http://mhgoldberg.com/blog/?p=6219
Telecom
Trends
11
March 2013
Mark
Goldberg
More
than 30 years ago, in my early days in the telecom industry, there was a story
circulating – maybe an urban legend or just part of telecom folklore, but it
came to mind as we head into March vacation.
As
I recall, a group of women from a sorority at a large mid-western university
went to a warmer climate for Spring Break. The boyfriends from a nearby frat
house remained at school. Thanks to some alcohol inducement, the boys decided
to phone the girlfriends Friday night, pre-Skype, pre-competitive long
distance, in the days when long distance rates were frequently $3.00 per
minute.
It
didn’t take long for the boys to realize that they were in for more than $200 –
a term’s tuition – in the first hour on the phone. The decision was made to
keep the phone off the hook for the whole weekend. It was an intercom for
staying in touch like an international baby room monitor. Monday morning, the
long-lines technicians knocked down the call and that finally closed off the
call billing record. The bill came in for more than $10,000. A call to customer
service claimed it had to be a network or billing error. How could there have
been a 60 hour long phone call? No one in their right mind would make such a
call.
The
charge was reversed. Was the story true? I don’t know, but it makes for a good
story. [...]