roy%phri@uunet.uu.net (Roy Smith) (08/01/89)
This morning, I've placed a few calls to 401-847 and 401-849 numbers (actually,
two different lines to the same company). To be honest, I'm not sure which
long distance carrier we use here at work. About 3 out of 4 times I get one
of two recordings, either "-ry your call again" (it sounds like the recording
cuts in on the middle of a "please try your call again" message, every time
at exactly the same place) or "this number is not in service at this time".
When I called the AT&T operator, she said one number was busy (possible, I
guess) and put me right through to the other number. Another time, the
operator told me I should try it with 10288 first, which I did and it worked.
My question is, what exactly does an operator do when you call and
ask for help making a call. Most times when I have to call an operator
because I can't get through myself and suspect something is wrong, the
operator makes the call no sweat. Do they do anything special? Manual
routing? Priority routing? Or is it just luck?
Hmm... I just noticed on a recent Digest that either 1-700-555-1212
or 1-700-555-4141 should get you a recording telling you what LD carrier
you have. I tried the first and got a recording saying "We're sorry, your
long distance carrier cannot complete your call at this time. Please check
with your long distance carrier for more information. 13282." or something
to that effect. A call to the later got a recording welcoming me to the
"Totaltel network". Sounds like fly-by-night phone company to me.
--
Roy Smith, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016
{att,philabs,cmcl2,rutgers,hombre}!phri!roy -or- roy@alanine.phri.nyu.edu
"The connector is the network"
[Moderator's Note: The AT&T operator has some options not presently available
to operators of Sprint and MCI, who mostly are limited to handling special
billing requests on calls, such as collect, third number or credit card
billings. AT&T operators will assist in dialing by (1) attempting to reach
the number themselves to see if the problem you were experiencing was
temporary and has now corrected itself, and (2) to seek the assistance of
the local operator in the called community to detirmine if the requested
number is out of order, abandoned off-hook, or whatever.
By dialing to 'Inward' in the desired community via a number the operators
can dial but subscribers cannot, the operator has her counterpart in the
distant city 'verify' the number; that is, go on the line momentarily to
listen for conversation or some indication of trouble.
What sometimes happens when AT&T can complete a call but some other OCC
bounces it back through intercept is that no one has yet told the OCC the
desired office code (AC plus prefix) is a working combination. Or if the
OCC was made aware, they have not yet programmed their switch to accomodate
calls to that office. The OCC's not have a sufficient working arrangement
with the local telcos *yet* that they can 'borrow' an operator in the
distant city to verify troubles on the line.
The reason you have Bumstench Telecom, or whatever they call it is perhaps
they managed to convince some executive in your firm -- a know nothing where
telecom is concerned -- that the rates would be so much better than the
'overpriced' service offered by AT&T. It happens that way, a lot. PT]