[patj]

Since this happened in early 2000, one doesn't need to wonder too long just who pocketed some large change. There is no love lost with the phone company here. Our phone co. overcharges and is nasty to boot. Helpful, not in a million years. I can't wait to get rid of Century Telephone. Some people ditch them and go to cell phones only, they are that bad.

[mikenola]

One of the reasons mobile phones in Europe and elsewhere became prevalent before the US was the ridiculous beurocracy in those countries to get wireline service.

I've heard in Italy that it's sometime up to 2 years to get a hardline installed.

I chucked my homephone 3 years ago, and have only had two problems, on 9/11 i couldn't get a call through until that evening, and ordering pizza! (Seems they won't deliver, if they can't map the phone number back to address)

[tdadams]

Some people ditch them and go to cell phones only, they are that bad.

I'm one of those. I canceled my home phone service after seven months of compaining that my caller ID was no longer working (the screen would only say "no data sent" when a call came in), despite continuing to be charged $7.50 a month for it. They didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with charging me for a service I wasn't receiving.

That was only the last straw though. I never used my home phone anymore anyway, except to answer annoying telemarketing calls I could no longer screen with caller ID.