Phone Leasing

[HarrySmith]

I was checking out this auction for 2 WE 500's:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/231046858569
I noticed a sticker on the bottom of one for an 800 number, I called it. It is a company in Philadelphia called QLT leasing! Apparently they are handling phone leases since 1984 as that is the date on the sticker. Thier automated menu even includes an option for using a phone that is not touch tone!
Amazing! I can not believe people are still paying to lease phones!

[AE_Collector]

I hope that the seller of the phone set his starting bid high enough to cover the lease of the phone for the rest of his life!

Terry

[poplar1]

That phone number was used by AT&T when they took possession of all leased phones from the Bell companies at Divestiture (1-1-1984). However, QLT did not take over the leases until later. In 1995, phones were still being refurbished at the AT&T (formerly WE) Service Center in Atlanta, and the boxes and labels from that time indicate that they were still leased by AT&T, not QLT.

Notice that both stickers show these sets were sold to the customers in early 1984. That could be when the customers started getting a new bill from AT&T, in addition to their bill for dial tone. The turquoise or blue one may have already been leased for 20 years before it was sold to the person who had been leasing it from
Illinois Bell.