dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com (David Tamkin) (09/24/90)
A surnameless Tim from Caltech wrote in volume 10, issue 670: | (I use [Around Town] even from my own home to avoid outrageously high | PacBell intra-lata long distance charges. I can't dial 10xxx because | PacBell blocks that for intra-lata calls. The absence of a surcharge | on the 950-1022 calls was a convenient work-around.) It might not be Pac*Bell blocking your attempts at intra-LATA 10XXX dialing. It might be MCI rejecting them. I can dial one of my lines from the other with 10XXX via US Sprint or Telecom*USA, but not via AT&T nor MCI. If my telco were setting the policy, then either all four carriers would connect the call or none would. As long as there is no surcharge, though, 950-1022 will do; too bad AT&T has no such alternative dial-up. I've also heard that MCI's Around Town (for 25c, not for free, but still not 80c) applies only for intra-LATA calls now; originally, at least so I _thought_, it was for any calls placed from near your home base, regardless of where in North America the call terminated. One of the other things I dislike about MCI Long Distance (in addition to slamming and to their promising to make corrections and updates and then never putting them in) is getting five conflicting answers from every three customer service reps to a straightforward question. David Tamkin Box 7002 Des Plaines IL 60018-7002 708 518 6769 312 693 0591 MCI Mail: 426-1818 GEnie: D.W.TAMKIN CIS: 73720,1570 dattier@ddsw1.mcs.com
konstan@elmer-fudd.berkeley.edu (Joe Konstan) (09/25/90)
I received yet another story about this. First, I spent time wading
through the training system to hear the "no surcharge" message. Then,
unable to find an escape to a real person, called up a customer
service person who said that:
1) The feature now costs 25 cents (I knew that)
2) The message should have been changed (wow!)
3) The local calling area is your home city (I know that isn't true, here in
the San Francisco area it is approximately the free local calling area).
4) There is no surcharge IF you make a local call from within your local
calling area!!!!
This is the one I want to check out! I've often called home via MCI
from BART stations (pre 25 cent surcharge) since the cost was 8-12
cents instead of 20. I stopped when the surcharge came in, but will
try again and let the Digest know if this too turns out to be false.
By the way, is this a legal thing for them to provide (and I imagine
even promote)? Can long distance carriers provide alternative local
service at discount rates through 950-xxxx???
Joe Konstan