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05/10/2003 Archived Entry: "A TWO DAN STORY"
A TWO DAN STORY
One Dan was here the other day working on my water system when the conversation strayed, as it often does, to other things. We always find a lot to talk about. He told me about the new SBC phone package that he signed up for that is proving to be a real money-saver for him.
For only $48.95 a month, you'll get:
Unlimited nationwide SBC Long Distance domestic direct-dialed calling from home. Call anyone, anywhere in the U.S., anytime 24/7.
Unlimited local calling plus our most popular calling features, including CallNotes®Plus, Caller ID, Call Waiting, Call Waiting ID, Three-Way Calling and InLine ® inside wire maintenance.
SBC local and SBC Long Distance services on the same bill.
That's a heck of a deal.
I called 1-866-999-6181. Enter Dan number two at SBC. Providence, I think.
Dan pulls up my phone bill and I can hear the groan at his end. I can tell he is happy it isn't HIS phone bill and he wonders at this person on the other end of his line in Kansas.
First, I tell him of my pic freeze so we undo that. Customer choice protection. I'll reinstate that later after our due date for my new, I think, service so I never get slammed again. You never want to experience long distance slamming. It can make your life miserable.
He goes over the surcharges...what's this, he says to himself...$10.54...ummm interstate access. We don't have that in Texas. I bet not. My constant question is...will this save me some money. No answer. I mention that I use a Sam's card for long-distance calling so that isn't included. More and deeper groans...and I sense compassion coming from Austin TX.
There are choices...caller ID, call blocker, call waiting, 3-way calling, in line protection, auto-redial, call forwarding, priority call, speedway...other things depending on cordless or corded phones. Scrap the cell phone stuff, as I don't have that. I only use caller ID. It helps a lot when you have a husband who can't hear and confuses Rosie Levra with Yogi Berra.
We go over why I have a dedicated line for my computer. Take a look at my website and you'll understand, I say. He took notes on that. He explains how he manages with one telephone line and caller ID on line. That would never work for me, and I explain why. Basically, I spend too much time talking on the phone and typing on my computer at the same time. And, it's annoying to callers, especially ones my age who don't have computers and are annoyed that I do, to find THE line always busy. So, I've never settled for one line.
Anyway, after a very, very, very long time, he determines this wonderful service isn’t available in Ellsworth. I remind him the other Dan who lives eight miles north has it, but he finds that not at all surprising.
Still not convinced, I ask him to try my son’s number down the street…nope he says. How about my next door neighbor? He checks them as well. Nope he says. Then he suggested I try someone who lives in town two or three miles from me. I have to explain that the town is only one mile from one end to the other in any direction. Finally, I suggested he try Fritz Pflughoeft and gave him the number. He lives in town about as far away from me as one can get. Nope. No service available to Fritz.
So, I ask him. What is going to have to happen to make this service available here? Well, he says, get a chunk-load of people to move to Ellsworth so it will be profitable for SBC to put in a line so they can provide this service! Here we go again, clawing our way up the mountain so we don’t fall off.
Since Dan and I have gotten to be such good friends by now, I explain that SBC likes to get control of rights for fiber optics, broadband etc. through legislative means, but they will not commit to putting in the service in rural areas once they get those rights.
Then he said we could get all the telephone service we wanted for $2.00 a month if we lived on tribal lands. Well, they deserve to get it for $2.00 a month, imo. But why is it that someone living 8 miles north of here, with only one neighbor for miles around, can get it? Can't they tap off whatever that line is and bring it 8 miles south? Nah...that's a simple answer for a very complicated problem, I suspect.
If you want to give it a try and see if you are in the right service area, call the number I listed or
CLICK RIGHT HERE I suggest you ask first if you happen to fall in an area where the service is available, before you move on to examining your bill. Inquiring about your bill won't make your day bubbly.