My first memories of our home phone number was BR and some numbers, 749-something. When I was about 9 or 10 that old rotary dial phone was replaced by the model 500 dial phone, and our number became seven digits, which I no longer remember.
When my family and I moved out into the country near Clarks I purchased a Princes Phone from AT&T to replace the old model 500 that was in the house. After 10 years teaching high school in that village I informed AT&T to cancel our phone service because we were moving. I was told to bring the Princes Phone in.
I total them I had purchased it. The AT&T person said to check the back of the "sales" slip -- it said "lease". She then said that a $5 monthly fee on my phone bill, which was marked "equipment", was the monthly lease fee, though it didn't use the word "lease" in that line. Sure enough, on the back of the light yellow sales slip was exceptional small writing, in very light gray letters covering the entire back, in legaleese, was the word "lease". It took a magnifying glass to read it. I was steamed. I had paid $75 for that phone which, in the early 70's was a signicant amount, but over the subsequent years the cost of that phone was actually closer to $400. I took that phone totally apart, undid every screw, unsoldered every wire, disassembled every button and componant, and reduced it to its basic components. I dumped them all into a shoe box and took it to AT&T office. "Here's your phone, each and every piece. The "sales" contract didn't say what condition the phone had to be in."
When my family and I moved out into the country near Clarks I purchased a Princes Phone from AT&T to replace the old model 500 that was in the house. After 10 years teaching high school in that village I informed AT&T to cancel our phone service because we were moving. I was told to bring the Princes Phone in.
I total them I had purchased it. The AT&T person said to check the back of the "sales" slip -- it said "lease". She then said that a $5 monthly fee on my phone bill, which was marked "equipment", was the monthly lease fee, though it didn't use the word "lease" in that line. Sure enough, on the back of the light yellow sales slip was exceptional small writing, in very light gray letters covering the entire back, in legaleese, was the word "lease". It took a magnifying glass to read it. I was steamed. I had paid $75 for that phone which, in the early 70's was a signicant amount, but over the subsequent years the cost of that phone was actually closer to $400. I took that phone totally apart, undid every screw, unsoldered every wire, disassembled every button and componant, and reduced it to its basic components. I dumped them all into a shoe box and took it to AT&T office. "Here's your phone, each and every piece. The "sales" contract didn't say what condition the phone had to be in."
Comment