, and they don't suffer from additude problems like the service office people. The operator explained that I could also have gotten 911 if needed, and explained they have been doing things this way for at least four years. When he explained the problem, and I explained that the bill had been paid promptly, over two weaks before (I got no warning written or otherwise that there was any problem at all). He seemed to actually believe me! "...Um....er....can you hold on a minute?...." After a brief delay, he returned and said the problem had been taken care of and said the service would be back on by 8:00 pm. It was 5:00 at the time, and it was back on by 6:30. No further explanation. Though I found it interesting to deal with GTE's sort of soft disconnect, I wonder how many people get put through this by them. Maybe they're fishing for added revenue with reconnect charges. I really think common carriers should be licensed by the FCC like broadcasters are. If they were subject to periodic license renewal reviews, both technical and operational, they would probably have quite a different additude about performance for their captive customers. Andy Jacobson or [Moderator's Note: I've never had my phone disconnected in that manner, but IBT leaves battery on the line and nothing else. You can always distinquish a credit disconnect from other types here by the intercept message. For a credit disconnect the message says, "The number you dialed, ABC-DEFG has been temporarily disconnected." If the temporary disconnect is due to a customer request, then the phrase "at the customer's request" is prepended to the above message. PAT]