Doctor Math <drmath@moocow.uucp> (04/24/91)
Something interesting happened to me today ... this month's phone bill included a $10 credit from MCI! A quick check of my various phone lines indicates that I'm still with my chosen long distance carrier (which isn't MCI). I didn't call and ask about it (don't look a gift horse in the mouth, etc.), but I suspect that MCI tried to slam me and failed. This probably came about because about a month and a half ago, I called four or five of the bigger long-distance carriers and asked them to send me some thick, glossy documentation, which they did. My guess is that MCI construed this to mean I wanted their service as default, which I did not. Very strange.
Bill Woodcock <woody@ucscb.ucsc.edu> (05/05/91)
Somebody wrote: > Something interesting happened to me today ... this month's phone > bill included a $10 credit from MCI! A quick check of my various > phone lines indicates that I'm still with my chosen long distance > carrier (which isn't MCI). I didn't call and ask about it herbison@ultra.enet.dec.com wrote: > This must be part of some judgment against MCI for slamming. In > punishment for changing the long distance carrier for random > telephone lines, someone is forcing them to give refunds to random > telephone lines. Patrick Wrote: > I don't really think this is the case. There may be a class-action > suit against MCI for slamming, but I have not heard of it. But in > class actions I am familiar with, the settlement usually calls for > injured parties to at least submit some sort of claim form with the > court and evidence of what occurred. Any other ideas? I dunno. I've always used AT&T, and they've called me with incentives to switch to AT&T about once a month for the last year. Their databases must be fouled up somehow. I invariably tell them that I'm already using AT&T (and I am; I've checked) and they invariably apologize, and say that they'll remove my name from their list, and I invariably recieve some of the little AT&T funnymoney credits in my next phone bill. I've got three lines at home, so it really adds up. My LD service is almost paying for _itself_ now. :-) Bill Woodcock BMUG NetAdmin bill.woodcock.iv..woody@ucscb.ucsc.edu. 2355.virginia.st..berkeley.ca.94709.1315
locke@tree.uucp (Alan R. Gross (1-1-90)) (05/05/91)
In article <telecom11.324.10@eecs.nwu.edu> herbison@ultra.enet.dec.com (B.J. 01-May-1991 1616) writes: X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 324, Message 10 of 10 >> Something interesting happened to me today ... this month's phone bill >> included a $10 credit from MCI! A quick check of my various phone >> lines indicates that I'm still with my chosen long distance carrier >> (which isn't MCI). I didn't call and ask about it (don't look a gift > This must be part of some judgment against MCI for slamming. In > punishment for changing the long distance carrier for random telephone > lines, someone is forcing them to give refunds to random telephone > lines. > [Moderator's Note: I don't really think this is the case. There may be > a class-action suit against MCI for slamming, but I have not heard of > it. I agree, even though it does look suspiciously like two pic switch fees. I haven't read anything on this either, but there are a couple of things it could be. Most LD carriers have mass billing error recovery programs in place that will automatically credit overcharges, once they find that the bill system isn't billing as tariffed. In these cases, you get the credit without an explanation, most of the time. If the person who had the credit recieved collect calls through MCI, or had MCI as a carrier in the past, this is a possibility. The other thing it could be is a simple bill error where you got someone else's credit -- possibly the LEC & MCI's bill software programs aren't communicating well. It could also be an MCI promotion, that has yet to be announced -- did you check the bill to make sure that the overall amount of your bill was reduced? If not, it could be a "try us" credit, which might sit there until used. Randall A. Gross csusac.ecs.csus.edu!tree!locke @ the UNIX Tree BBS, Sacramento, CA ucbvax!ucdavis!csusac!tree!locke Sprintmail: A.R.Gross DISCLAIMER: Ego loquito