Merlinman-

Not to contradict a senior craftsmen (Lord knows there aren't too many older then me here), especially one who's knowledge and opinion I respect...But let me give you my take on this, based on my experience.

In 1972 I worked as a telecom consultant. We would get the NY Tel SN-981 forms and would go out to the customers location and count what was there. And what wasn't. (Here's something to jog your memory - how about RSCCs and RSCCWs! [For those of you uninformed -Hold circuits - with and without winking lamps]). We counted phones, trunks, key equipment etc., etc, etc. Every item got checked off against the SN-981.

It was a very time consuming, labor intensive job.

I only remember one job in the entire time I worked at the firm who NY Tel was not way overcharging and that was a major Fortune 500 company (Sealtest?) who had their own in-house staff double checking NYT. ( I think they were still about $20 over). There were stories in the company about people who had been undercharged but I never saw any of them or met anyone who had worked on one of those jobs. I considered those stories as fairy tales for the very young or the mentally infirm.

It was my opinion, based on my personal observation, that new circuits and equipment made it on to the bill, but nothing, nothing, nothing ever came off.

We would sign a contract with the customer before we started. We became their agents and could ask for their paperwork from NYT. If we didn't find anything we didn't get paid. If we found something we got 1/2 of the rebate and 10% of the savings for the next year. We never intimidated anyone. We never needed to. Personally I don't think I ever spoke to anyone in NY Tel's offices.

Speaking of big savings. Joseph Love Children's Wear had their offices in Herald Square in Manhattan and their factory in Queens. They had a 555 cord board in each location and a bunch of Single lIne telephones. No key equipment. Huge monthly bills. I remember asking my boss: "How do you put a 4-wire E&M tie trunk on a cord board?" The customer had been billed for 4, 4-wire tie trunks for 10 years, when what they actually had was 2, 2 wire loop tie trunks. That one was a nice rebate. NYT only wanted to refund money for 7 years but the customer had all his bills going back 10 years so he got the BIG refund.

Two sides to every story.

Sam

"Where are we going and why are we in this hand basket?"