Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!ames!pasteur!ucbvax!panda.UUCP!rob.UUCP
From: rob.UUCP@panda.UUCP (Robert S. Wood)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: BOYCOTT COCOTS!
Message-ID: <3577@panda.UUCP>
Date: 1 May 88 03:26:07 GMT
References: <8804051448.AA23908@decwrl.dec.com> <7050@mcdchg.UUCP> <5434@pyr.gatech.EDU>
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Reply-To: panda!rob.UUCP@seismo.css.gov (Robert S. Wood)
Organization: GenRad, Inc., Concord, Mass.
Lines: 25
Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu



Today I went up to a pay-phone that I had used many times on an Air Force Base,
Hanscom Field, in Massachusetts.  It had turned into an AT&T PAY PHONE.  It
said dial the number and it would tell me how much money to put in.  I touched
the local number I was calling and it asked for 10 cents.  I put it in and the
phone grabbed a regular dial-tone and send tones out to dial my number.  My
dime clicked down.  The phone rang 12 times and I gave up and hung up.  You
guessed it, NO REFUND!

The phone said to dial 00 for Coin Refunds.  I did.  The operator told me I
should call NET, I said no, it was AT&T phone.  She said it was showing as
a customer phone she had no way of refunding.  I asked for a free call to
another number, she said AT&T can not put thru local station calls.  I asked
for a supervisor.  I repeated the same story to the supervisor.  She put me
on hold.  (It has now been 7 minutes).  I was then connected to a person who
answered "AT&T Refunds" and told him the whole story.  He said he had no way
to connect me, did I want the money sent back.  I said "YES"!  He soiled his
pants.  He asked me if I was kidding.  He said was it worth a dime?  I said the
only way AT&T was going to learn to do things right was if ALL of us demanded
our dimes back.  He took my name and address.  He did not understand why I did
not have a Military Rank, and what was a civilian doing on the base anyway?
He ended the whole conversation saying OK, Mr, Civilian Wood, your WHOLE dime
will be mailed to you.

(I think the U.S.Govt has made a "deal" with AT&T).