[ale] re: ISDN installers

[gamyers at atlml1.atlprom.att.com]

the same folks that install your phone.  This may have changed, but I
would be willing to bet that if they aren't the same folks, they get the
same pay.  They are unionized and they are well payed.  I don't believe the
cost of installing ISDN is that much above the cost of a phone line.  It
runs over copper.  I had a second phone line put in and they actually ran
a complete new set of 4 wire copper.  I would have thought this to be
expensive, but it was standard phone installation charges.  It can't be
that much more to the installation of ISDN.  Change a few jumpers at the
slic and your'e cooking.  (I guess...)  Anyway, I don't believe the
installation charges are warranted, much less the proposed increase ISDN
charges.

Geoffrey Myers

------------- Begin Forwarded Message -------------


On Wed, 4 Sep 1996, Scott Stillman wrote:

> One of the problems with ISDN from BellSouth's perspective is
> that it is very expensive/labor intensive to install. If it were simply
> a matter of flipping a bit to turn on the service, it would be much less
> expensive.

Todd B SanMillan responded:

I must have missed something in your logic here. Have the ISDN installers 
gotten a %600 wage increase? If they have, where do I sign up for ISDN 
installer class? Have they gotten *any* wage increase lately?  Does it 
suddenly take six *more* people to install ISDN than it did? If not then 
what is the *impetus* for this rate *change*? 

I'm actually disappointed about this.  We have been getting *much* better 
service lately from BellSouth.  Recently, when a phone line went down, 
the repairman called to tell me when it was up and left a pager number to 
call him if there where any problems, so that I could avoid the 
buracracy at the Home Office.  'Course, I never had to use it, he might 
never have called back, but it made me feel better. :)

Todd SanMillan