r.a.a.@pro-palace.cts.com (Rodney Amadeus) (07/10/89)
While we're on the subject of calling cards, I was wondering if anyone has the
numbers to get AT&T's calling card and/or Sprint's FON card. I've been in
need of such a card for quite a while..
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Rodney Amadeus Anonymous, Jr. | pro-palace!r.a.a.
User #1 PhD GBBS | 215/678-5741 2400 baud
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[Moderator's Note: To obtain a calling card from the long distance carrier
supplying your service, call their business office. For AT&T, the number
is 1-800-222-0300. However, I got *my* calling card from Illinois Bell,
and although the number is identical (including the PIN) to the one I also
got from AT&T, I like the artwork on the IBT card better, and carry it.
Sprint also issues cards, as does MCI. You have to be on their network to
get their cards however. I don't think AT&T requires this. PT]msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu (Mark Robert Smith) (07/12/89)
I know for a fact that MCI does NOT require that they be your home default carrier. In fact, they will give you a card with appropriate credit references if you don't have a phone. In addition, they have been very good to me about allowing my MCI card account to carry over the summer, after my school phone is disconnected in May. (I end up in a different dorm room each year, which means a new phone number every year.) I just call before I disconnect, and they take the residential service off of the account, but leave the card active with the same number. Then, after calling NJ Bell to establish the new number in August, I call MCI, close the old account the day before Labor Day, and request a new account with a new card. 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.
john@jetson.upma.md.us (John Owens) (07/12/89)
> [Moderator's Note: [...] I got *my* calling card from Illinois Bell, > and although the number is identical (including the PIN) to the one I also > got from AT&T, I like the artwork on the IBT card better, and carry it. I also like the artwork on the Bell Atlantic card I got from C&P better, but two things led me to carry the AT&T card instead. 1) The AT&T card reader phones in airports, hotels, etc., won't take the C&P card (even though the PIN is the same), and 2) the C&P card doesn't have the PIN printed on it (which is silly, since it's on the magstripe). No flames about carrying my printed PIN please; it's no worse than carrying a credit card. -- John Owens john@jetson.UPMA.MD.US uunet!jetson!john +1 301 249 6000 john%jetson.uucp@uunet.uu.net
cowan@marob.masa.com (John Cowan) (07/14/89)
>[Moderator's Note: ... I got *my* calling card from Illinois Bell, >and although the number is identical (including the PIN) to the one I also >got from AT&T, Naturally. A BOC calling card >is< an AT&T calling card. I frequently use my New York Telephone calling card out-of-state, dialing 10288 where necessary, and never have a problem. Why this hook between AT&T and the BOCs still exists I don't know -- doesn't the MFJ prevent BOCs from giving AT&T special treatment? -- Internet/Smail: cowan@marob.masa.com Dumb: uunet!hombre!marob!cowan Fidonet: JOHN COWAN of 1:107/711 Magpie: JOHN COWAN, (212) 420-0527 Charles li reis, nostre emperesdre magnes Set anz toz pleins at estet in Espagne.
johnw@gatech.edu (John Wheeler) (07/15/89)
Replying to... >[Moderator's Note: >Sprint also issues cards, as does MCI. You have to be on their network to >get their cards however. I don't think AT&T requires this. PT] Not true, Patrick. I have never had Sprint as my carrier and I have had a Sprint FonCard for 2 years. -- Turner John Wheeler E N T E R T A I N M E N T ...!gatech!nanovx!techwood!johnw Networks Techwood Library * home of Superstation TBS * TNT * TBS Sports
ellisond@ncar.ucar.edu (Dell Ellison) (07/18/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0231m08@vector.dallas.tx.us>, r.a.a.@pro-palace.cts.com (Rodney Amadeus) writes: > [Moderator's Note: To obtain a calling card from the long distance carrier > ... > got from AT&T, I like the artwork on the IBT card better, and carry it. > Sprint also issues cards, as does MCI. You have to be on their network to > get their cards however. I don't think AT&T requires this. PT] You don't have to be on U.S. Sprint's 'network' to get their FON card. [Moderator's Note: But just don't plan on making any calls from Port Authority or Grand Central Station, or wherever else Sprint has red-lined. And it would be prudent not to dial repeatedly to get past a busy signal. PT]
deej@bellcore.bellcore.com (David Lewis) (07/22/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0237m08@vector.dallas.tx.us>, cowan@marob.masa.com (John Cowan) writes: > Naturally. A BOC calling card >is< an AT&T calling card. I frequently use > my New York Telephone calling card out-of-state, dialing 10288 where > necessary, and never have a problem. Why this hook between AT&T and the BOCs > still exists I don't know -- doesn't the MFJ prevent BOCs from giving AT&T > special treatment? Yes, but... The calling card databases were one of several types of facilities (particularly "Class 4" tandem switches) which were in effect "shared" between the BOCs and AT&T Long Lines, which couldn't be split. (I can't recall offhand what the name of the AT&T Calling Card DB is called; I'm sure some willing Bell Labs soul could help me out....) For this reason, at divestiture the BOCs were in essence granted a waiver to allow them to continue to use the AT&T calling card verification databases until they were able to develop and deploy their own systems. They've developed them, using a database system called LIDB (Line Information DataBase), but deployment is being held up in legal maneuverings, the extent of which I can't recall offhand. Probably something to do with call setup times, like 800 DBS. I believe there's a time limit on the waiver, but I suspect if the RBOCs went to Judge Green with a case that they've developed a system but have been unable to deploy it because of legal challenges, the waiver would be extended. Disclaimer: I don't work on LIDB, so I don't really know any of this. -- David G Lewis ...!bellcore!nvuxr!deej "If this is paradise, I wish I had a lawnmower."
nobody@nowhere.UUCP (07/28/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0233m06@vector.dallas.tx.us> msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu writes: >I know for a fact that MCI does NOT require that they be your home >default carrier. I talked to an MCI rep yesterday about my (soon to be former) MCI calling card; I was told that because of a recent policy decision, they would let anyone hold a card for a maximum of a month without associated "dial 1" service (MCI marketing-talk for being the default carrier) on my line. The original purpose of my call had been to register another address change with them; the actual exchange for the number on the card (212-280) died last year and I have moved a few times since with no problem, but this time I was told that any new address/phone number I gave them for billing *would* be assigned MCI. (I had been using them for one high-volume area in which they were marginally cheaper than ATT; I have no wish to deal with the three-ring circus that is MCI's version of billing on my NYTel bill.) I would not be suprised, though, if two MCI operators had entirely different ideas of what "standard MCI policy" was, considering their past level of service. Andrew Boardman, yet another disgruntled (and soon to be former) MCI customer. ab4@cunixc.columbia.edu ab4@cunixc.bitnet {backbone}!columbia!cunixc!ab4 [as of the retransmission, amb@heathcliff.cs.columbia.edu wil wrok better, or simply amb@cs.columbia.edu]
miket@brspyr1.brs.com (Mike Trout) (07/28/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0260m08@vector.dallas.tx.us>, nobody@nowhere.UUCP writes: > (I had been using them for one high-volume > area in which they were marginally cheaper than ATT; I have no wish to > deal with the three-ring circus that is MCI's version of billing on my NYTel > bill.) MCI allows the option of adding their charges to the standard NYTel bill, as you have, or to a separate MCI bill, as I have. I started out several years ago with the MCI+NYTel bill and also found it to be rather messy, whereupon I switched to separate bills and have been happy ever since. You might consider the same; I think all it took was a phone call to MCI customer service. I've had MCI as my default carrier for several years and have never had a complaint. Audio quality is excellent, rates have usually been nicely below AT&T's, and I've never had the billing/customer service fiascos that seem to plague Sprint. I even changed addresses and phone numbers about a year ago, and MCI put the changes through instantly and flawlessly; frankly I had been expecting a major hassle. -- 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
lars@salt.acc.com (Lars J Poulsen) (07/29/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0233m06@vector.dallas.tx.us> > msmith@topaz.rutgers.edu writes: >>I know for a fact that MCI does NOT require that they be your home >>default carrier. In article <telecom-v09i0260m08@vector.dallas.tx.us> Andrew Boardman, ab4@nowhere.UUCP writes: >I talked to an MCI rep yesterday about my (soon to be former) MCI calling >card; I was told that because of a recent policy decision, they would let >anyone hold a card for a maximum of a month without associated "dial 1" >service (MCI marketing-talk for being the default carrier) on my line. The original question was about which long-distance carriers would issue a card to somebody WHO DID NOT HAVE A HOME PHONE NUMBER at all. This still has not been addressed. My home service is two lines. One has 1+ via ATT. The other has 1+ dialing disabled. (Took quite a bit of talking to convince the GTE salesperson that this was even possible !). I have an account with MCI which I use for 10222-1+ dialing from home and for card calling from work. When I recently added the American Airlines bonus mileage option to my MCI account, they sent me a new pair of cards, which I promptly (cut up and) threw out, because I like the MCI logo better than the airline logo, and I would not want to confuse the MCI card with the AAdvantage card. And the numbers were all the same. When I signed up with MCI they asked my permission to become my default carrier, but I said no. They have never brought the issue up again. I am considering taking them on as my default carrier to become eligible for a discount plan, but I'll be d**ned if I'll be railroaded. If they try to force me, I'll probably cancel my account. I don't think they will try to force me. On the other hand, I'm perfectly willing to believe that a customer service representative may have been misinformed. In the year that I have used MCI, I have never had a billing error; on the other hand, I have had several false billings on the ATT page of my GTE bill. / Lars Poulsen <lars@salt.acc.com> (800) 222-7308 or (805) 963-9431 ext 358 ACC Customer Service Affiliation stated for identification only My employer probably would not agree if he knew what I said !!