Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!mcdchg.UUCP!heiby
From: heiby@mcdchg.UUCP (Ron Heiby)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: BOYCOTT COCOTS!
Message-ID: <7050@mcdchg.UUCP>
Date: 8 Apr 88 15:58:24 GMT
References: <8804051448.AA23908@decwrl.dec.com>
Sender: usenet@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: mcdchg!heiby (Ron Heiby)
Organization: Motorola Microcomputer, Schaumburg, IL
Lines: 26
Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu


A similar situation has existed for some time in the Chicago area.
My most recent experience with them was accidental, as I have been
refusing to use these phones for some time.  Unfortunately, a
restaraunt that I used to eat at frequently changed their IL Bell
pay phones to some private operator.  The phones looked like regular
Bell pay phones.  I needed to place a couple of business calls.
The way this works is that I call an 800 number, enter a sequence
of digits to tell who I am, then get another dial tone that allows
me to place the call.  I got through to the 800 number, just fine,
but after I did, the phone refused to allow any additional tones
to be generated from the keypad, preventing me from placing my
call.  Both phones behaved the same way.

To be fair, I used one of the newer AT&T card caller phones that
can often be found in hotel lobbies.  They have a digital display
of a couple of lines telling you what to do.  (I'm not talking about
the phones with the built-in CRT displays.)  I found it nearly impossible
to place the same kind of call on this phone.  It didn't want to
let me send touch-tones from the keypad after my call had been "placed".
Fortunately, in this case, a *real* IL Bell pay phone was nearby.
(Do you suppose that this was an intentional feature of the phone
to discourage use of alternative long distance services???)
-- 
Ron Heiby, heiby@mcdchg.UUCP	Moderator: comp.newprod & comp.unix
"I believe in the Tooth Fairy."  "I believe in Santa Claus."
	"I believe in the future of the Space Program."