GTE's first "services without strings" trial successful; now available in select GTE Virginia areas
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IRVING, Texas -- A GTE trial in Virginia allowed customers to use Automatic Call Return and Automatic Busy Redial for the first time without signing up first for the service During the two week trial, use of the two services jumped 40 percent. An activation code enables customers to use the services anytime for a 75 cent per-use charge.
"GTE is putting more power into our customers' hands," said Jim Chumley, GTE product manager. "Giving our customers more choices is part of our commitment to being the easiest telecommunications company to do business with.
"Word of mouth had customers using the services before the trial was announced. Automatic Busy Redial makes redialing a busy number less tedious; reaching the doctor's office or requesting a favorite song on the radio can be easier than ever. And the Automatic Call Return service means never having to jump out of the shower again to catch a ringing phone."
Availability of Advanced Services
Automatic Call Return and Automatic Busy Redial belong to a family of GTE's SmartCallSM services known in the industry as CLASS (Custom Local Area Signaling Services). These advanced custom calling services are available in the Virginia area exchanges of: Arcola, Battlefield, Bridgewater, Broadway, Callao, Colonial Beach, Dale City, Dayton, Edom, Elkton, Farnham, Great Bridge, Grottoes, Hague, Harrisonburg, Haymarket, Hickory, Hinton, Hoadly, Independent Hill, Irvington, Keezletown, Kilmarnock, Lively, Lorton, Manassas, McGaheysville, Montross, Nokesville, Occoquan, Princess Anne, Pungo, Quantico, Shipps Corner, Stafford, Tappahannock, Triangle, Warsaw, Weyers Cave.
How it works
Touchtone customers dial *69 to be connected with the last incoming caller. Using *66, touchtone telephones automatically redial a busy number for up to 30 minutes. Rotary customers dial 1169 to use Automatic Call Return and 1166 for Automatic Busy Redial. In addition to pay-per-use, customers still can choose to have unlimited use of automatic call return and automatic busy redial for a monthly fee.
GTE Telephone Operations is the largest U.S.-based local telephone company. Its parent organization, GTE Corporation, is the fourth-largest publicly owned telecommunications company in the world.