prindle@NADC.UUCP (07/12/86)
Walked up to one of those new *programmable* pay phones (Customer Owned Coin Operated Telephone) and dialed 950-1xxx (my friendly, and cheap, long distance company, toll free number) and was told to deposit something on the order of $2.10!! Looked all over the phone for who to contact - found nothing! Com- plained bitterly to Pa. PUC. Got a call from Bell of Pa. to get details. They said that it was probably OK that they didn't put through my 950 call properly (?), but that it was quite wrong not to post an address or phone number to contact in case of trouble. They would contact the owner. Got a copy of letter to owner - shape up or ship out within X days. Lo and behold, about X-1 days later, a sticker appears on the pay phone with the number of the owning company (no surprise), and the 950-1xxx now works perfectly (big surprise) right down to the LCD display on the phone thanking me for placing a FREE call. Now, as far as I can tell, the phone works just about like a regular Bell of Pa. pay phone (wait till equal access!). Now, if they could just figure out how to keep the general public from bashing that little LCD display with a rock or whatever, they would have caught up with *TPC*. Frank Prindle Prindle@NADC.arpa [We have a pair of these at the corner convenience store - they nicely charge $.25 for a $.20 local coin call, and $.55 for some local calls that cross area code boundaries. While they do list the "trouble" number, the phone that recognizes it as a "free call" traps to some error handler after dialtone, and the other one wants $.25! I don't think these beasts will last long. -elmo]