On 2/12/2016 4:58 AM, philo wrote:
Sometime back around 1968 I called a friend... on the East coast... from a pay
phone. The operator would have me put in a quarter every three minutes or
something like that until I eventually ran out of change.

When I ran out, she told me that I could complete my conversation at which time
I was informed that I owed a dollar and when I got the proper change all I had
to do was dial "operator" and ask for #23, tell her who I was and then deposit
what I owed.

In the early 80's, I was in a little town in Southern CO (Florence).
I called home (east coast) from a pay phone (as calling from the
home of the folks I was staying with would have passed the cost
onto them!). Of course, parents seem to like to talk for long
periods of time, saying little -- oblivious to the fact that I'm
standing on the side of the road calling from "nowhere".

Periodically, the operator would come on the line to tell me to
deposit another $3 (or so).

The first time I did this (to initiate the call), the solenoid that
transfers the monies from the "holding area" (from which they can
easily be RETURNED to the caller) to the "cash box" appeared to
malfunction; returning the coins to *me* instead!

pleasant surprise

Even more pleasant was that the next request for $3 resulted in the
same behavior. And, the one after that! (did I mention that parents
like to talk for a long time??) I just kept taking the coins out
of the coin return and redepositing them!

So, the call cost me nothing.

Next day, I drove by that same phone booth and, on a whim, tried
again. grin Same "problem" as the day before!

I did this for the better part of a week.

Until, one day, the activation of the solenoid resulted in the
coins being *accepted*. It was a very sad sound! :-(

What interesting times those were. My guess is that if I never "paid up" they
would have reversed the charge, I don't know.

I don't think they can legally do that -- though that might not
stop them from trying!

In school, we would "discover" unrestricted telephone "extensions"
in unusual places -- phones from which '9' got you a "regular"
phone line that wasn't limited to local calls only. We'd venture
out with small groups and take turns making calls.

If you were smart, you'd only call people that you knew were "cool"
with the whole concept!

Friend opted to call his grandparents in Germany (!) Eventually,
someone trying to sort out who was making all these long distance
calls (from this very "off the beaten track" telephone) opted
to call some of the numbers.
"Oh, hello! Our grandson goes to your school! He's such a NICE boy..."

busted