"Dave Niebuhr, BNL CCD, 516-282-3093" <NIEBUHR@bnlcl6.bnl.gov> (06/09/91)
In the business section of today's {Newsday} there is an article about
"Pay Phone Mayhem" with the subhead of "Private owners give public
service, but high prices and baffling rules stir anger among some
users".
It starts out by telling of a Brooklyn Law School student who ran up
bills for over $30 for three calls lasting four minutes total while
using pay phones and having the charges put onto his telephone bill.
It further stated that if NY Tel handled the calls the charge would
have been $1.65.
The body of the article goes on to relate how the AOS' are trying to
defend their high charges by claiming everything under the sun.
Some of the rules in effect as of now are:
"Local calls paid with coins cannot cost more than the $.25 that NY Tel
charges for the first three minutes;
No charge can be made for directory assistance unless a directory is
available. As of July 3, 1991, no charge under any circumstance for
directory assistance;
All 911 emergency calls mustr be handled without charge;
The pay phone must post certain information:
1) The identity of the person or company that provides the phone;
2) Toll free number to obtain rate information;
3) Toll free number for billing or service disputes;
4) Toll free number for the PSC for complaints;
5) Identity of the AOS and instructions for obtaining others;
6) Amount of surcharges that the owner of the premises places on
calls from his/her premises.
(Note: This is one of the few times that the PSC has backed the consumer;
usually it's the utility.)
The article concludes by telling about a Long Island resident who used
a pay phone owned by an AOS. It seems that when he dialed 0+, there
was no bong so he tried 1-0-ATT-0 and got a recording that didn't
help. Finally, he went back to 0+ and DEMANDED (emphasis mine) that
he be connected with an ATT operator and was put through.
Dave Niebuhr Brookhaven National Laboratory
BITnet: niebuhr@bnl.bitnet; Internet: niebuhr@bnl.gov