bowles@stsci.edu (Richard Bowles) (01/31/91)
I just noticed a banner over a local 7-11 that said: "C & P Payphones are back!" And sure enough, no COCOTS ... is this a hopeful sign? Richard Bowles bowles@stsci.edu [Moderator's Note: Here in the Chicago area we are seeing a shift away from those obnoxious devices also, but not as quickly as other places. The 7-11 stores here have the discretion to use the phone service of their choice, but the two 7-11's I frequent both use genuine IBT phones with LD defaulted to AT&T. The 7-11 where I go for my luncheon sandwiches every day (and a dollar's worth of pinball) is owned by a nice man and his wife whose hometown is Baghdad. A COCOT salesman was there one day trying to pressure him into yanking the Bells in favor of his units. The 7-11 owner turned him down saying he had to use phones 'the public would be happy with'. Many merchants are beginning to discover the extra commission they receive isn't worth the hostility they get from the public. PAT]