Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Thu, 30 May 91 13:53:33 EDT From: Brian Charles Kohn Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: New PIN for my AT&T Card? Reply-To: "bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM" Message-ID: Organization: AT&T Bell Laboratories Quality Process Center 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 416, Message 1 of 8 Lines: 56 > "When it arrives, you'll notice that your new card looks different. It > even has a DIFFERENT ACCOUNT NUMBER FROM YOUR CURRENT AT&T CARD. > (Emphasis added). In order to comply with government requirements, > AT&T is no longer sharing card numbers with your local telephone > company. Now, AT&T is issuing new card numbers that are exclusive to > AT&T." > So does this mean that we will all need to know at least *two* PIN > numbers now? Actually ... the new calling card number will be different from your phone number. It will be a new 14 digit number to remember. => And how is everyone supposed to know that "If it's a local call use my => BOC card, while if it's an inter-LATA call use my AT&T card"? How many => people actually can tell in advance what is a intra- compared to an => inter-LATA call? The word is that BOC card numbers won't work for LD calls, and LD card numbers won't work for local calls. When that transition is to happen I don't know. > Note that if I use MCI or Sprint, which have similar calling card > setups (via an 800 or 950 number), I can usually make INTRA and INTER > LATA calls on the same card, and even on the same call. (The charges > may be higher for INTRA LATA calls than what the BOC/GTE/local > companies charge, however). This has got to be either illegal or unfair. AT&T is not permitted to carry local phone calls. Not even a little. So MCI and Sprint shouldn't be allowed to either. > In the event than any AT&T Calling Card people area reading this, all > I can say is that this is quite disappointing. I bet you that the AT&T Calling Card people are more disappointed with it than you are. Disappointed that unscrupulous AOS services have made the government take this action. Brian Charles Kohn AT&T Bell Laboratories Quality Process Center Quality Management System E-MAIL: att!hoqax!bicker (bicker@hoqax.ATT.COM) Consultant PHONE: (908) 949-5850 FAX: (908) 949-7724 [Moderator's Note: This is just one more example of the unfairness which has riddled divestiture since the beginning. AT&T has been held to the most rigid of standards, while the 'others' are allowed to pretty much do as they please subject to a large enough stink being made that they have to reform a little -- but just a little. AT&T got to where they were after more than a century of experience, hard work and intelligent management ... and a judge comes along and rips them off without a second thought, based largely on his own prejudices. And let's face it: Greene had it in for AT&T from the beginning. PAT]