Hazards of IDD

Ever since I got an International Direct Dialing (IDD) facility, my telephone has been behaving peculiarly. It "dies" (mati is the term used by the TELKOM people) in the evenings and comes "alive" (hidup lagi) in the mornings.

I had this problem when I first got the IDD facility about a year ago. Then things improved with the problem occurring perhaps once or twice a fortnight.

For the past three or four weeks, this "dying" and "living" has been a daily feature.

I have been complaining to TELKOM numbers 530-1700, 549-3150, 532-2700 everyday but there has not been any improvement.

On July 22, 1994 I requested TELKOM to disconnect my IDD facility. The kind lady who received my call was aghast. She said TELKOM had been trying to trace the cause of the problem and would certainly solve it.

The best part is that the telephone "dies" conveniently so that I cannot use the IDD facility in the night or during the weekends. It conks out at around 5.30 p.m. and comes back at 7.30 a.m. the next day. It does not work on Saturdays and Sundays (I thought the five-day work week was to be introduced in August 1995).

Last week I called 532-2700 because I was advised by 530-1700 to talk to one Mr. Slamet. Mr. Slamet was not available. The gentleman who received my call was aware of my problem but he told me that TELKOM cannot do anything about it because my problem starts at 5 p.m.-- after TELKOM's working hours-- and ends at 7.30 a.m. before TELKOM's offices open.

What should I say now? "Viva TELKOM?"

R.Y. SAVUR

Jakarta