From: ahk@chinet.com   
      
   Stephen Sprunk  wrote:   
   >On 25-Jun-14 12:55, hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com wrote:   
   >>On Wednesday, June 25, 2014 12:17:44 PM UTC-4, Adam H. Kerman wrote:   
      
   >>>"Can you please transfer my call?" "No. I can't transfer a call to   
   >>>another building."   
      
   >>   
      
   >>I've had that happen to me many, many times on calls to banks,   
   >>department stores, utilities, hospitals, colleges, and other large   
   >>organizations.  It seemed easiest just to get the number of the   
   >>desired extension and hang up and dial it myself.  Trying to teach   
   >>someone over the phone how to transfer a call was difficult.   
      
   >OTOH, aside from large campus environments and Centrex customers, the   
   >PBXes were often not connected so transferring a call to another   
   >location _was_ often impossible.   
      
   >Yes, some had tie lines between sites to save on toll charges, but they   
   >didn't want those expensive lines tied up by customers who could easily   
   >dial the other site directly--and at their own cost.   
      
   In the example I gave, Cook County is huge and includes the entire city of   
   Chicago plus a substantial portion of the suburban area. A county has   
   facilities all over the place.   
      
   The PBXs were NOT connected in all cases. They simply used so substantial   
   an amount of local calling that they got decent rates. For instance, for an   
   out of network call, they were billed based on the exchange of whichever   
   building was closest to the called party's location, as if the call were   
   routed internally then left the network at the distant point. But calls   
   really weren't routed like that despite the way they were billed.   
      
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