By Jerri Stroud
Of The Post-Dispatch
Dale Furtwengler has
already mailed postcards to 300 customers and contacts reminding them that his phone
number will be in the new 636 area code come Sunday.
Furtwengler, a
consultant based in High Ridge, says he sent the early notice because he wants to be sure
his customers are "not wrestling with having to dial twice" when they get ready
to hire him.
"I was trying to avoid the rush," he said.
Furtwengler apparently is among a handful of area residents and business people who feel
any sense of urgency about the area code change, which begins at midnight Saturday.
A nine-month phase-in period gives callers plenty of time to get used to the idea of a new
code. No change in dialing habits is required until Feb. 26. Until then, calls will go
through whether callers use the seven-digit local number or the local number plus either
area code. The change has no effect on local calling plans or rates.
Last summer, the Public Service Commission voted to split the 314 area code in two because
of the exploding demand for telephone numbers for fax machines, computers and other
services. Three-digit prefixes for local numbers in the St. Louis area have been rationed
since December, when the 314 area code was declared to be "in jeopardy" because
of the number crunch.
St. Louis and most of its close-in suburbs will keep the 314 code. At midnight Saturday,
much of Chesterfield, southwest St. Louis County, St. Charles, Jefferson and Franklin
counties and parts of Lincoln, Warren, Montgomery and Washington counties will move to the
new 636 area code.
Southwestern Bell and GTE have reprogrammed their computers to allow callers to make and
receive calls using the new code. As a convenience, customers will be able to make local
calls within the same area code by dialing either seven or 10 digits.
"If you're in downtown St. Louis and you're calling the Cardinal ticket office and
you live in Chesterfield and you're used to dialing 314 first, the call will still go
through," said Bill Adair, code relief administrator for Missouri.
Over the next few months, billing information will be changed to show calls originating in
the area code as 636 numbers rather than 314.
After Feb. 26, callers who use the 314 code for numbers that have been moved to 636 will
hear a recording advising them of the change. Customers in the 636 area code will have to
dial 10 digits to reach numbers in the 314 area code and vice versa.
Telephone companies advise customers in the new 636 code to start informing friends,
family and business associates that their area code has changed. Anyone who has a pager,
mobile phone or Internet access will need to check with the service provider to find out
which area code to use.
Some companies are poised to begin making changes starting next week.
About 2,000 Ameritech cellular customers will need to have their phones reprogrammed
because their prefixes are switching to the 636 area code, said Robin Urbanski, an
Ameritech spokeswoman. As an incentive to get the phones switched quickly, Ameritech is
offering 30 minutes of free air time to customers who bring their phones into Ameritech
retailers before Oct. 30.
The phones need to go through a 10-minute reprogramming procedure so Ameritech's network
will recognize each unit, Urbanski said.
All other wireless companies here say their customers' numbers will stay in the 314 area
code. But they advise customers to start using 10-digit dialing to make wireless calls as
they move about the area.
Scott Bice, vice president of Central District Alarm Inc., said his company will have to
reprogram all the alarm systems in the 636 area code that dial into the company's
monitoring station in the 314 area.
Bice expects to hire several contractors and subcontractors to make the change. in the
nine-month phase-in period for 636.
"We basically have about 3,000 accounts we have to change," Bice said.
The company will have to send someone out to manually change older alarm systems. Some new
systems can be reprogrammed remotely, he said.
Jan Beardsley, owner of Minuteman Press in St. Peters, has printed maps to help his
customers deal with the change. The map shows the dividing line between the two areas and
lists the prefixes in each.
Beardsley said he made the map as a convenience for his customers, not to attract business
for his print shop. Beardsley said he doesn't expect the change to be a windfall for
printers. With the long phase-in period, most customers will be able to use up existing
supplies before they order new business cards and stationery.
Joan Schmelig has been trying to prepare businesses in the Chesterfield area for the
change by asking the same question at every Chesterfield Chamber of Commerce function.
"Does anybody know what's going to happen on May 22?" she asks routinely.
Sometimes there's silence, but more and more often, someone raises a hand tentatively and
asks, "The new area code."
===
Tips for the transition to 636:
- When you order something from a catalog or visit your doctor or
dentist, inform them of the area code change.
- Call your paging company, cell phone provider or Internet service if
you are unsure which area code applies.
- Some office systems need to have the new code added to their memory
banks.
- Reprogram auto-dial or speed-dial numbers that need the new area
code.
- Update letterhead, business cards and other materials, as well as
outdoor signs or vehicle decals.
- If your business has coin-operated phones, check with the vendor to
see if changes are needed.