Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site utastro.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!hou3c!hocda!houxm!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hao!seismo!ut-sally!utastro!blake From: blake@utastro.UUCP (R. Blake Farenthold) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Wrong Cliff (AT&T flame) Message-ID: <574@utastro.UUCP> Date: Mon, 24-Sep-84 19:11:24 EDT Article-I.D.: utastro.574 Posted: Mon Sep 24 19:11:24 1984 Date-Received: Thu, 27-Sep-84 04:17:39 EDT Distribution: net Organization: UTexas Astronomy Dept., Austin, Texas Lines: 74 ^^^^^ <- flames to burn the line eater bug! I can't believe I am posting somthing to this newsgroup but it seemed the most appropriate place. CLIFF ROBERTSON MISTAKEN First a little background.. I work weekends at a 50,000 watt am radio station in San Antonio, Texas.. We have high volume trunkline service for our request line (512-470-KSJL) so that when we run contests we don't fry exchanges. I decided to give another dj on the air a call on the request line from Austin (where I spend my weekdays) I Was at a payphone so I figured might as well use the old ATT credit card (I only got 4 in the mail last month). Well I dile the number, my credit card number, then got the "we are unable to complete your call as dialed, please check the number or ask the operator for assistance" recording. I called the operator. She tried it... NO LUCK.. She gets the same recoprding.. and says thats not a good number. I say "no that is a good number, its the radio station I work for!!!" Being the helpful sort of operator she decided to call the San Antonio operator and find out what the problem was.. The San Antonio operator says "sorry there is a memo that says we can't help anyone calling a 470 number" I said "HU????" The Austin Operator said "but this is Austin calling, and we can't do it ourselves" Well we went around and around with a supervisor or two in San Antonio none of whom would/could help. I was ready to use that line I've always wanted to use on someone in the Bell system ("Could you please put me intouch with someone who has the authority to fire you?") but I held my toung. After giving up I asked my operator from Austin if she had any suggestions. She said no. I chuckeled and said "guess i'd better try MCI" she didn't find the humor in this I had intended, and promptly hung up on me. I was a little hacked off by this point... So I forked over a quarter a quarter to try MCI.. By god it worked!! I got through. I loved it!! I then got really extravigant and tried SPRINT.. Wow! it worked too! Well after this mess I called up our Program director at the station and told him what happened.. We played around and tried it from Corpus Christi and it worked... We tried again from Austin and no luck. We even thought about going on the air saying "Long distance callers should use an alternate long distance carrier as ATT won't let you call us" but we dicided to wait and see if we could get it worked out. As I understand it we have to deal with the San Antonio & Austin divisions of SW Bell as well as ATT. Who said the breakup would make anything "EASIER"? Cliff... not only have I found a phone ATT can't connect me with, I have found operators who won't help me either. Iffen you wanna write me about anything I said in here use the mail as I don't usually read this newsgroup. -- Austin Party Board | BBS: 512-442-1116 | UUCP: {noao,ut-sally,ut-ngp,charm} Blake Farenthold | MCI: BFARENTHOLD | !utastro!blake 1804-A Cinnamon Path | CIS: 70070,521 | E-Pges: TEP115 Austin, TX 78704 | STC: TCX023 | Delphi: blake