erin@srava.sra.co.jp (Erin M. Karp) (03/05/90)
This is my first submission to this group, although I've been lurking for a while. I finally decided it was time to put my two cents, uh yen in. I know there was some discussion a while back about being able to call 1-800 numbers from outside the U.S., and the general agreement was that it can't be done. I ran across the following article in the letters to the editor section of the Tokyo Journal (an English publication in Japan). It was apparently in response to a commment in an article that said that 1-800 numbers can't be dialed from Japan. The relevant part of the letter reads: "That information is in error. It is true that Wide Area Telephone Service (WATS)(1-800) numbers are not toll-free when called from Japan. They _will_ cost you. However, if you're willing to pay the charge, you _can_ call them. The procedure is: 1) Dial 003-1121-800 2) When the operator answers, give her a charge card number (Visa, MasterCard, or American Express), and 3) The telephone number you wish to call. The operator will then connect you with the phone number, even a WATS number, and will bill the call to your charge card. It _isn't_ free, but it is a way to call 1-800 numbers from Japan." I haven't checked this out (not having the funds to pay overseas phone bills for no reason), but if someone else over here wants to give it a try... Just a note is that phone numbers starting with 00 are always either NTT numbers or overseas carriers (KDD, IDC, etc.).