Wm Randolph Franklin <wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu> (05/23/91)
Since several people have claimed that any person mature enough to use a phone w/o a keeper should be aware of these booby trap, or letterbomb, exchanges, I tried to find out more information about them. 1. (As I mentioned before) the phone book is silent, except about 976 costing $0.35. 2. I called NyTel again. They gave me the following list: area codes 700 and 900; exchanges 394, 540, 550, 970, & 976. i) How many of you people, who said everyone has the obligation to know this, knew about 394? ii) The NyTel rep was unaware that these are normal exchanges in some area codes, such as 540 being used in Morristown, NJ, which someone mentioned. She offered to block them, but that would presumably block normal calls also. iii) She stated that I knew more about this than she did, and the only place I might possibly get more info was to call the long distance carrier. 3. AT&T said that they knew nothing about this and told me to try NyTel. 4. I tried MCI for fun. They'd never heard of this and didn't know where to look. 5. The NYS Public Service Commission was totally useless. 6. Now I suppose if I complained to NyTel enough they'd find someone who knew, but I've already done much more than most people would, and I still don't know what are the dangerous (area code, exchange) pairs. Natural justice would indicate that I shouldn't have to pay for calling a number that no one will tell me in advance is dangerous. Of course, that has no bearing on how the phone companies actually operate. Wm. Randolph Franklin Internet: wrf@ecse.rpi.edu (or @cs.rpi.edu) Bitnet: Wrfrankl@Rpitsmts Telephone: (518) 276-6077; Telex: 6716050 RPI TROU; Fax: (518) 276-6261 Paper: ECSE Dept., 6026 JEC, Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst, Troy NY, 12180 [Moderator's Note: I'd suggest since MCI knew nothing about this, that folks begin making their 540 calls via MCI, ha-ha ... or Sprint. Let *them* get stuck with the humongous charge from NY Tel. Before long they'd learn, and begin intercepting 540 like they do 976. PAT]
Nickolas Landsberg <npl@mozart.att.com> (05/24/91)
In article <telecom11.390.9@eecs.nwu.edu> wrf@mab.ecse.rpi.edu writes: > Since several people have claimed that any person mature enough to use > a phone w/o a keeper should be aware of these booby trap, or > letterbomb, exchanges, I tried to find out more information about > them. > 1. (As I mentioned before) the phone book is silent, except about 976 > costing $0.35. > 2. I called NyTel again. They gave me the following list: area codes > 700 and 900; exchanges 394, 540, 550, 970, & 976. > i) How many of you people, who said everyone has the obligation to > know this, knew about 394? Huh? 394????? When I worked for dear old NYTel (I won't admit how many years ago) 394 was an "official" exchange (along with 395, 396, etc.) In the days when exchanges were pronouncable, this was "EXchange-4". Anyone from NYTel know when it happened that the 4 board went to being a toll call? As an aside, in those days I had craftspeople reporting to me. I was "assigned" 394-3825. The shop-steward claimed it was just a coincidence that 3825 spelled what it did. :) Nick Landsberg [Moderator's Note: 3825 as in "DUCK! Here comes the boss!" PAT]