~o ~
    
    M:^A 4:
    
    ~J4-c'~`
    
    It's not just the rate increases that burn me up about Bell.
    It's those local calls tbat sound like ~ere's an atomic war
    on, after you~ve dialed a wrong number i~ree times in a row.
    It's tbst lousy Bell service.
    
    Lousy service comes from rotten equiptment and asir~ine
    employees. The equiptment is rotten because Bell doesn't
    feel like buying new equ~ptment. It costs money and deesn't
    m~ke money for them. Ihus, there is no reason. People
    don't enjojr petrcing tones tbat blow thetr ears out, or taps
    and clicks constantly on their private conversations. But
    people don't connt, unless they're the few who own stock,
    
    /~;~
    :~; ~c^''t /~ - ~
    
    ~o~
    
    C,~
    
    5;L'
    
                                       Jc! - ,
                                        1.~f,
    
                                          -
    
    How t~ get out of psylng deposit
    Feel Freel to lie to phone co. They don't have time to check
    your answers, especially in spring and fall in college towns.
    When they ask, "Are you married? ' say YES. When they
    aak where you work, NENTER say, 'tI'm a student. " Te]1 them
    you're civil serv~ce. When they aak, "Do you have a bank
    account? " say YES and mendon chec}dng acconnt in one
    local bank and a savings account in another. When they ask,
    "How long haue you been at that a~dress? " say a year and
    name your landierd. If they stiO want a deposit, get very
    lots of stock. lt's a fact tbat in New Yorlc City the phone com- insu~ted a.nd say "To hell wi~ it. " Then apolog~ze: "Gee,
    pany puts the new equiptment in the richer areas and badly Iem not ma~ at you person~y, but those s~pid company po-
    neglect service in predominantly non-white areas. Recently licies I It~ ~et worRing there is a real drag. " Call 2 or 3
    they sent out printed lea[Lets in the bills saying that they days later, go thru the above routine again, & you probably
    were c~ang~ng to a new dial tone to improve service. Result- will get ~e phone with no hassle about a req~ired deposit
                                        a new <1;~1 tone with no improvement in ser~rice.     Verv imPortant-After set?eral months often 6, you are en-
                                        The employees are another problem. Though there are   '
                                        many polite employees, the bad ones do their best to make  titled to your deposit ~ck. The phone company w~ ve
                                        up for their numbers. They l~sten to your conversations,   you interest on the deposit ~n the form of phone credit, but
                                        act like they do you a favor, and cut yol1 off if you start to  itts no bargain. The interest car~ be earned at any bank, but
                                        get apoplecLic from not being able to strangle ~em. It has tbe phone company ~nvests your money in ways to malce a
                                        o~ten happened that an operator will accuse you of being a forb~ne for them and much less for you. Don't let them use
                                        bother or of lying to them, and they then pronounce your   your moneyl If you have your fr~ends do this it will msan
    
    sentence- your phone will be disconnected for the night. Too less money ~ spend on Western Electfic'S defense contraats.
    bad you ouly get credit if service is cut for 24 straight hours. T~ey were the bloodsuckers-behind the AB}L
    And if you ca~ the busmess o~ice you get to talk to ~e la~st The phone companY also 1n~ests money irom phone bi,~s
    invention of Bell Laboratorles-computor people. They recite =~d ~che sooner they get it, the more profi~cs they g
    
                                       certain phrases and no others. Somehmes they blow a fase    ever send in your bill until the last pc~ssible day marked on
                                       and keep repeating phrases in random incoherent tones.
                                       You don't have to be s~ck to work for Bell; as their ads    the bill.
                                       say, ''Welll train yout'. Why do some operators monitor     Be sure to call these swell people at convenient times. Area
                                       your calls? Because operators themselves are harassed  code is 606.
                                       and monitored by thetr super~risors, and the super~nsors    Honeywell. . . 28~{~449- Ask them about contract DAAA-21-
                                       don't make clicl~s when they listen to you and the operator.     73-C0286 of January 1973. And ask the~h about the $30.9
                                       Employees are treated like children, like bcy scouts, or    mill;On Navy contract for the Rockeye ~ cluster bomb.
                                       as if they're in the army (as many employees are hired Ask them why they keep worRing [or a company that makes
                                       because they're "pre-disciplined"). Employces are urged     40{ of its profits from ant~-personr~el wespons.
                                       to act li~se they have some personal stalce in AT&T and to
                                       protect lts equiptrnent with their ilfe. Little insects that
                                       eat clotb wire remain a pain in the ass to operators bodies
                                       because Pa Belt won't sp~ay their fossilized equiptment or
                                       (God forbid I ) reDlace it with plas tic wires. F roflts before
                                       People-AT&T's ~uccess Storyl
                                       But cheer ap ~l~.sl So~r. AT~T will eliminate thousands
                                       of 3obs by chargir.g `~r informa~-,n calls, brair.w~shirg us
                                       into di~lir~a cur own c~ls, ancl scon there wil1 ju~t be ~ne
                                       big daddy computor-AND THAT'S ALL' Whc needs people
                                       anynvay ?
    
    -11L T., K™nb~c}y-

    





    
    S TUCK STAC KS?
    
    A memo from ~e Director o! Switching Engineering to
    the various Bell Engineers reveals that a dev~ce has been
    built to prevent stacked tanderns. It is being-ins~lled in
    all senders with varying degrees of haste. We have some
    copies of the mewo in Destruotory Assistance.
    
    :'2 3~`i