The Donaldsonville chief., 1920-03-13
SATURDAY, MARCH 13, 1920.
ROTTEN TELEPHONE SERVICE.


Judging from the many com
plants which have been going the
rounds recently regarding the abomi-
nable service given by the Cumber-
land Telephone and Telegraph Com
pany to the patrons of it's local ex-
change, it is a wonder to many peo-
pie that such a concern is tolerated
IN live, wide-awake and progressive
city such as this. Nearly everybody
IS kicking or complaining, but the
kicks and complaints are entirely ig-
nored by the company, who continues
to dispense service, in some cases so
rotten that it is worse than no SER
vice at all. Some persons claim that
for hours and sometimes days at the
time they are unable to get any an
'swer to their rings from the ex-
change. Others protest that after
having their ring answered bv the
company, it is almost impossible for
them to get the desired connections,
and others still assert that when
once the connection has been OBJ
tanned they must await tie COM
pany's pleasure in making the "dis-
connection" regardless of the length
of time that this might involve. In
the meantime the entire business of
the. community suffers.
Some people attribute the poor SER
vice to the alleged fact that the
paraphernalia of the exchange is
worn or out of gear and requires over
hauling in its entirity, while others
believe that the trouble is due to the
carelessness Of the employees of the
company and not to defective ap-
paratus. Be that as it may, the SER
vice is intolerable and it should not
be permitted to continue so. The
company should make an investiga-
tion at once and correct and remedy
whatever defects it might find to ex-
ist, and upon it's failure to do so, the
people of this city and vicinity-the
people who pay out their money for
frst-class service which they do not
get-should take steps to invoke the
aid of the Railroad Commission and
the courts in compelling the COM
pany to do so.
Telephone service has come to be
regarded as absolutely indispensable |
in the busy life Of a modern COM
munity, and inasmuch as the Cum
berland Company enjoys monopoly
of the right and privilege to furnish |
this service it should be made to COM
ply with its part of the contract the
same as it exacts compliance there
with on the part of it's patrons. H
other words, it should be forced 81
give value received for the good pay
which it exacts from those who are
compelled in the absence of competi-
ton, to use it's service
A heavy increase in monthly rent
ais or subscriptions as well as in toll
rates was arbitrarily forced upon the
patrons of the company year or SO
ago, and by decree equally as ar
bitrary, subscribers to the service are
now compelled to pay their monthly
rentals or subscriptions in advance. |
The latter decree is perhaps respon-
sible in a measure for the manifest
on the part of the COM
pany to the service which it dis
penses to it's patrons. With the ser
vice paid for in advance, the incen-
tive for exertion to please is greatly
if not destroyed alto
pether; but the company can and
should be made to understand that it
cannot take the peoples money and
then treat with impunity their re-
peated complaints Of the miserable
service which it gives them in return