DPickett@PCO-MULTICS.HBI.HONEYWELL.COM (11/09/88)
I was surprised to find a payphone that would not let me use the pad
after completion of my 800 call The instrument was supplied by NJBell
and was located on the Atlantic City Expressway. Usually NJB phones
don't do this (though many other company payphones down here do). And
on the Expressway, you can't just run down the street and select another
payphone. I got no help from the operator(s), but the repair service
supervisor connected me such that my pad was workable.
I recommend that anyone else who gets bashed this way by a BOC be
persistent in ensuring that they can access their alternative carrier
without hindrance from a super-sophisticated payphone. If enough people
bug the repair people about these "broken" phones, they will report the
problem and complain about the cost of handling this situation.
If I had my own tone pad, I probably could have gotten around this.
The other payphones I have used (not NJB) go so far as to cut you off if
you tone the line after getting connected. This is refusal to provide
the service paid for because of mechanical censorship. I hope we can
look forward to disabling legislation/regulation for these cretins.
Before they get computers that can make out words as well as tones, eh,
big bro.?