Path: utzoo!mnetor!tmsoft!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!ucsd!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: decwrl!fernwood!well.sf.ca.us!well!jackp@uunet.uu.net (Jack Powers) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: MCI "Personal 800" Service Message-ID: Date: 15 Feb 91 07:31:19 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 21 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 118, Message 3 of 12 Well, after ordering it twice, I finally got my MCI Personal 800 number. With this service you call the regular 800 number (in my case, 800/484-xxxx) and wait for two short tones... then enter four more digits. Needless to say, if you are at a rotary dial phone, you may be out of luck, but I didn't wait on the line to see if an operator responded in the absence of tones. I DID use it to call myself from my second line, and it worked faster than I expected ... about as fast as any MCI call. The rate is $0.25/minute, which is $15/hour ... not bad (plus $5/month), It may be higher than regular DDD rates ... so calling back might be a good idea if the conversation might get long and it happens at night or on a weekend. MCI could probably change your four-digit "private security code" quickly, but it's probably smart to be careful to whom you give the numbers. Jack Powers jackp@well.sf.ca.us