(Much snippage from an excellent post)
The use of 611 for Repair is still listed as such in the GENERIC
> lists (although its implementation has never been universal), but
> in more recent years, many telcos have felt that they should
> abandon 611 for Repair, due to the competitive nature of the
> local exchange carrier industry today. The use of toll-free
> numbers (800, 888, etc) for reaching Repair (and the Business
> Office) are much more common instead. They can be dialed from
> ANYWHERE in the US (or Canada), regardless of which type of
> local carrier you are originating from.
Well, not ANYWHERE! Many times the toll-free access to Repair Service is limited based on the originating NPA or NPA-NXX.
In my own examples, calling from Portland, Oregon into Repair Centers of former Bell System companies Southern Bell or South Central Bell would frequently be frustrated by recorded announcements to the effect that "calls from your area are not authorized". And to make maters worse, no referral to a POTS number was given - just the infuriating "click" of a disconnect!