epsilon@ames.arc.nasa.gov (03/16/90)
I noticed the line status light flickering on one of my lines the other day; how odd, but it's been rainy, and who knows? Then a couple of times the phone would ring -- once. Very strange. So I called repair service, in case Pac*Bell had someone playing with the wires. First surprise -- no human! There's now an automated system that eats DTMF and files trouble reports. OK, I can live with that. Not long after, the phone rings, I pick it up, and I find myself in someone else's conversation; about five seconds later the other parties hang up. The phone rings a few more times (once), but each time I head toward the phone it's idle. Finally it rings twice, I pick it up, I hear another voice say "hello" and a third identify himself as a Pac*Bell rep -- who was quite surprised to actually reach me, apparently the other subscriber was sitting by the phone. We learn that my line has somehow been crossed with a number with a different prefix (but served by the same office). They say they'll get it fixed within a few hours [apparently they did]. I called Pac*Bell billing to flag my account in case I've got an inadvertent party line; we'll get it all figured out next cycle. I have 976/900 blocking, so I don't have to worry about those nasties. There's just one thing that bothers me: I have MCI as my 1+, and it may be months before I know if any unauthorized charges were made on my line. -=EPS=-