[comp.dcom.telecom] Phone company double billing

len@csd4.milw.wisc.edu (Leonard P Levine) (04/22/89)

Here at a university we have the capability of making three way calls.

Examining our bills we often find that the phone company bills us for
multiple contacts with a single long distance number if we call, get
a busy, hang up and recall immediately (less than 5 seconds) getting
a good line.

The problem is, of course that the system treats a short hangup as a flash
and keeps the busy buzz on the line during the next 5 minutes during
the reall call.

No contact with the phone company has gotten us any but the response
that we should not make two calls in quick succession.

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| Leonard P. Levine               e-mail len@evax.milw.wisc.edu |
| Professor, Computer Science             Office (414) 229-5170 |
| University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee       Home   (414) 962-4719 |
| Milwaukee, WI 53201 U.S.A.              Modem  (414) 962-6228 |
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[Moderator's Note: When you use an alternative long distance carrier which
cannot provide call/answer supervision, but still claims to be saving you
money, then you are only fooling yourself. And even so, with the quick
flash, how is the phone system supposed to know you did NOT want to set
up a three way long distance call?    PT]