Ma Bell Blues

I believe that I am getting royally hosed by ATT. I just checked out my bill for the shop phone. Twenty five bucks in charges for long distance calls, in North County! For 26 minutes. It's a buck a minute to Oceanside and Encinitas now. Ridiculous.

I got a rep on the phone and asked her to explain. "Those are long distance calls, sir. That's why you dial a 1 first." "Uh madam," I replied. "I didn't dial a 1. They are in my area code, the next hill over."

"Well, blame your local government," she tells me. "They set the rates."

Is it any wonder that people are fleeing their land lines in droves? I couldn't find anybody that could talk straight about the issue.

People are just going to have to call me on the cell phone from now on. I can't afford to answer the shop phone.