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 Lines: 35 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 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]