Ed_Greenberg@3mail.3com.com (01/30/91)
I don't know if this is a record, but it certainly comes close.
On Saturday, 26 January, at 9:00 AM, I called the Pacific*Bell
business office and asked to have phone service turned on in my
brother-in-law's apartment. The order taker went through the usual
questions with me, and promised service by Monday at 5:00 PM.
We then proceeded to the store and purchased a phone. We returned to
the apartment and, just for the heck of it, plugged in the phone.
Voila! Dial Tone. I called the operator and asked if I was calling
from the number that I had been given. I was told yes. This was at
about 11:00 AM.
Two hours from order to service! Amazing.
Bouquets:
The order taker was professional, knowlegable and courteous. Nice,
even. She and I swapped telecom jokes.
She offered three numbers to choose from.
She offered, but did not press for, custom calling features.
She queried for a LD carrier.
Brickbats:
She tried to sell me touch tone. (!tm) Many of you know that
Pacific*Bell will remove the charge for touch tone on Feb 1. I
think she was just programmed to ask the question. Had I said yes,
it would have cost $5 installation plus a prorated portion of the $2/
month tone charge. I said no, bought a tone/pulse phone (aren't
they all these days?) and lo and behold it works on tone anyway.
Ed_Greenberg@HQ.3Mail.3Com.COM