Hi folks,

I was recently recommended your newsgroup, and I see that I missed
some discussion a couple months back on ten-digit dialing becoming
mandatory in rather a large number of area codes. Here's a brief
story of how poorly the changeover went for my aging, technology-phobic
father.

About three weeks ago I got a call from my aunt, frantic, that my
dad's phone had been disconnected. She called the phone company
to help him get his landline turned back on, but after many hours
on the phone with AT&T customer service, and even after eventually
findng a sypmethetic employee who said the service could be restored,
the promised restoration of his landline never happened as she was
told it would in the week thereafter.

Rewind a couple more weeks, and my dad, as he later explained to
me, was having difficulty dialing out on his home phone, and he
thought his cordless phone was the culprit. (He kept telling me he
thought the '6' button on the keypad was not dialing right, so his
calls wouldn't complete -- which might be a touch of senility.) In
hopes of fixing it, he went to a local AT&T store.

From what he told me, he told his problem to the technicians there,

who set him up with a cell phone ... and, as he could not explain
to me, but later became apparent, the store also ported his landline
number to the cell phone. Now my dad is much more easily confused
by technology than the average person, and resultigly he had a
non-operable landline at this point, and a cell phone he couldn't
figure out how to operate or activate.

To make things simple, once it was clear his old landline number
wasn't coming back, I called AT&T and ordered him a new landline.
(I figured maybe I can port away his old landline number to a SIP
provider and call foward it to him eventually.) It was set up in
just the span of a couple hours. I called him on it after it was
provisioned and he complained about getting the "you must also
include an area code" intercept message when making outbound local
calls.

Now wondering if my dad had totally lost his marbles, it was only
this evening, as I was catching up in my newsreader and saw the
ten-digit dialing articles here that it clicked: I think the ten-digit
dialing switchover in October confused him, and he thought his
phone's buttons were not functioning right, which set off all the
other troubles mentioned above.

I'm hopeful I can call him tomorrow and explain to him this is just
the way it is now, and that he'll remember it the next time he goes
to dial. What a mess to have to sort out, though, and I just keep
ruminating on the number of ways this could have gone otherwise to
have this not have gone all wrong.

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This is a multi-part message in MIME format.
On 12/12/2021 10:36 PM, C Mercadal wrote:

Rewind a couple more weeks, and my dad, as he later explained to
me, was having difficulty dialing out on his home phone, and he
thought his cordless phone was the culprit. (He kept telling me he
thought the '6' button on the keypad was not dialing right, so his
calls wouldn't complete -- which might be a touch of senility.) In
hopes of fixing it, he went to a local AT&T store.

From what he told me, he told his problem to the technicians there,

who set him up with a cell phone ... and, as he could not explain
to me, but later became apparent, the store also ported his landline
number to the cell phone. Now my dad is much more easily confused
by technology than the average person, and resultigly he had a
non-operable landline at this point, and a cell phone he couldn't
figure out how to operate or activate.

I suggest you take these steps, right now:

1. File a complaint against AT&T with the PUC in your dad's state. The
AT&T store employees deceived him.
2. See if the local police will accept a complaint. The Christmas
buying season is in full swing: even if all the police do is call
the store and ask what happened, the manager will want to make you
happy.
3. Ask for help from his federal _and_ state representatives.
4. Write to the executives at ATT&T, and demand refunds and that his
number be returned to his home POTS line.
5. Send copies of ALL your correspondence to EVERY media outlet in your
dad's area, including college radio stations and campus newspapers.

Don't hesitate and don't be polite. They conned your father, and they
depend on seniors for a large part of their profit.

Bill


--
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)


--
I don't want to say that I'm old and worn out, but I'm never anywhere near the curb on trash day

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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 12/12/2021 10:36 PM, C Mercadal
wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote type="cite" cite="mid:%3Csp6f4b$5ed$1@dont-email.me%3E">
<pre class="moz-quote-pre" wrap="">Rewind a couple more weeks, and my dad, as he later explained to
me, was having difficulty dialing out on his home phone, and he
thought his cordless phone was the culprit. (He kept telling me he
thought the '6' button on the keypad was not dialing right, so his
calls wouldn't complete -- which might be a touch of senility.) In
hopes of fixing it, he went to a local AT&amp;T store.

&gt;From what he told me, he told his problem to the technicians there,
who set him up with a cell phone ... and, as he could not explain
to me, but later became apparent, the store also ported his landline
number to the cell phone. Now my dad is much more easily confused
by technology than the average person, and resultigly he had a
non-operable landline at this point, and a cell phone he couldn't
figure out how to operate or activate.
</pre>
</blockquote>
<p>I suggest you take these steps, right now:</p>
<ol>
<li>File a complaint against AT&amp;T with the PUC in your dad's
state. The AT&amp;T store employees deceived him.<br>
</li>
<li>See if the local police will accept a complaint. The Christmas
buying season is in full swing: even if all the police do is
call the store and ask what happened, the manager will want to
make you happy.<br>
</li>
<li>Ask for help from his federal <u>and</u> state
representatives. <br>
</li>
<li>Write to the executives at ATT&amp;T, and demand refunds and
that his number be returned to his home POTS line.</li>
<li>Send copies of ALL your correspondence to EVERY media outlet
in your dad's area, including college radio stations and campus
newspapers.</li>
</ol>
<p>Don't hesitate and don't be polite. They conned your father, and
they depend on seniors for a large part of their profit.</p>
<p>Bill</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<p>--<br>
(Remove QRM from my email address to write to me directly)<br>
</p>
<p><br>
</p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
I don't want to say that I'm old and worn out, but I'm never anywhere near the curb on trash day</pre>
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--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)