Todd in Boise agrees, the Bell System was better!

[Greg G.]

We've been having trouble with our Dr's clinic trying to get through to our home phone to confirm appts.  This happened 2 or 3 times, most recently today when they tried to call our home number to confirm an appt for my wife and got a message saying that the line was being serviced, so they called her at work.

I went to CenturyLink's web site and chatted with Todd in Boise.  I explained to him what was going on, and that it was only the Dr's clinic who couldn't get through, here's part of what was said:

Todd in Boise: this will be an issue on their end or with their phone company
Todd in Boise: or between companies
Todd in Boise: with all other calls coming in, your service is working
Greg Goebel: This wouldn't happen if we still had the Bell System.
Todd in Boise: there is that
Greg Goebel: Nothing personal.
Greg Goebel: Thanks anyway.
Todd in Boise: nothing personal taken, I agree

[Babybearjs]

whoever Todd is... tell him I'm in Boise too! maybe he'll want a phone or 2.... and , yes... the bell system was better.... the MH park I live in is a mess when it comes to phone service...  recently I have had to reboot my DSL modem because I keep getting kicked off-line. I can't tell if its the modem, or the service... but I do know, that if Ma Bell was still in force, the service would be in better shape!

[Dan/Panther]

I can not recall any time before the breakup of having lost telephone service.
Indeed, one of the biggest Government intrusive mistakes of all time.

D/P

[AE_Collector]

Back in the mid 80's we installed a new PBX for a customer and many or maybe all of the stations had Direct Inward Dialing (DID) direct to their phone bypassing the PBX operator. We were given numbers in a brand new NNX 604-439. All went well as the system went into service. It was a day or two later when we began to hear that no one could call them from outside of the 604 Area Code which at the time covered the entire province of British Columbia. As it turned out, the Toll Switches of the era knew what NNX's existed in each area code and didn't bother tying up circuits for people who mis-dialled to get a "Please check your number and dial again" message from the distant end of a valuable LD circuit. Someone forgot to diseminate the info throughout North America that 604-439 was going into service so incoming only was accesible within our 604 Area Code.

Terry

[19and41]

I set up phone service for the first time in September of 1981 with Mountain Bell in Ogden Utah.  I had to get a phone at the phone store (for lease) and await the connection.  I guess I didn't have long enough before the breakup to gauge the pluses and minuses of their service..  I bought the phone shortly after the breakup.  It is the beige Trimline T/T in my collection pics.

[andre_janew]

I first got phone service through Southwestern Bell shortly after the breakup.  I changed long distance carriers a few times over the  years and I even had MCI for both local and long distance service for a while.  MCI was supposed to save me "big money" but I couldn't see much difference, if any.  I was back to Southwestern Bell for local service and AT&T for long distance.

[NorthernElectric]

Are you sure that Todd was in Boise and not Bangalore or Bombay?   

[Greg G.]

Are you sure that Todd was in Boise and not Bangalore or Bombay?   

No, I'm not, and I wouldn't be surprised! 

[Greg G.]

Turns out Todd was full of it, as far as his customer service skills go (but not about the Bell System).  I had another call on my cell from my Dr's office and after we got done, I asked her if she tried to call our home first.  Same story, they couldn't get through.  This time I called CenturyLink (on the phone) and got a rep who was far more helpful.  After I explained what was happening, the rep tried a few back and forth calls, checked a few other things and said she thinks it may be a "trunk issue" and would generate a repair ticket.