RCH@cup.portal.com (12/16/88)
I am a Touchstar(R) Custom Services customer from Southern Bell in Athens, GA. We recently had these services added to the ESS system here, as well as in Atlanta and probably many other cities in this LATA. We have had c waiting for years, and call-forwarding, and three-way calling. But these services are now available: [from the Touchstar(R) Service User's Guide, 6/88 So. Bell] CALL RETURN -- "Call return is a simple way to call back the last number that called you, whether or not you answered the phone. For those times when you're in the shower, the garden, etc., and can't get to the phone when it rings, or when you return home and want to know the last person that called when you were out, CALL RETURN will automatically call back that last number." REPEAT DIALING -- "Remember the last time you repeatedly tried to call someone and their line was busy or there was no answer? Now REPEAT DIALING makes your life easier. It automatically redials the last number you dialed. If the line is busy, REPEAT DIALING will keep trying until the line is free, then signal you. You can use REPEAT DIALING for more than one busy number at a time. During this time you may place and receive other calls." CALL TRACING -- "CALL TRACING enables you to initiate an automatic trace of the last call you received. Your teleohone company Annoyance Cal Center will automatically receive a message containing the phone number where the offending call originated, plus the time and date of when the offending call was placed. It is necessary, however, for you to call your telephone company Annoyance Call Center if you wish them to investigate further...." CALL SELECTOR -- "Have you ever been waiting for a call from someone in particular, and didn't really want to answer calls from other people? CALL SELECTOR lets you know whether that particular person (or one of several people) is calling. With CALL SELECTOR, you make a list of preferred phone number(s), then your phone will signal you with a special ring (short-long-short ring cycle) when someone from your list is calling." CALL BLOCK -- "Have you ever had an annoying caller who repeatedly disturbed you> Or, are there certain times when you don't wish to speak with someone in particular? CALL BLOCK helps you control your phone and rids you of these inconveniences. This service prevents the last person who called you from reaching you again (from the same calling number). It also rejects phone numbers you put on your CALL BLOCK list. In either case, the call is re-routed to a recorded message and your phone does not ring." PREFERRED CALL FORWARDING -- "PREFERRED CALL FORWARDING enables you to select another telephone number where calls are to be forwarded, and then limits the forwarded calls to just the numbers on your PREFERRED CALL FORWARDING list." ----- CALL RETURN and CALL FORWARDING automatically attempt to place the call every minute for half an hour. When the line becomes free you will hear a special (short-short-long) ring cycle. Picking up the receiver will then ring the number you are calling. You may still place and receive calls normally while using these features. These features both work with multiple numbers (six per list). Note that all of these features will work even if you are using the phone, as long as you have Call Waiting. ----- Excerpts from the Touchstar(R) User's Guide, Southern Bell, South Central Bell, (c)1988 BellSouth Services BSSM 8815 6/88