Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!cica!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!brutus.cs.uiuc.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: davef@brspyr1.brs.com (Dave Fiske)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Types of Service
Message-ID: 
Date: 18 Aug 89 19:00:12 GMT
Organization: BRS Info Technologies, Latham NY
Lines: 27
Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us
X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 308, message 6 of 11

In article , roy%phri@uunet.uu.net
(Roy Smith) writes:
> 	I used to think it was outrageous what TPC charged for service
> changes when all it involved was throwing a few switches (or, more likely,

Or better yet, the infamous "Record Order Change".  In what other
industry is the customer required to pay for the paperwork required to
fulfill his or her request?

Or how about the old "once-in-a-lifetime" charge for a color phone?
I've read there was no cost justification for that (other than greed).

I do think the phone companies did a remarkable job in developing a
reliable phone system over the years, but I also believe that to some
degree they accomplished this with money that came from "padded" bills
paid by customers.

There's a fascinating book called The Phone Book, written by a
disgruntled phone executive.  I don't buy everything he wrote,
considering his bias, but he does discuss some of these "scams".
Of course, divestiture has changed the picture so much that the book is
mainly of historical interest now.
--
"ANGRY WOMEN BEAT UP SHOE SALESMAN   Dave Fiske  (davef@brspyr1.BRS.COM)
 WHO POSED AS GYNECOLOGIST"
                                     Home:  David_A_Fiske@cup.portal.com
Headline from Weekly World News             CIS: 75415,163  GEnie: davef