wmartin@ALMSA-1.ARPA (Will Martin -- AMXAL-RI) (03/12/86)
Paul's experience with the chaotic mode in which SW Bell seems to be implementing Equal Access is probably fairly universal in this BOC's area -- I'm in St. Louis, under SW Bell, and what has happened to me has been along the same lines... When the Equal Access push started here, early last year (I believe), we residential subscribers got the usual handouts and mailings. AT&T sent more than any other carrier, and only two or so of the alternates ever sent me any literature at all. I wanted AT&T anyway, so sent back their card with my phone number and signature. Some months later, I received more literature from AT&T, with a request to send in a signed card *again*, and, I do believe, this happened yet one more time, with them asking for a third signed card. All of these were business-reply mail, and I complied (at least one of the later mailings had some rather-flaky explanation about why they needed this info yet again, but I don't recall the details). Anyway, some months back, I receive a letter from SW Bell, stating that I had never responded to their request that I choose an LD carrier, and enclosing a form to mark, and an envelope, *not* business-reply mail, but requiring postage, with an address in Michigan, not here in St. Louis where SW Bell's regional HQ is located. I then called the business office to inquire about this, because I not only had already selected AT&T and notified them multiple times, and they were supposed to pass this data on to SW Bell, but I had never gotten the first "selection form" that this SW Bell letter referred to. Also, I wanted to ask about the Michigan address, and why this was not Business-Reply Mail, when AT&T had done us the courtesy of using that format so we need not use our own postage for this nonsense. They hemmed and hawed about the notification business, explained the Michigan address by saying that they were using an outside firm to tabulate the responses, and had no excuse for not using Business Reply on the envelope. They DID, though, offer to register my choice then and there, during that phone call, so that I would not have to send in the form. I told them "AT&T" and that seemed to be that. Then, not long ago, I got the exact same letter that Paul referred to, telling me that I had been "randomly" assigned to AT&T because I had not chosen a carrier. Since I had wanted AT&T anyway, I did nothing. However, I wonder if this letter was really the result of a random assignment, and all my preceeding notifications went into a black hole somewhere, or if the "random assignment" was a lie and this was the final result of my numerous notifications. I suppose I'll never know... Have things been as off-the-wall in other BOC's, or is SW Bell leading in the contest for "most confused operations"? Regards, Will