Patrick_A_Townson@cup.portal.COM (03/06/88)
<from the Chicago Sun-Times, Friday 3-4-88, written by Jim Quinlan> Credit card users who make calls on privately owned pay phones are usually in for a shock when the bill arrives, according to Datapro Research Corp. The New Jersey telecommunications information service said consumers using private phone service, called Alternate Operator Service, frequently face unexpected charges of 10 times the amount charged by AT&T. The Alternate Operator business, which came into existence following the breakup of the Bell System, was used primarily by hotels and motels in the beginning. Alternate Operator firms pay large commissions to those who install their phones. Although Illinois Bell provides billing services for three Alternate Operator Service companies, they warn that anyone using an unfamiliar pay phone must be cautious. Richard Hill, a spokesman for Illinois Bell suggested that callers should find a phone plainly marked "Illinois Bell", or xxxx-Bell in other parts of the country. Likewise a phone with a seal saying it is operated by General Telephone or Centel is safe to use said Hill, who added that these phones are regulated by various state regulatory agencies such as the Illinois Commerce Commission. The rates are well known and published. Hill said the various Bell Operating Companies provide the best value for the service. Al Talbott, chief telephone engineer for the Illinois Commerce Commission said Alternate Operator Service operations require only certification by the commission. The AOS' are not regulated by the ICC, nor are they in most states. Talbott said they were particularly excluded, but he does not know how or why that came about. Although the original intention was to allow Alternate Operator Services rates to compete with other telephone services, no one anticipated their rates would be so high. The problem is, they catch unsuspecting customers by suprise and shock according to Talbott. Many of their coin telephone instruments look 'just like' phones provided by Bell. Talbott said there have been enough complaints about these pay phones that the commission is planning to take a new look at them and their operations, but for now those phones are legal. Talbott suggested consumers should ask for the name of the service placing their call when calling from 'suspect phones', such as those at airports and hotels. Ask specifically what the call is going to cost when calling through a hotel switchboard. When using private pay phones which accept credit cards for billing, find out from someone at the company how much will be billed to your credit card. And like Hill, he suggested that when a choice of payphones is available in a location, you may wish to look for one with a tag saying "xxx-Bell". In some areas, he noted, the tag may say 'genuine Bell' or 'Telephone Company Coin Phone' or words to that effect. +++++++++++++++++++++++ And in the Action Line column the day before, a business man complained of being charged <eighteen dollars> for a one minute call -- in the evening -- from Chicago to New York City. Action Line was able to retrieve his money for him. Patrick Townson
msmith@TOPAZ.RUTGERS.EDU (Mark Robert Smith) (03/11/88)
Does anybody know what payphones (other than NJ Bell) are "safe" in
NJ?
Mark
--
Mark Smith (alias Smitty) "Be careful when looking into the distance,
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