101969

CUSTOMERSERVICEALLEGHANY

372-1350ASHE

877-1350846-1350

AVERY

898-1350WATAUGA

963-1350JOHNSON

739-1350OUTSIDE

LOCAL SERVICE AREA

1-800-759-2226

REPAIR SERVICELOCAL CALLS

611

www.skyline.org

www.skybest.com

WORTH NOTING:SkyLine/SkyBest OfficesClose for Christmas &

New Year’s Day HolidaysThursday,

December 25, 2008and

Thursday,January 1, 2009

STAFFJIMMY BLEVINS

Chief Executive Officer

KIM SHEPHERDCustomer Service Manager

KAREN P. POWELLPublic Relations Director

& Editor

DECEMBER 2008

New Telephone DirectoriesComing This Month

SkyLine and directory publisher AT&T Advertising andPublishing have joined efforts to publish a regional telephonedirectory for 2008-09, which covers Alleghany, Ashe, Averyand Watauga counties.

The U.S. Postal Service will begin delivery of the newdirectories in a few weeks and continue through the monthof January. If you note any corrections to the new directory,please report them to your local SkyLine/SkyBest CustomerService Center (1-800-759-2226).

Customer Guides and Blue Pages ProvideHelpful Information

When you receive your newregional directory, we encour-age you to take a few minutesto review other sections in thefront of the directory includingthe Customer Guides, whichgive a clear overview of themany products and servicesoffered by SkyLine and SkyBest.You’ll also find the CommunityInformation Section (also knownas the Blue Pages) to accessadditional helpful information.

ANNUAL DIRECTORY COLLECTIONDRIVE DATES SET

Don’t throw away your old phone book! SkyLine isconducting its 17th Annual Directory Collection Drive witharea public schools from January 1 through March 31, 2009.With hundreds of directories collected each year, SkyLinedonates 25 cents to participating schools for each olddirectory they collect. Since we started this program, schoolshave collected in excess of 297,000 directories, and SkyLinehas rewarded them with more than $74,000 in donations.The schools also receive credit for all old phone booksreceived at our three Customer Service Centers, which arecollected throughout the calendar year.

WHO’S CALLING?Recognize and Report

Phone FraudWho’s calling – and why? Tele-

marketers must tell you it’s a salescall, the name of the seller and whatthey’re selling before they make theirpitch. If they don’t, say “no thanks,”and get off the phone.

What’s their hurry? Fast talkers who use high pressuretactics could be hiding something. Take your time. Most le-gitimate businesses will give you time and written informationabout an offer before asking you to commit to a purchase.

If it’s free, why are they asking me to pay? Questioncharges you need to pay to redeem a prize or gift. Free isfree. If you have to pay, it's a purchase – not a prize or a gift.

Why am I “confirming” my account information – orgiving it out at all? Some callers have your billing informa-tion before they call you. They’re trying to get you to say“okay” so they can claim you approved a charge.

What time is it? The law allows telemarketers to call onlybetween 8 a.m. and 9 p.m.

Do I want more calls like this one? If you don’t want abusiness to call you again, say so. If they call back, they’rebreaking the law.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 2

New Warehouse Facilityin Operation

SkyLine is now operating a new warehouse facility onRadio Hill in West Jefferson. In recent years, the companyhad outgrown its warehouse and cable yard located behindSkyLine’s corporate offices. The new 9,332-square-footwarehouse, located above SkyLine’s West JeffersonCustomer Service Center on Highway 194, houses theco-op’s outside plant operations group, warehouse staffand inventory of plant facilities. The area behind the buildingprovides much-needed parking space for SkyLine’s vehiclefleet and the plant operations group. Shipping and receivingalso is based at this new location, which allows easier andsafer access for delivery vehicles.

CONNECTIONSPublished monthly for customers of SkyLine Membership Corporation and SkyBest Communications

Expand Your Local Calling Area And Enjoy Savings!With Regional Caller, you can reach family and friends in neighboring counties

and beyond through seven-digit dialing and pay just six cents a minute. Thisexpanded local calling area plan has been available for several years, and specificareas you may call are highlighted in your SkyLine/SkyBest telephone directory. Tofind out more, turn to pages 13-16 of your current regional directory, which coversAlleghany, Ashe, Avery and Watauga counties. Look to your home telephoneexchange to see exactly which telephone exchanges may be called from yourhome. While you don't have to sign up to receive these special discounts, somerestrictions may apply.

Just remember to reach these locations using seven-digit dialing. We also offera special Volume Caller plan to residential customers for those who make frequentcalls to these locations. Call us at 1-800-759-2226 for more details.

RECOGNIZE AND REPORT PHONE FRAUD CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Report Phone Fraud. Recognizing fraudulent callers isimportant; reporting them to the appropriate law enforcementauthorities is critical, too. When you report, you can help stoptelephone scammers. Report telephone hucksters to the FTCand your state Attorney General so they can prosecutefraudulent telemarketers who try to steal your money.

If your number is on the National Do Not Call Registry, youshould get calls only from those companies with which you dobusiness – or those that have your permission to call. If you getcalls from a company you don’t have a relationship with – or froma company you have told not to call you – report it. Jot down thename and number of the caller, and the date and time of the call.

To report phone fraud, visit FTC.gov or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.In North Carolina, you can report fraud to the Attorney General’sOffice at 1-877-5-NOSCAM or (919) 716-6400.

To report violations of the National Do Not Call Registry, visitDoNotCall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222.

Your complaint is entered into the Consumer SentinelNetwork, a database that is used by law enforcement agenciesacross the country and around the world. It can help them trackdown scam artists, detect patterns in their calls, find other vic-tims, and ultimately, stop the fraud.

Register Your Number. You can limit the number of telemar-keting calls you receive by placing your phone number on theNational Do Not Call Registry. Once your number is registered,feel free to hang up if you get a cold call from a company withwhich you don't already do business – or report it!

You can register your phone number at DoNotCall.gov, or bycalling 1-888-382-1222 (TTY: 1-866-290-4236) from the numberyou wish to register. If you register online, you must click on theconfirmation e-mail you receive to complete your free registration.

Your registration will not expire. Your number is on the listuntil you take it off, or your number is disconnected andre-assigned to someone else.

Placing your number on the Registry stops most telemarket-ing calls, but not all. Once your number has been on the Registryfor 31 days, you still may get calls from, or on behalf of:

• Political organizations, charities, and pollsters;

• Companies with whom you have an existing businessrelationship;

• Companies you’ve given permission to call;

Companies that you do business with may call for 18months. If you ask a company for information, it may call forthree months.

The Registry accepts personal cell phone and home phonenumbers. Federal Communications Commission regulationsprohibit the use of automated dialers to call cell phone numbers,so most telemarketers won’t cold-call consumers on their cellphones – despite urban myths and e-mails to the contrary.

Telemarketing fraud is a crime. Professional criminalsposing as legitimate telemarketers try to worm their way into yourwallet. They are very good at what they do: their “pitch” is per-fect, their tone is friendly and sincere, and their answers to yourquestions seem to make sense. It’s no wonder that consumers,regardless of their age, education or experience, can fall fortelemarketing frauds.

By learning how to recognize and report telephone fraud, youcan help stop some scams – and if you put your phone numberson the National Do Not Call Registry, you can reduce the numberof unwanted telemarketing calls you get.

To learn more about how to recognize and report phonefraud, and how to place your phone number on the National DoNot Call Registry, go to ftc.gov/phonefraud.Source: Federal Trade Commission

HappyHolidays

FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORSAND STAFF OF

SKYLINE MEMBERSHIPCORPORATION AND

SKYBEST COMMUNICATIONS