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From: goldstein@delni.enet.dec.com (Fred R. Goldstein)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Finding Out the "Real" Number Behind a 1-800 Number
Message-ID: <2317@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 20 Dec 89 18:28:43 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 9, Issue 585, message 3 of 13


In article <2288@accuvax.nwu.edu>, ceb@csli.stanford.edu (Charles Buckley) 
writes...
 
>   [Moderator's Note: I will only respond to (a): Yes there is 1-800-555-1212
>   for obtaining listed 800 numbers. You can't call it or most 800
>   numbers because the called party has not agreed to accept charges from
>   outside the United States (or Canada).   PT]
 
>But no-one's *asking* them to pay for the call - just accept it.  The
>restrictiveness of this practice boggles my mind, too.  Do there exist
>800 numbers you can call from abroad at all?  I don't think so.

Accepting a call on an 800 line is equivalent to paying for it.  These
lines may be billed on a minutes-of-use basis, without regard for the
source of the call.  So if you did know the underlying non-800 number,
it would be billed as an 800 call anyway.

There are indeed overseas 800 numbers, but they're typically in the
national equivalent of 800 service.  Thus you can get a line in the US
that answers to a UK 0800 service, and pay an appropriate
international rate for minutes of use (around $100/hr from Europe).
Of course you need a separate number from each country.  The SAC 800
we dial in the US doesn't map across the puddle.  (Not that it
couldn't be force-fitted, but the billing systems in Europe would see
a call to +1, and bill for it, even though the recipient was also
paying.  Potential rathole noted.)

     fred