Scott Dorsey <kludge@grissom.larc.nasa.gov> (05/03/91)
There we were, stuck on a lone country road with a blown
transmission. We stopped at a deserted gas station, and there it was.
A COCOT. Abominable creation of hell. Dialed 411, and got a request
to enter twenty-five cents, which was all we had on us. Hung up.
Picked up the phone, dialed 10288, but after dialing the zero we got
an annoying beeping tone. So there was only one thing left. Calling
the operator.
We typed zero. And waited. And waited. And waited some more.
After a bit, we got a machine telling us to dial 1 to make a collect
call or 0 if we wanted a human operator. So we dialed zero, and
waited some more. Got some repetitive beeps, too. But eventually
someone answered "ITI Operator." We told them we wanted the AT&T
operator. She told us to hold the receiver away from our ear because
we'd hear a tone, and then to wait twenty seconds for the operator.
We got a blast of 2600, then a quick beep before the line went dead.
And about half a minute later "C&P." C&P is the local phone company,
and I made sure that I wasn't talking to an AT&T operator. I said I
was having trouble dialing 411, and asked if they could connect me,
which they did. And I asked for the number, got it, hung up and
placed my call.
I suspect if I had tried again for the operator, asked for AT&T
again, and got C&P, the C&P operator would have completed my local
call for free. But I wasn't pressing my luck.
scott