After ten days and numerous conference calls, etc. and thousands of dollars spent on-site for billable technician time, Verizon has basically said that ten-digit dialing cannot be accommodated for local calls with the NI2 protocol in a DMS100 office. Yeah, OK.

The very same protocol that this customer has had in place (and working) since 12/16/2000.

They insist that local calls must be seven digits and all others must be eleven, period, despite the fact that we are in a ten-digit area for local calls.

The customer is frustrated and is asking us to simply reconstruct their ARS/LCR so that the ten-digit dialing that they're accustomed to will be back to normal. They are basically asking us to fake it by inserting/deleting digits. God only knows how the unnecessary 1+ calls will be handled and billed.

Is this pathetic or what? The customer is willing to pay us to make up for the shortcomings of VZ. When does it end?

Ed Vaughn, MBSWWYPBX