From: NONONOmisc07@fmguy.com   
      
   In comp.mobile.android, on Tue, 11 Nov 2025 18:07:31 +0000, Chris Green   
    wrote:   
      
   >micky  wrote:   
   >> OT  Yes, this is OT, so anyone who is bothered by this can curse me and   
   >> stop reading.  But this is the closest ng I know of for this question,   
   >> and I also googled and it didn't understand my search terms:   
   >>   
   >> Have you noticed that when using VOIP, like from a wired phone that uses   
   >> optical cable for its supply, like Verizon, you don't need to dial one   
   >> to make a long distance call.  YOu only need the area code and phone   
   >> number!!  After using a cell phone for a long time, I had lost the habit   
   >> of including the 1 and it didnt' seem to make a difference!   
   >>   
   >> But there is a corrolary, that in some cases you don't get the same   
   >> number!   I've noticed that twice but did not record the first instance.   
   >>   
   >> Yesterday I called 1- 888-469-4426  Giant, customer care, but I didn't   
   >> include the 1, just dialed 888-469-4426 and I got someone who made   
   >> references to Medicare and said they had a medic-alert necklace for free   
   >> for people over 50.  When I pressed 2 for people under 50, I got the   
   >> same offer.   When I called without the 1 from my cell phone, I got   
   >> Giant foods like I expected, not the flim-flam man.   
   >>   
   >> Is someone intercepting calls made without the 1.  Does it think 8 or 88   
   >> is the country code?   
   >>   
   >> Does this only apply to 800 numbers?  I don't know why that would be.   
   >>   
   >> HOw many of you still have home phones you can test this one.   
   >   
   >I'm in the UK but I wonder if the VOIP phone(s) you're using have a   
   >dial plan which sees  you have dialled a 10 digit number and prepends   
   >the 1.  Dial plans can be very clever and may also look at the pattern   
   >of digits you have dialled and do all sorts of clever things.   
   >   
   >E.g. I can set up a dial plan that sees I have dialled just three   
   >digits (not starting with 0 o 1) and will form the whole number   
   >required for local calls within our little village by adding are acode   
   >and the first three digits of the number to the three I have entered.   
      
   You as an individual customer can set up your own dial plan!   
      
   Or the phone company can?   It may have one, but I wonder what the plan   
   did when I dialed without the 1.  It didn't prepend the 1, that's for   
   sure.   I google the 10 digit 888 number, but didn't find anything, but   
   I'll try harder:   
      
   So-called AI:  An 800 number is typically behind a business or   
   organization that purchased it from a   
   Responsible Organization (RespOrg). These RespOrgs manage the   
   registration of toll-free numbers and have access to a database for all   
   toll-free numbers. You can identify the owner by searching the number   
   on the internet   
      
   I tried this.   
      
   or using reverse number lookup tools   
      
   411.info says the 10-digit number belongs to Giant Food, just like it   
   should.  They might show an interest in this, and even explain it to me   
   after they looked into it, if I coulf find the right department, but   
   finding it seems very unlikely.   
      
   I also tried to see if Medicare had some offer, but I'm convinced now   
   that it does not, and that whatever was offered free would end up   
   costing me an arm and a leg.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)