Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!accuvax.nwu.edu!nucsrl!telecom-request From: William Degnan Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: 800 Wrong Numbers Message-ID: <2517@accuvax.nwu.edu> Date: 1 Jan 90 04:21:00 GMT Sender: news@accuvax.nwu.edu Organization: TELECOM Digest Lines: 39 Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 1, message 7 of 10 A client was getting dozens of wrong number calls on his 800 number. It turned out that his number was a cross-polination of two numbers printed (too close to each other) on Southern New England Telephone's bills. To place an order: 1 800 555-2345 Billing questions: 1 203 555-1234 (numbers changed to protect the innocent) If the caller dialed, 1 800 555-1234, they got the unhappy client. We asked the nice folks at SNET to put "a little air" between the numbers (or pay for a number change, stationary printing and advertising costs), but they were uncooperative, at best. In desperation, I hinted that the client might have no other choice than to tell callers what they wanted to hear: "You are moving your offices from Danbury to Hartford on Monday and want to keep the same number? NO PROBLEM!" "Can't pay your bill? NO PROBLEM! Just send us what you can, when you can. We won't cut you off..." SNET managed to find a way to fix the unfixable. They just needed a little motivation. And to understand that some problems are less expensive than other problems. Regards, Bill Disclaimer: Contents do not constitute "advice" unless we are on the clock William Degnan | wdegnan@mcimail.com !wdegnan@at&tmail.com Communications Network Solutions | William.Degnan@telenet.com P.O. Box 9530, Austin, TX 78766 | voice: 512 323-9383 William Degnan -- via The Q Continuum (FidoNet Node 1:382/31) UUCP: ...!rpp386!tqc!39!wdegnan ARPA: wdegnan@f39.n382.z1.FIDONET.ORG