Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!killer!vector!telecom-gateway From: hamilton@aztec.osbusouth.xerox.com (Bruce Hamilton) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Pay phones that disable the keypad Message-ID: Date: 14 Mar 89 06:57:54 GMT Sender: news@vector.UUCP Reply-To: Bruce Hamilton Organization: Xerox Corp, El Segundo, CA Lines: 26 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 90, message 2 of 8 I was recently at the Louisville (KY) Convention Center. I tried to call an 800 number to use the audiotex service that tells me where the nearest ATM is. First I tried two coin phones. Both connected me to the 800 number, but then disabled the keypad! If I pressed a key, the earspeaker would go dead, as if I had gone off-hook. Finally I tried the adjoining non-coin, credit-card phone. It worked fine! Is this some sort of conspiracy by AT&T & South Central Bell to prevent me from calling, say, US Sprint's 800 number and then dialing out? A guy at the convention thought it might have been related to the recent enabling of 800 numbers on the pay phones in question. This definitely seems like a bug, given the WIDE presence of 800 audiotex systems. I'm curious as to whether this problem is widespread. [Please reply by e-mail since I only scan comp.dcom.telecom occasionally.] --Bruce CSNet: Hamilton.osbuSouth@Xerox.COM UUCP: xerox.com!hamilton.osbuSouth [Moderator's Note: But readers who answer, please carbon replies here also.]