Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!casbah.acns.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: rborow@bcm1a09.attmail.com Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Where Do You Live? In a Cave? Message-ID: Date: 25 Feb 91 17:10:27 GMT Sender: news@casbah.acns.nwu.edu (Mr. News) Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 32 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 160, Message 11 of 12 Originator: telecom@delta.eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Nntp-Posting-Host: hub.eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu In TELECOM V11 #154, Nigel Allen had commented on the 201/908 NJ split. Our Moderator had remarked about Illinois Bell being swamped with complaints, etc. Just an amusing afterthought to that statement: IBT implemented the switch in November of 1989. Ayear and a half earlier, they began to -- as Pat put it -- intensely promote it. From buses to trains to airports to flyers to radio and TV ads -- you name it, they advertised it. Fairly well, I might ad. There were even countless newspaper articles and TV news stories about it. Well, when the permissive dialing was stopped on Feb. 9th last year and the 708/312 codes became mandatory, IBT had to open several operator services centers which were normally closed at the time just to handle the flood of calls. Even we here at AT&T, when we handled billing inquiries at that time, received a bunch of quries. The most common? According to IBT and other telecom. folks to whom I talked, the most frequent complaint about the area code split was: "Well, nobody ever told ME about it!" To which we all wanted so badly to respond: "Where the HELL have you been -- in a cave or something ...?!?" The stupidity of our fellow homo sapiens never ceases to amaze me. Oh well, that's what makes life so interesting I guess. Randy Borow Rolling Meadows, IL. [Moderator's Note: I think other telcos due for area code splits would do well to learn from IBT's example and assume the worst. They should plan to have their offices well staffed for at least two days following the change to mandatory dialing. PAT]