From: cybrspc!roy@cs.umn.edu (Roy M. Silvernail)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: A Non-Horror Story
Date: 30 Aug 92 19:51:46 GMT
Organization: Villa CyberSpace, Minneapolis, MN
X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu
X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 12, Issue 675, Message 3 of 12

I just moved into a new apartment in Minneapolis.  The building is
some 28 years old, and I wondered what the telephone service would be
like.

The manager gave me a look at the demarc, and I shuddered.  It's one
of those old panels with screw-studs. (I don't know the exact term,
but you use a can wrench on them) The incoming cabling is a rat's
nest, and absolutely nothing is labelled.  The guides on the terminal
frame are numbered, but the numbers don't match reality.

Hoping for the best, I called US West.  The local service number goes
through an ACD, and handed me to a representative in fairly short
order.  She took my name, my new service address, and asked whether I
had service in my name before.  Then she offered me a measured-service
line and a flat-rate line.  Other than mentioning measured service
first, I got no pressure to select that service.

I was offered the standard custom calling options: Call Waiting, Call
Forwarding, Three-Way Calling and Speed Dial.  I declined all but Call
Waiting, since my building's security system uses the telephone as a
doorbell.  Final cost for the line is 23.80/month, including LineBacker
(because I didn't put the wiring in myself, I don't want to have to
pay to get it fixed) and Tone Calling.

She then asked if I had a computer or FAX machine.  I had heard from a
friend that there was some special on second-line installations, and
asked.  I found that the second line is $16.25 to install (first one
is $18.75), but that she could waive all but $2.50 of that
installation.  I accepted and ordered a second line with tone calling
only for $19.25 a month.

When the day came, I checked the apartment, and found line 1 working,
but nothing on line two.  I presumed that a field man would have to
visit the demarc from hell for that, and met him when he arrived.  I
told him that line 1 worked, but not line two, and he answered "did
you want a second line installed?"  This caught me off guard.  He went
on that there was a $58 charge to install the second line to my jacks.
I told hin the jack work had already been done.  Then he asked me if I
had a two-line phone.  I assured him that I did, and showed him to the
demarc.

After talking with the installer a bit, I found out why we
miscommunicated at first.  He said most people that order two lines
want separate RJ-11 jacks.  He didn't expect me to understand RJ-14.
After he realized I wasn't the usual dunce, we got along fine.

The installation proceeded smoothly.  He quickly located and hooked up
my second pair, and we tested them from the apartment.  He almost gave
me the ANI number, but didn't.  (it's six digits with a four digit
security code, changed every three months ... that's all he would
say.)

Footnote: Later, when I was setting up the phones and the modem, I had
trouble with the second line.  I finally traced the fault to an old
ITT 2500 desk set I have.  When the modular kit was put on this phone,
the black/yellow pair was tied together on the G network terminal!


Roy M. Silvernail |+|  roy%cybrspc@cs.umn.edu