WMartin@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (William G. Martin) (08/31/89)
The recent mention (in the charging-for-DA-calls discussion) of phone books in offices, or the lack thereof, leads me to post a query about the issuing of telephone books. I have written Southwestern Bell about this (twice -- they didn't reply until I sent a followup), but the answer I received was not very specific and didn't tell me just what I was trying to find out. This was originally prompted by the fact that we here, in a government office, never seem to get enough telephone books when the new ones are issued. Pallet-loads of phone books come into the building, but, when the distribution is finally completed, every office I've worked in seems to end up with fewer copies than they really need, meaning that people who have to use a phone book must get up from their desk and retrieve one from some central point, or make do with last year's. I always supposed that the reason we got too few copies was that the telco was charging for them, and the powers-that-be were being frugal (or stingy, depending on your point of view). However, since I didn't pay for my telephone books (seperately and distinctly, that is! :-) as a residential customer, I didn't know that for sure -- it was a guess. Now, even after writing the telco, I still don't know for sure. :-) For all I have been able to determine, it might be that we could have just asked for more books and gotten them at no extra cost, and the people responsible just never accurately determined how many books we really needed. They skimmed off all they wanted, and, by the time the distribution got down to us working stiffs, there wern't enough left to go around. I wouldn't be surprised if this was the case... Anyway, this leads to several questions; I'm also curious as to how this whole situation was before divestiture, and how it changed -- I figure if I care enough to find out about exactly how it is now, I'd also like to know the historical background! :-) Is a residential telephone customer entitled to one set of books per household, one set per instrument, or one set per line into that residence? Is a business customer entitled to one set per line, one per instrument, to as many as they ask for without limit, or to what they ask for up to some cutoff based on their usage? Or are they charged for each set of books separately? How does the business customer situation change when they have their own equipment versus leasing it? Since the BOC doesn't provide the equipment any longer, if the book allocation is based on number of instruments, how do they know what that is? In this distribution scheme, are Yellow Pages treated differently from White Pages? (I recall that there was some negotiation and back-and-forthing about Yellow Page revenue in the divestiture struggle, so that's why I ask that.) Locally, in St. Louis city (SW Bell territory), we just have a single White Pages and a single Yellow Pages book. (Though there was another sort of competing Yellow Pages one year a year or so back; haven't seen that again.) But I know some metropolitan areas have multi-volume sets, and books tailored differently for residential and business use. How is a "set" of books defined there? If you have some sort of higher-cost, wider-area calling area, is your "set" of books different from somebody with minimal service? Or does everyone get the same books regardless? (I'm sure this will vary with the individual BOC, so if you post a response, identify the BOC involved.) Regards, Will Martin
edell%garnet.Berkeley.EDU@ucbvax.berkeley.edu (Richard Edell) (09/01/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0335m03@vector.dallas.tx.us> WMartin@wsmr-simtel20. army.mil (William G. Martin) writes: >The recent mention (in the charging-for-DA-calls discussion) of phone >books in offices, or the lack thereof, leads me to post a query about >the issuing of telephone books. I have written Southwestern Bell about >this (twice -- they didn't reply until I sent a followup), but the >answer I received was not very specific and didn't tell me just what I >was trying to find out. [lots of stuff deleted] >Is a business customer entitled to one set per line, one per instrument, to >as many as they ask for without limit, or to what they ask for up to some >cutoff based on their usage? Or are they charged for each set of books >separately? How does the business customer situation change when they have >their own equipment versus leasing it? Since the BOC doesn't provide the >equipment any longer, if the book allocation is based on number of >instruments, how do they know what that is? A few years back (prior employer) I handled telephone equipment/services. One day Pacific Bell calls and asked my how many phone books do we need (for each of our buildings). I asked them how much does each cost (always watching costs) and was told that there was no cost (at least in the 50-100 book range we were talking about). I figured one per telephone station and ordered about 75 books. When the books arrived we had more than enough. I speculate that Pacific Bell doesn't care how many books they print because yellow page advertising rates are justified by the number of books -- more books more gross advertising revenue more profit? -Richard Edell edell@garnet.berkeley.edu
johnl@uunet.uu.net (John Levine) (09/01/89)
I have phone service at home in Cambridge MA (Nynex) and at my beach house near Atlantic City NJ (Bell Atlantic.) In both places, the local companies send any in-state phone books just for the asking. In MA you can ask for a full state set which is about four feet thick. For the Boston area there are six separate phone books for my local calling area, the central white pages, three separate suburban white pages, the regular yellow pages, and the business yellow pages. There is also a useless digest-sized "community" phone book consisting of white pages listings for Cambridge and Somerville and a set of yellow pages; it is just an attempt to make businesses buy ads in yet another volume of yellow pages. In Cambridge, phone book distribution has become terrible in recent years. I don't think that I've gotten any phone books delivered to my door since divestiture. I happen to live across the street from some Harvard dormitories where they dump pallets phone books in the lobby, so I can pick up most of what I need there but I always end up having to call and ask for the rest. In NJ, they deliver the local Ocean County book reliably, but I have to call and ask for the Atlantic County book even though about 1/3 of my local calling area is in Atlantic County. Regards, John Levine, johnl@ima.isc.com or uunet!lotus!esegue!johnl
john@zygot.ati.com (John Higdon) (09/01/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0335m03@vector.dallas.tx.us>, WMartin@wsmr-simtel20. army.mil (William G. Martin) writes: > Is a residential telephone customer entitled to one set of books per > household, one set per instrument, or one set per line into that residence? > Is a business customer entitled to one set per line, one per instrument, to > as many as they ask for without limit, or to what they ask for up to some > cutoff based on their usage? Or are they charged for each set of books > separately? > [...] > (I'm sure this will vary with the individual BOC, so if you post a > response, identify the BOC involved.) To cover the Bay Area requires something like twelve "sets" of directories. On a map, the local calling areas look like a bunch of overlapping circles. To call one number in a directory from another number in that same directory could be a toll call, while calling a number in another directory could be local. Picture a triangle consisting of San Francisco to the northwest, Oakland to the north, and San Jose to the south. Each of these major cities has a "directory" consisting of a white pages and two yellow pages (A-M, N-Z). Between these cities is wall to wall suburbia, with areas that have single-volume directories. You are entitled (business or residence) to as many directories as you need, and they will deliver them to you, for your "local" area. However, you must order them. When the new directories are issued, they automatically deliver one set to each residence or business. I have ten residence lines, and every year one lone set shows up on my doorstep. For directories in the greater area, you pay a nominal charge. Interestingly, DA out of the area code but within the LATA is free! Remember, telco is charging businesses big bucks for yellow pages advertising, so if it is to be effective, those books have to be delivered to users! John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !
edm@nwnexus.wa.com (Ed Morin) (09/02/89)
It could be that the phone system you have doesn't provide a trunk line per employee and the phone company will only provide books for each actual trunk coming in to the building plus some limited number of "extras"... -- Ed Morin Northwest Nexus Inc. "Unix Public Access for the Masses!" edm@nwnexus.WA.COM
miket@brspyr1.brs.com (Mike Trout) (09/02/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0335m03@vector.dallas.tx.us>, WMartin@wsmr-simtel20. army.mil (William G. Martin) writes: > [Pertinent questions about distribution of phone books deleted] This probably depends upon your local telco, but I suspect that in most cases, the number of phone books and how they are distributed is a rather anarchic process about which the telco cares little. In 1986, NYNEX dumped multiple pallets of phone books in the hallways at a company I worked for. As these were special phone books celebrating Albany's tricentennial and including a frameable color print of old-time Albany, they were in considerable demand. Not to mention that we had about 500 full-service phones in the building. Everyone grabbed one book for their desk phone and a couple extra for home and the car. There were still zillions left. I eventually ended up taking six, including a couple I used as oil mops in the garage. By the time the 1987 books came out, there were still at least a hundred 1986 books left on the pallets, which all ended up in the dumpster. In addition to the 3-inch-thick Albany book, there were a couple pallets of the 3/4-inch-thick Colonie book, which were appropriated in the same way (Colonie, where the company was located, is a major suburb of Albany). Here at BRS (also technically in Colonie) we always had a severe shortage of books until this year. This was supposedly due to the fact that we have a central switchboard and office phones can dial out but can't directly receive. But this year, I was in the lobby when a couple of NYNEX guys came in. They asked our receptionist how many 1989 Albany and Colonie books BRS would like. She (undoubtedly thinking about our phone system) replied that the couple they had with them would be enough. I wasn't about to let that pass, so I blurted out "We need more than that!" One of the NYNEX guys asked "So how many?" I replied, "How many can we have?" He said, "As many as you want." I said, "Literally?" He said yes; "You can have hundreds, even thousands if you want them. No extra charge." They had a truckload of pallets, and would drop off as many as we wanted on our loading dock and go on their merry way. We arrived at a figure of 75 books of each type; at the time we had perhaps double that number of phones in the building. But they were perfectly willing to leave 10 books per phone if we'd asked for them; it was merely a factor of how obnoxious I wanted to be. I've since wondered if this willingness to drop off unlimited phone books may have been prompted by the fact that there is now a competitor phone book (Western Information Systems or something like that). So far the competing book seems to have been dropped off at residences but not businesses. I once wanted a phone book for Saratoga Springs (long distance from Albany, with a phone book a little over an inch thick). I called NYNEX to ask if I could get one; it was on my front porch the next day--no charge. I also asked about getting phone books for areas outside NYNEX, like Tulsa (where I grew up). They said no problem, although there would be a charge (about 8 bucks). I passed, and the next time I was in Tulsa I tried walking into a Southwestern Bell office and asking for one. I didn't identify who I was, that I lived in New York, or that I wanted one just for the heck of it. Without a word they handed me both white and yellow pages (both about two inches thick). No charge, no questions asked. -- NSA food: Iran sells Nicaraguan drugs to White House through CIA, SOD & NRO. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Michael Trout (miket@brspyr1)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ BRS Information Technologies, 1200 Rt. 7, Latham, N.Y. 12110 (518) 783-1161 "God forbid we should ever be 20 years without...a rebellion." Thomas Jefferson
msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu (Mark Robert Smith) (09/03/89)
Here in New Jersey, the phone books contain a reply card, so that you can send in suggestions for improvement of the book. One of the spaces on the card says: I need _____ more Bergen County phonebooks. I've sent the card in, but I have never received an extra book. I really could use a book from my home county when I go to school, and have to call information to set up anything for coming home at the end of the semester. Mark ---- Mark Smith | "Be careful when looking into the distance, |All Rights 61 Tenafly Road|that you do not miss what is right under your nose."| Reserved Tenafly,NJ 07670-2643|rutgers!topaz.rutgers.edu!msmith,msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu You may redistribute this article only to those who may freely do likewise.
sg04@gte.com (Steven Gutfreund) (09/06/89)
While we are on the topic of phonebooks: Has anyone found the 800-directory phonebook from AT&T useful? I ordered it, paid for it, and I can't say that I have really gotten any good use out of it. Furthermore, I am familiar with many 800 numbers (e.g. credit card companies) who are not listed in it, but who freely advertise their number. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Yechezkal Shimon Gutfreund sgutfreund@gte.com GTE Laboratories, Waltham MA harvard!bunny!sgutfreund -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
gonzalez@bbn.com (09/07/89)
In a recent Telecom Digest, Mike Trout writes: > I've since wondered if this willingness to drop off unlimited phone books > may have been prompted by the fact that there is now a competitor phone > book (Western Information Systems or something like that). So far the > competing book seems to have been dropped off at residences but not I don't know about this. It seems to me that when advertising money gets tight, businesses are going to fall back to the book issued by the local telco. Distribution is bound to be more extensive, and customers who really want the yellow pages call the telco, not "Sorta Yellow Publishing". Come to think of it, I haven't received any unsolicited "alternate yellow pages" lately. In Boston, at least until recently, individual orders for phone books were filled through contractors. A guy in an unmarked white van drove around dropping sets in accordance with a worksheet. An order I placed last month, however, was delivered by the mailman. If the contractor arrangement is used for general distribution, I could easily imagine crews trying to unload as many books at a given place as they can. After all, five stops is easier than twenty in emptying a truck. -Jim.
davef@brspyr1.brs.com (Dave Fiske) (09/09/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0353m07@vector.dallas.tx.us>, sg04@gte.com (Steven Gutfreund) writes: > While we are on the topic of phonebooks: Has anyone found the 800-directory > phonebook from AT&T useful? I ordered it, paid for it, and I can't say > that I have really gotten any good use out of it. Furthermore, I am familiar > with many 800 numbers (e.g. credit card companies) who are not listed in > it, but who freely advertise their number. This week, for some unknown reason, I received an AT&T 800 Directory in the mail for free. Why, I don't know, since I didn't request one. The enclosed letter said that I had been selected as one of AT&T's lucky customers to receive one. This is also puzzling, since I have been using Sprint for my long distance calls for several years, and I have no local telephone service in my name (and have never had it in my name at my present address). Also, since the mailing label was addressed to me "or current occupant", I really didn't feel all that privileged. However, it is marked $9.95 on the cover, so I decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. One of the first things I did was to look up companies whose 800 numbers I have called recently, and, as you say, I did not find most of them. The book does say that some companies chose not to be listed in the book, but I wonder whether it really is "most" companies. Although I suppose it may come in handy some day, my impression is that the main value of this (at least for me) is its humor value, since I instantly started browsing for odd listings (what, for example, do you suppose "Video Girlfriend" listed under Dating Services, is?). Here are a few gems I discovered under the Associations category: Air Force Sergeants Association American Computer Team Roping Association American Schizophrenic Association Association of Old Crows Beer Drinkers of America I Care Hot Line, Inc. National Council of Corvette Clubs North American Loon Fund Recording Industry Association--Anti-Piracy Southeastern Organ Procurement Foundation Structural Foam Conference The American Cleft Palate Educational Foundation US Handball Association US Swing Dance Council (I don't mean to belittle any of these organizations--it's just that the barebones listings sound a bit comical.) -- "ANGRY WOMEN BEAT UP SHOE SALESMAN Dave Fiske (davef@brspyr1.BRS.COM) WHO POSED AS GYNECOLOGIST" Home: David_A_Fiske@cup.portal.com Headline from Weekly World News CIS: 75415,163 GEnie: davef