Quoting Ed Vance to Nancy Backus on 10-18-18 10:26 <=-

10-17-18 20:58 NANCY BACKUS wrote to MICHAEL LOO about Re: 429
trading stamps + Howdy! Nancy,

Hi, Ed....

I'm hoping to get this packet out tomorrow when we go over to Edith's
for the next bbs training session... and not sure when my next chance
at sending anything will be... Today, we abruptly lost our internet
service, and when I called to find out what gave, discovered that
someone has apparently stolen our phone number, and it has been ported
to some unknown company for some perfect stranger.... and that the
porting is already a done deal... We got absolutely no warning that it
was in process, nothing asking for confirmation that we had in fact
intended to port our number to another company... either by phone,
email or letter.... We are both quietly sizzling about it....
Apparently the only notice we'll get is when we get the bill from the
new company as to who it is now... but that might not even happen since
it might be (probably is) going to the person that stole our number....
Dunno if I'll even have my landline as of tomorrow....

If You haven't done this already
Use someone else's telephone to call Your Telephone Company Customer Service Department to report the unauthorized change.
THEY CAN help You get the phone number back.

By the time I wrote the above, I had already called the customer service department... for whatever reason, I still have outgoing service...
Customer service is how I found out that our number was being ported elsewhere... up to then, we thought it was some billing error....

Still don't have our DSL working through them, and if anyone tries to
call us, they get sent to voice mail immediately (but WE never ever set
up voicemail or even the answer box that is part of our phones)...
should be a red flag to anyone that knows us, although some who should
have known better have blithely left a message... ;0

However, since we do still have outgoing service, I can access telnet
through our dialup ISP service... so I'm not as cut off as I was afraid
I'd be.... :)

And, the next morning, having been dropped unceremoniously from being on
hold (apparently when Customer Service shut down for the night), and
calling Customer service again, I got a very helpful agent (Mary) who is working now on getting our phone number back and our full service
restored.... I don't know how long I'll still be able to dial out, but
I'm using that as long as I can... Mary's got my cell number and she's
keeping us in the loop.... Now the guess is that the phone number was
entered incorrectly when the porting order came in, or something like
that... :)

Years ago I saw a sign in a store about filling out a coupon ----
I think it was something about showing support for some cause by
writing Your Name, Address, Telephone Number, etc.
I read the fine print on the back of the coupon and it said something about YOU AUTHORIZE (Their Fine Print - My LARGE PRINT)
Changing Your Telephone Service to THEIR TELEPHONE COMPANY.

That's tricky.....

I didn't put the coupon in their Box, I tore it up and threw it away.

Good for you.... :)

It may had been a nice cause to support but I ain't completely
ignorant, some parts are missing.

And we ain't senile yet.... ;)

ttyl neb

... Scotch is invaluable in repairing the exhausted forces of nature

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)

NANCY BACKUS wrote to ED VANCE <=-

If You haven't done this already
Use someone else's telephone to call Your Telephone Company Customer Service Department to report the unauthorized change.
THEY CAN help You get the phone number back.

By the time I wrote the above, I had already called the customer
service department... for whatever reason, I still have outgoing service... Customer service is how I found out that our number was
being ported elsewhere... up to then, we thought it was some billing error....

Still don't have our DSL working through them, and if anyone tries to
call us, they get sent to voice mail immediately (but WE never ever set
up voicemail or even the answer box that is part of our phones)...
should be a red flag to anyone that knows us, although some who should have known better have blithely left a message... ;0

However, since we do still have outgoing service, I can access telnet through our dialup ISP service... so I'm not as cut off as I was afraid I'd be.... :)

I went through a similar experience "back in the day" (when my local
Bell Tel was Illinois Bell) after the big anti-trust breakup and before Southwestern Bell merged and conglomerated its way into being AT&T again.
I'm wondering how long it will be before the anti-trust people look
askance at them and scatter things back to the "Baby Bell" days.

Anyway after I got the mess straightened out I had my account set up so
that any change in service (including cancellation) required an identifier
and password to make it happen. I got more than one call from Ma Bell's
CSRs asking if I really wanted to switch to (insert thief here) and asking
for the passcode and identifier. Saved lots of hassles.

And, the next morning, having been dropped unceremoniously from being
on hold (apparently when Customer Service shut down for the night), and calling Customer service again, I got a very helpful agent (Mary) who
is working now on getting our phone number back and our full service restored.... I don't know how long I'll still be able to dial out, but I'm using that as long as I can... Mary's got my cell number and she's keeping us in the loop.... Now the guess is that the phone number was entered incorrectly when the porting order came in, or something like that... :)

Years ago I saw a sign in a store about filling out a coupon ----
I think it was something about showing support for some cause by
writing Your Name, Address, Telephone Number, etc.
I read the fine print on the back of the coupon and it said something about YOU AUTHORIZE (Their Fine Print - My LARGE PRINT)
Changing Your Telephone Service to THEIR TELEPHONE COMPANY.

That's tricky.....

That was a common technique "back in the day". And the unscrupulous made
wads of feeelthy lucre from it.

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Baked Stuffed Flounder
Categories: Seafood, Stuffing, Breads
Yield: 4 Servings

4 (1 1/4 lb/500 g) flounders
1/2 c Celery; chopped fine
1 cl Minced garlic
8 tb Butter
1/2 lb (225 g) shrimp; boiled,
- chopped
1/2 lb (225 g) crabmeat; picked
1 lg Egg; slightly beaten
1/2 c Chopped green onions
1 c Bread crumbs or panko
2 tb Chopped parsley
Salt, pepper & cayenne

Saute celery, onions and garlic in 4 tb melted butter.
Add bread crumbs, shrimp, crabmeat and parsley. Mix well.
Season to taste with salt, pepper and cayenne.

Split thick side of each flounder, lengthwise and cross-
wise, and loosen meat from bone of fish to form a pocket
for stuffing.

Brush well with additional melted buttter, salt & pepper.
Stuff pocket with dressing.

Melt remaining 4 tb butter in shallow baking pan. Place
fish in pan. Cover and bake at 375°F/190°C. for about 30
minutes. Remove cover and bake additional 5 minutes.

Courtesy Illinois Bell Telephone Pioneers

From: http://www.recipesource.com

Uncle Dirty Dave's Kitchen

MMMMM

... Share our similiarities, celebrate our differences -- M. Scott Peck
--- MultiMail/Win32 v0.49
* Origin: SouthEast Star Mail HUB - SESTAR (1:3634/12)

Quoting Dave Drum to Nancy Backus on 10-20-18 06:11 <=-

Still don't have our DSL working through them, and if anyone tries to
call us, they get sent to voice mail immediately (but WE never ever set
up voicemail or even the answer box that is part of our phones)...
should be a red flag to anyone that knows us, although some who should have known better have blithely left a message... ;0
However, since we do still have outgoing service, I can access telnet through our dialup ISP service... so I'm not as cut off as I was afraid I'd be.... :)

Update... the outgoing is also now gone, but the phone is in the process
of being totally returned to us... it's being ported back to our
company...

Anyway after I got the mess straightened out I had my account set up
so that any change in service (including cancellation) required an identifier and password to make it happen. I got more than one call
from Ma Bell's CSRs asking if I really wanted to switch to (insert
thief here) and asking for the passcode and identifier. Saved lots of hassles.

We've set that up now, as part of the getting the phone back... the
customer service rep said she'd set that up, and I told her I was going
to have asked for that had she not done it already... so now we'll have
better protection... :) Found out today that the company that had
stolen our phone was T-Mobile and that they've been doing that to a
number of people recently... But, in the middle of writing that, I got a
phone call from our telco, connecting me with a rep from the other one,
to get my phone number released to be ported back... whew... Might even
have it by tonight so that I can get this uploaded from home... :)

I read the fine print on the back of the coupon and it said something
about YOU AUTHORIZE (Their Fine Print - My LARGE PRINT)
Changing Your Telephone Service to THEIR TELEPHONE COMPANY.

That's tricky.....

That was a common technique "back in the day". And the unscrupulous
made wads of feeelthy lucre from it.

Yeah... I do remember some of that.... the unscrupulous are still among
us, too....

ttyl neb

... Frigerobics: Leaning, bending, stretching while looking in the fridge.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)

Quoting Nancy Backus to Dave Drum <=-

the company that had stolen our phone was T-Mobile and that
they've been doing that to a number of people recently

I read the fine print on the back of the coupon and it said
something about YOU AUTHORIZE (Their Fine Print - My LARGE
PRINT) Changing Your Telephone Service to THEIR TELEPHONE
COMPANY.

That was a common technique "back in the day". And the unscrupulous
made wads of feeelthy lucre from it.

Phone slamming just doesn't happen in Canada. The CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) has too much
clout and the power to lay down some very stiff penalties. They can
cancel an operating licence entirely and put a company completely
out of business as well as levy huge fines.

pink rum

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

Title: Calypso Cooler
Categories: Beverages, Alcohol, Fruit
Yield: 1 Serving

2 Shots Captain Morgan
-Spiced Rum
1 Shot peach Schnapps
1 Shot grenadine
1 c Orange juice
Ice
Orange wedge
Maraschino cherry

Combine the rum, peach schnapps orange juice and grenadine in a
shaker. Shake well.

Pour drink over ice cubes or crushed ice in a big glass. Add an
orange wedge and a cherry.

MMMMM


Cheers

Jim


... Senility has been a smooth transition for me.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)

Quoting Jim Weller to Nancy Backus on 10-24-18 22:06 <=-

I read the fine print on the back of the coupon and it said
something about YOU AUTHORIZE (Their Fine Print - My LARGE
PRINT) Changing Your Telephone Service to THEIR TELEPHONE
COMPANY.

That was a common technique "back in the day". And the unscrupulous
made wads of feeelthy lucre from it.

Phone slamming just doesn't happen in Canada. The CRTC (Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission) has too much
clout and the power to lay down some very stiff penalties. They can
cancel an operating licence entirely and put a company completely
out of business as well as levy huge fines.

That's, in my opinion, a very good thing....

the company that had stolen our phone was T-Mobile and that
they've been doing that to a number of people recently

In this case, the verdict is still out as to whether it was a scam, an (somewhat) honest mistake, or just outright fraud... Apparently a block
of numbers had been made available to T-Mobile, whether by accident
containing existing and currently in use numbers and accounts, or
fraudulently so... In any case, at this point, our phone service is now
totally restored, features and internet and all (although I do still
have to reprogram all my speed dial numbers), and all that remains is
for the bills to show up in order to take care of things like credits
and all... The account is a new one now, so there's a bill to close out
the original account, and another bill to start the new one... We have
the direct phone number for the Customer Service Rep that's working on
it, so when the bills come, I'll be calling her... :) And as part of
the fix, we've put a PLOC on the account, so that if anyone (including
us) wants to port the number, there will be questions asked at once, and special authorization needed for it to happen...

ttyl neb

... Food TV might not be the best place to go looking for nuance.

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5
* Origin: Fido Since 1991 | QWK by Web | BBS.FIDOSYSOP.ORG (1:123/140)