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From: mark@umcp-cs.UUCP (Mark Weiser)
Newsgroups: net.dcom
Subject: Re: Telco "Trouble Isolation Plan"
Message-ID: <3333@umcp-cs.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 22-Feb-86 23:59:22 EST
Article-I.D.: umcp-cs.3333
Posted: Sat Feb 22 23:59:22 1986
Date-Received: Wed, 26-Feb-86 04:07:45 EST
References: <1177@ecsvax.UUCP> <41@crystal.UUCP>
Reply-To: mark@maryland.UUCP (Mark Weiser)
Distribution: net
Organization: U of Maryland, Computer Science Dept., College Park, MD
Lines: 35


I recently had a strange experience with the $0.50 inside wiring maintenance
charge in the Maryland area (C&P Telephone).  I called to order a new phone
line into my house, and at the end of the call discovered a discrepency 
in the expected monthly bill.  It turns out that, without even asking,
they had added the $0.50/mo. inside wiring maintenace plan to my order.
Now for the truly strange part:  I was doing my own inside wiring, and
they knew it.  A major part of our discussion had been how they should
just bring the wire to the house and I would handle it from there.  I did
NOT have maintenance on my other phone line, and they knew it (we had also
talked about that).

When I found out about the unexpected $0.50 charge, the following
conversation occurred:
Me: But how can you possibly agree to maintain something that you know
	nothing about?
Tpc: The days when we have to do everything are over.  We don't care who
	installs the wires, we'll maintain them.
Me: But what if something goes wrong?  You'll fix it, under the $0.50/mo.
	maintenance?
Tpc: Oh, nothing can go wrong.
Me: But how will you know that I did the installation right?
Tpc: If you do it right, then it will work.  If you don't do it
	right you won't be able to use your phone.  If you do it
	right your phone will work and then we'll maintain it.

About this time I decided to get off the phone.  The catch-22 of
"we'll maintain the wires as long as they work, but as soon as they don't
then you must have done something wrong and we won't" was giving me
the chills.
-mark
-- 
Spoken: Mark Weiser 	ARPA:	mark@maryland	Phone: +1-301-454-7817
CSNet:	mark@umcp-cs 	UUCP:	{seismo,allegra}!umcp-cs!mark
USPS: Computer Science Dept., University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742