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To: NYBellBoy who wrote (30341)	1/22/1998 7:01:00 PM
From: riposte	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 31386

[AT&T Gives Bell Atlantic Failing Marks] Company Press Release SOURCE: AT&T AT&T Gives Bell Atlantic Failing Marks on Test Of Systems for Local Telephone Competition BALTIMORE, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- AT&T today called Bell Atlantic's service levels ''totally unacceptable'' during a two-month trial that is testing the systems AT&T would like to use for Maryland consumers to switch companies for local telephone service. The service-readiness test, which began November 12, is measuring Bell Atlantic's service performance in switching customers from Bell Atlantic to AT&T and in providing facilities that AT&T, in turn, will use to serve its customers. In large part, the tests examine whether Bell Atlantic can live up to the service quality standards and service intervals required by the federal Telecommunications Act of 1996 and its agreements with AT&T. Using AT&T employees as ''test'' residential customers, AT&T submitted 45 typical service orders to Bell Atlantic, reflecting routine customer service requests. ''So far, Bell Atlantic's test performance has been totally unacceptable,'' said Bill Stake, vice president for AT&T's local services organization. ''Bell Atlantic has made numerous claims that its systems are ready to handle thousands of orders for customers who switch their local telephone service to a new company, but these results indicate otherwise.'' Here are some of the key test results. -- For over 60 percent of the orders, Bell Atlantic has failed to acknowledge receipt of the orders within the agreed to time-frame. -- Rather than processing the orders electronically, Bell Atlantic is using manual processes such as faxing and telephone calls, which are slower and more prone to error. -- To date, Bell Atlantic's overall average service installation interval is more than seven business days. The industry average for new installations is about two days. -- Even though Bell Atlantic has agreed that certain types of orders should be installed in two days or less, so far its completion interval for those orders is nearly eight days. -- Bell Atlantic is required to inform AT&T within 24 hours once a service installation is complete, but Bell Atlantic has not met this commitment for 90 percent of the orders. -- Bell Atlantic took four days to fix a problem that prevented some AT&T test customers from completing any outgoing calls. -- Bell Atlantic failed to block access to 700/900 numbers as requested by a test customer. ''Consumers won't stand for this kind of poor service,'' added Stake. ''Things will have to get a whole lot better, before we'll risk offering local telephone service under the AT&T brand.'' SOURCE: AT&T