amos@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu (Walter M. Amos) (03/14/91)
Several months ago, my household was using AT&T's Call Manager to keep track of billing for long distance calls. Since moving AND living the nomadic life for a few months, I have forgotten the method of accessing this feature. (Something along the lines of dial 0 + ten digits - <BONG> + xxyy, where xx was a set number indicating Call Manager and yy was the "account" number.) Can anyone clue me in to the magic number I've forgotten. Alternately (and perhaps more cost effectively), does anyone know of a similar service from alternate LD carriers?
rbhumbla@ucsd.edu (Ravinder Bhumbla) (03/15/91)
"Walter M. Amos" <amos@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu> writes: > Several months ago, my household was using AT&T's Call Manager to keep > track of billing for long distance calls. Since moving AND living the > nomadic life for a few months, I have forgotten the method of > accessing this feature. (Something along the lines of dial 0 + ten > digits - <BONG> + xxyy, where xx was a set number indicating Call > Manager and yy was the "account" number.) Can anyone clue me in to the > magic number I've forgotten. Ok. Here is how it works on AT&T (I don't know about other long-distance companies). 1. Each roommate selects an individual two-digit code (any number between 00 and 99). If the roommates are born in different years, the year of birth is a convenient code 2. For U.S. AT&T long-distance calls, a) dial: 0 + area code + number (for example 0-619-555-1212) b) on receiving the <BONG> dial: 15nn (where nn is the individual 2 digit code) So the entire sequence for the example U.S. long-distance call is: 0-619-555-1212 <BONG> 15nn 3. For international calls, a) dial: 01 + country code + city code + number (for example 01-91-11-670619) b) on receiving the <BONG> dial: 15nn (where nn is the individual 2 digit code) So the entire sequence for the example international call is: 01-91-11-670619 <BONG> 15nn In your phone bills, the long-distance calls will be sorted by the two-digit code Ravinder Bhumbla rbhumbla@ucsd.edu U. of California, San Diego [Moderator's Note: Does one have to specifically sign-up to use the Call Manager feature? The reason I ask is I just now made a zero plus call and and after the gong, entered 15xx, followed by the # to terminate dialing and speed the process. It was accepted no questions asked. I wonder what it will look like when billed. Incidentally, I see that 10732 is still accepting cals from non-subscribers also. PAT]
CER2520@ritvax.isc.rit.edu (Curtis E. Reid) (03/17/91)
I just tried to call a zero plus number then pressed 15nn after the bong. The system reported the card is invalid and asks me to reenter a valid number. So, it does not work here. (I use AT&T.) Curtis E. Reid CER2520@RITVAX.Bitnet (Bitnet) CER2520@RITVAX.isc.rit.edu (Internet)
rbhumbla@ucsd.edu (Ravinder Bhumbla) (03/17/91)
In article <telecom11.206.10@eecs.nwu.edu> I explained AT&T's Call Manager plan and the Moderator asked: > [Moderator's Note: Does one have to specifically sign-up to use the > Call Manager feature? The reason I ask is I just now made a zero plus > call and and after the gong, entered 15xx, followed by the # to > terminate dialing and speed the process. It was accepted no questions > asked. I wonder what it will look like when billed. No, you do not have to sign up for this plan. You just go ahead and start using it. By the way (this may be my imagination), it seems to me that even when I do not use a #, the call gets completed quite fast. You would expect that, as this process is similar to a Calling Card call, there would be delay while the process waited for the remaining ten digits of the calling card. Probably the 15 signals that this is a Call Manager call. As for the question about your bill. It will come with the call listed under a section entitled - Account Code 00xx. I have been using this for about an year now and it is really useful when at the end of the month you need to figure out the bill for three roommates. And, by the way, this DOES NOT cost anything more that a regular 1+ call. I have received mail from a lot of readers wondering that as the process is similar to that for a Calling Card call, it would cost more. Ravinder Bhumbla rbhumbla@ucsd.edu U. of California, San Diego [Moderator's Note: I wonder if Calling Cards automatically do NOT use PINS in the 15xx series to avoid billing conflicts. PAT]
irvin@northstar105.dartmouth.edu (Tim Irvin) (03/21/91)
In a message of Sat, 16 Mar 91 12:18 EST , Curtis E. Reid wrote: > I just tried to call a zero plus number then pressed 15nn after the > bong. The system reported the card is invalid and asks me to reenter > a valid number. So, it does not work here. (I use AT&T.) I just tried it using 10288-0-NPA-7D (bong) 15nn. I got an intercept that said "We're sorry the service you have requested is not available." Tim Irvin
levin@bbn.com (Joel B. Levin) (03/22/91)
Steve Forrette <forrette@cory.berkeley.edu> writes: > Just for grins, I just tried this for an AT&T call from a Pacific Bell > payphone. The response was: > "We're sorry. The service you have requested is not available. <click>" Tim Irvin <irvin@northstar105.dartmouth.edu> writes: > I just tried it using 10288-0-NPA-7D (bong) 15nn. I got an intercept > that said "We're sorry the service you have requested is not > available." In New England Tel., Nashua NH, I tried the same thing. I don't have AT&T as the default; I had to use 10288 also. It worked; <bong>1511# immediately got me the "Thank you" message. I tried two values of nn. Now to see what the bill looks like. :-) JBL nets: levin@bbn.com | BBN Communications or: ...!bbn!levin | M/S 20/7A POTS: +1 617 873 3463 | 150 Cambridge Park Drive FAX: +1 617 873 8202 | Cambridge, MA 02140
stv@uunet.uu.net (Steve Vance) (03/25/91)
Sprint has something similar to Call Manager. If I remember right, it
is just called the "Accounting Code Feature". You call them up and
have it activated. After that, anytime you make a long-distance call,
you get a tone after you finish dialing. You dial any two digits, and
then your call is completed. Presumably you would assign a two-digit
code to each roomate, and stick to it. On the bill, calls are divided
up for you, with page breaks and totals for each code that was used
during the billing period.
I had this feature activated on all three of my phone lines that had
Sprint as my service provider. There was no extra charge, so I
figured, what the hell. Then, suddenly, there were $5.00 per month
charges added to each bill. With no advance notification, they had
started charging for a service that had been free. Oh well. I called
up and complained, and they took the charges off and discontinued
"Accounting Code Feature" for me. I imagine that it would still be
useful, though, for business use, or if you have a lot of roommates! :-)
Steve Vance {hplabs,lll-winken,pacbell}!well!stv
well!stv@lll-winken.llnl.gov