Path: utzoo!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!killer!vector!nobody From: jbh@mibte.UUCP (James Harvey) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Victims of Wrong Numbers Message-ID: Date: 31 Jan 89 17:46:55 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 42 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 40, message 3 In article , cucstud!wb8foz@uunet.UU.NET (David Lesher) writes: > The classic had to be Mike Royko, columnist for the [Chicago Tribune]. > AT&T had new 800-xxxxxxx customer service number. Alas, Mike's home phone > was 312-xxxxxxx. He wrote a nice piece about how he was going to tell all the > people calling they didn't deserve service and he would see to it they were > disconnected, and various other threats. Seems to me Ma ended up taking out > an ad in his paper, next to his space to beg forgiveness. > > > [Moderator's Note: Actually, it was his office phone. The [Chicago Tribune] > centrex is 312-222. His private number 312-222-3xxx was commonly dialed by > people wanting AT&T at 1-800-222-3xxx. These were people who failed to dial > the 1-800 first. AT&T frequently advertises in the Chicago papers, but their > ad in this instance was to remind people to 'dial 1-800 first, when calling a > toll-free number.' I think the easiest telephone number to remember in the > world must be the Tribune classified ad-takers: 312-222-2222. P. Townson] > > ----------------------------- > I thought this number was disconnected in most areas. The reason I heard was that there is a defective dialer chip that is/was very popular in cordless phones with automatic redial function, memory etc. The defective chip would fail in such a way that it would take the phone off hook and start dialing twos all by itself. -- Jim Harvey | "Ask not for whom the bell Michigan Bell Telephone | tolls and you will only pay 29777 Telegraph | Station-to-Station rates." Southfield, Mich. 48034 | ulysses!gamma!mibte!jbh [Moderator's Note: It is still listed in large, colorful bold print on the front page of the advertising tabloid they insert in the paper each day. "Dial 222-2222 to place your ad now!" The number and whatever it hunts to terminates in an ACD in the Classified Ads Department. 3000-4000 phone calls are received daily at 35 'advertising counselor' positions, so it is possible they would not recognize a wrong number if they got one. PT]