TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Last Laugh! Western Union's Comment About Useless Phones

Re: Last Laugh! Western Union's Comment About Useless Phones

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
6 Jul 2005 12:16:14 -0700

> [TELECOM Digest Editor's Note: For a really good time, combine
> telephone tag with references to numbers not in service ....

> ... After about a minute, their system responded and said
> 'someone will be with you shortly ... please wait' but I just hung up.

At the time of Bell System Divesture in 1983 a huge wave of automation
was hitting the country. Systems described above are very common now
(ABC Nightline did a whole feature on it) and fancy automation and
greedy companies makes it possible.

The old Bell System was dedicated to service. They constantly put out
literature to both residence and business subscribers on proper
telephone technique and manners. They didn't want 'the telephone' to
be seen negatively as described above but rather a positive useful
tool. They had consultants go out to businesses just to teach proper
usage of business sytems and teachers who went to schools to show kids
how to use the phone.

If the Bell System still existed as a monopoly provider today, I
wonder how they'd deal with the above described customer frustrations.
The Bell System did not like it when their product/service was made to
look bad and spent money and efforts to counteract it.

I presume they would allow automated systems to exist; they do -- when
used properly -- help customers and businesses. But would they allow
such craziness as routings to dead lines and dead air?

[public replies please]

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