Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Tue, 23 Apr 91 12:07:02 MDT From: "Matt L. Armstrong" Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: New MCI Sleaze or Just a Mistake? Message-ID: Organization: TELECOM Digest Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu 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 302, Message 3 of 8 Lines: 53 Over the weekend, I was going through some mail that I'd missed seeing earlier in the week and ran across an envelope from MCI which contained "important information about your new MCI service." Curious, I opened it up and read, Dear Valued MCI Customer; Thank you for upgrading to MCI PrimeTime(sm) plus Personal 800(sm) Service, MCI's newest and most innovative advance in long distance service. With PrimteTime plus Personal 800 Service, you get MCI's excellent savings on all your long distance calls. *To your* house. And *from* your house. Surprised and cursing, I ran to the phone to check my 1+ carrier. Still AT&T. Ok, so what's the deal? There's an 800 Service Confirmation Notice inside that lists my address, an 800 number, my "Private Security Code," and my home phone number as being the number that the 800 number will connect to. The literature seems to imply that I have selected MCI as my 1+ carrier and have signed onto their long-distance savings plan. I have no recollection of having asked for such a thing. Unless one of my housemates has foolishly allowed an MCI rep to switch us (he's been pretty good about not impersonating me lately ...), my guess as to the explanation is this: MCI has sent this note hoping to get me (aka J. Random Citizen) to switch to their service by tempting me with the prestige of having my own 800 number which has, conveniently enough, already been established. Since no one can use my 800 number without the security code, anyone using this 800 number has to have been given the code by me. If I've given out the code, it implies that I have agreed to use the 800 number as mine and to use MCI as my 1+ carrier. Does this sound correct? Have I been slimed? They were thoughtful enough to provide cards to write my number and SC on to hand out to all my friends and relatives, and even better, my mom can call me for free on Mother's Day by using my number. (And you know, those long distance rates from seven miles away can really add up out here ...) Curious question: Is this number by any chance used by more than one customer such that MCI uses the "security code" to differentiate between destination numbers, or is MCI just filling up 800 number space? Matt Armstrong - bonzo@edsr.eds.com ...uunet!tantalum.uucp!bonzo