On: The 'pay phone bandit' who baffled the FBI in the '80s

[Algemarin]

Here's the America's Most Wanted segment about the guy, James Clark, from 1988:

https://youtu.be/e56gA8NBXuQ?t=1204

[xp84 → Algemarin]

The details about this guy at the end were hilarious. Apparently he always stays at Motel 6 and eats at 7-11. Totally living it up on Ma Bell’s dime, I see!

[thedrexster → xp84]

Ma Bell's _quarters_, you mean. :)

[ThePowerOfFuet → thedrexster]

Only for the kids. Where do you think "dropping a dime on someone" came from?

[macintux → ThePowerOfFuet]

I vaguely recall visiting Boston c1990 and discovering pay phone calls there were still 10¢, while they had been 25¢ in Indiana as long as I could remember. I'd be curious when and where the last ten-cent phone call was made.

[yial → macintux]

Chat GPT says Emerson Nebraska had one until 2015. But I cannot find any source to back this up.

Reliable sources seem to say around 1985/1986 prices increased.

I feel like if that’s true, 2600 must have a photo, right?

[cafard → yial]

I'm pretty sure I remember being thoroughly offended about 1980 when I found a pay phone that required 25 cents. I think that this was in the Denver area.

[xp84 → cafard]

This thread is comforting to me* because by the time I became aware of the cost of using a payphone, they had already gone up to 35¢.

*in the opposite way to how those memes where they say "It's been 30 years since _____" kill me inside

[n1b0m → Algemarin]

Shame about the sound quality