[comp.dcom.telecom] AT&T Long Distance Employee Concession

ehopper@attmail.com (05/29/91)

At present, full time management employees (at least lower ranking
management employees like me) have the following deal on AT&T long
distance within the USA:

First $35.00 per month of calls - 100% discount (i.e., free). Next
$65.00 worth of calls - 50% discount.

Non-management employees do not get such a good deal.  I recall
something like $5 free and and 50% off on the next $25 or $35.  Back
in the old Bell days, the late Mountain Bell gave me free local
service, free features (custom calling, touch tone) plus a smaller
long distance discount ($15 free).

This process is known internally as a "concession".  "Concession"
billing was also used by the BOCs for "offical" (i.e., internal)
service.  I remember pulling up the service records and bill on the
Mountain Bell Centrex in El Paso, TX (before the barbarians at SW Bell
took over).  The bill was $0.00.  This was for a three thousand line
switch with massive amounts of 1A2 key equipment.

In addition, by producing a valid ID badge at a phone center store one
gets the "employee price" for telephone sets, answering machines, etc.
Last week for example, I bought one of the digital answering machines
for under $100.  Regular price is $139.99.  Sometimes sale prices at
department/electronics stores on AT&T merchandise is better than this
discount, sometimes not.

Finally, various computers have been offered for sale.  Sometimes
these are good deals, sometimes not.  The last deal was on a 6386/SX
although I do not recall prices.


Ed Hopper    AT&T Computer Systems (for now)