Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!cs.utexas.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request
From: wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu (Wm Randolph Franklin)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Finding out the "Real" Number Behind a 1-800 Number
Message-ID: <2203@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 15 Dec 89 20:00:23 GMT
Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu
Organization: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy NY
Lines: 20
Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 576, message 8 of 11

In article <2156@accuvax.nwu.edu> covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert)
writes:

>And finally, 800 Service is pretty sophisticated.  If I call 800
>221-2000 to reach TWA Reservations, I will reach a different
>reservation center depending on what part of the country I'm calling
>from and what time of day it is.

That feature really bugged me  a few years  ago when I, living  in CA at
the time, wanted to check on my IRS return, which  had been filed in NY.
The IRS 800 number connects to a regional office, they'd won't  give out
the non-800 equivalent for other offices, and  each office has access to
only the records for its region.  (I finally persuaded  them to transfer
me on an internal tie  line, but they were  reluctant  to.)  So its  not
just international callers who have problems with 800 numbers.
 
						   Wm. Randolph Franklin
Internet: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (or @cs.rpi.edu)    Bitnet: Wrfrankl@Rpitsmts
Telephone: (518) 276-6077;  Telex: 6716050 RPI TROU; Fax: (518) 276-6261
Paper: ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180