Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!rutgers!usc!gem.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway
From: techwood!johnw@gatech.edu (John Wheeler)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Re: Sleazy Touch-Tone Marketing Tactics
Message-ID: 
Date: 1 Oct 89 19:49:17 GMT
Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US
Reply-To: John Wheeler 
Organization: Turner Entertainment Networks Library; Atlanta
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Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us
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X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 422, message 6 of 12

Patrick: I know you're a long-time advocate of AT&T Reach Out America,
but I'd like to find out what this deal is:

I placed my order for ROA about 2 weeks before my residence move -
after my number had been assigned, but before it was connected. I was
given all the rate info, etc. at the time.

I got my first bill from AT&T, and not only was there no ROA plan,
there was that neat little "you could have saved money with ROA"
message.  I called AT&T, and they said "oh...well when you place your
order before you actually have service connected, it sometimes [direct
quote] drags along and just never gets put on...we'll adjust your
bill".  Come on...am I not just an item in a table on a database with
an ROA flag set to TRUE? Shouldn't they have the billing bugs worked
out by now?


		  Turner                                       John Wheeler
     E N T E R T A I N M E N T     ...!gatech!nanovx!techwood!johnw
                Networks
     Techwood Library * home of Superstation TBS * TNT * TBS Sports


[Moderator's Note: Generally, AT&T is very much at the mercy of the
local telco as to when things like ROA get turned on; when calling
card PINS are cancelled/started, etc. Some telcos just won't do work
on a line not actually in service. I've heard of situations with
Illinois Bell where people have moved very close by -- even from one
apartment to another in the same building, but for whatever reason IBT
had to change the pairs in the CO even though the people kept the same
number. Sure enough, as soon as the new service (with the same old
phone number) went on, ROA was *not* on the line. Who took it off?
Why, Illinois Bell, of course. Whatever the local telcos do in their
computer is the way things stand with AT&T, at least as long as the
telcos continue to do AT&T billing for them.  PT]