2009.08.03
Take back the beep
In a recent column, David Pogue, The New York Times technology critic, hit on one of those minor annoyances that plague modern life, and then put it in shocking context. How many times have gotten someone's voice mail, then waited through the stupid instructions at the end: "Record your message after the tone. To send a numeric page, press one. To leave a callback number, press five. When you are finished recording, hang up, or for delivery options, press pound."
As Pogue put it: Do we really need to be told to hang up when we're finished!? Would anyone, ever, want to "send a numeric page?" Who still carries a pager, for heaven's sake? Or what about "leave a callback number?" We can SEE the callback number right on our phones!
I've had the same thoughts countless times, but wrote it off as a mere annoyance and a waste of a few seconds. That's where the shocking context comes in. From Pogue again: Is this really so evil? Is 15 seconds here and there that big a deal? Well, Verizon has 70 million customers. If each customer leaves one message and checks voicemail once a day, Verizon rakes in — are you sitting down? — $850 million a year. That’s right: $850 million, just from making us sit through those 15-second airtime-eating instructions.
Pogue doesn't just want to complain, though. He wants to affect change. To that end, he's begun a "Take Back the Beep Campaign." Click on the link to join in and find out where to complain to each carrier.
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I send numeric pages to mobile phones quite often. It has nothing to do with pagers.
Also, some dumb people feel like they have to push pound to deliver a message if that is what the instructions say. They think that if they hang up, the message will disappear. Well, that's stupid.. but you libs here usually seem to agree with catering to the idiots who can't figure things out for themselves.
Anyways.. I think voicemail should go away all together.
Comment by Jack — August 3, 2009 @ 6:27 pm
While I am sure that every stupid customer question comes from Liberals and every stupid lawsuit for damages comes from a Liberal, I find it past insulting to suggest that Verizon's money making is a purely to cater to stupid Liberals or the stupid people we often defend from the unscrupulous. Reach much?
Comment by Sandi Saunders — August 3, 2009 @ 6:56 pm
i long for the day that voicemail (as we know it) is a thing of the past. Google Voice is bringing that to reality with audio transcription of messages sent to your phone as a text message, and Apple is helping with visual voice mail. two clicks and I can delete without listening! Caller ID is there for a reason!
Comment by scott — August 3, 2009 @ 7:33 pm
I'm defending why they probably have the part about "...hang up or...". I don't think it has anything to do with money.
Some people are just too stupid to realize they can hang up and have their message delivered.
I think the whole argument is moot. I think voicemail is outdated and should go away completely.
I don't listen to voicemail anymore myself. I read all of mine.
Comment by Jack — August 3, 2009 @ 7:36 pm
Hence why I don't use Verizon for any of my telecommunications needs. I don't have a landline phone (not even connected to the main line on the utility pole across the way), don't use their internet, and use a local company for cell phones. I long suspected that the endless maze of menu options was to extend call times over the 1 minute mark for leaving a voicemail, so that simply confirmed my suspicions.
Comment by Other John — August 3, 2009 @ 7:46 pm
That’s why this is my voicemail message to would be message leavers-
Due to technology tripping over its own feet I now have to enter a series of numeric security codes while standing on one foot reciting the Gettysburg address in order to listen to my voicemail because, apparently, someone is going around stealing messages. That’s not counting the instructions given to you by a mystery woman on how to leave the message even though you’ve been doing it for 30 years ever since the answering machine came out. Save us both some time and hang up without leaving a message. Your phone number and time of call will register on the missed call list and I will call you back as soon as possible.
Note: apologies for any grammatical errors
Comment by terry — August 4, 2009 @ 8:46 am
Good one terry!
Comment by Sandi Saunders — August 4, 2009 @ 9:46 am
If it's a Verizon message (you can tell by the voice that follows the owner's message) you can hit star (the * key) to skip the extraneous stuff and go straight to leaving a message.
You can't do that on every voice mail (sometimes the star key is the one for the operator to check his or her messages) but a lot of people around here use Verizon.
Comment by Mason — August 4, 2009 @ 10:38 am
If I wanted to listen to my voicemails on my mobile phone, I just press and hold the "V" button for two seconds. Five seconds later, they are playing.
But then again, like I said yesterday, we're catering to stupid people who neither know how to use their phone nor how to use the voicemail.
Also, like I said yesterday, I don't listen to voicemail. I just read it.
Comment by Jack — August 4, 2009 @ 12:33 pm