“They’re holding us hostage.”
It’s the cry from Hughes County Clerk Carolyn Treble as frustration fills her voice after dealing for weeks with people unable to make telephone calls to the courthouse and sheriff’s office. And the brunt of her frustration is aimed at ATT.
The problem stems from the county’s move months ago to switch to a cheaper system, Nobel Systems. Treble says ATT didn’t like it and now, in her opinion, is not cooperating in ‘porting’ the old phone numbers to the new system.
“People in Holdenville can’t call the court clerk about jury duty and cases and they can’t make an emergency call to the sheriff’s office,” said Treble in an interview with OK Energy Today.
Treble said the switch to Nobel Systems made sense because it saved money for the county taxpayers.
“We’ve been dealing with this for six weeks,” she added. Treble said anyone with a land line in Holdenville is unable to reach any of the courthouse phone numbers. Those using cell phones or I-phones don’t have any problem.
A spokeswoman at the Hughes County District Court offered the same complaint, explaining that people called for jury duty or attorneys inquiring about the status of their cases have not been able to phone the clerk.
A spokesman for Nobel Systems explained that the proper changes have not apparently been made at ATT’s Central office in Holdenville so when someone calls from a land line, the Central office no longer recognizes the old number.
OK Energy Today attempted to get an explanation from ATT but a phone call was not returned.
Listen to Jerry Bohnen’s interview with Hughes County clerk Carolyn Treble.