"It’s 2009, We Know What to Do at the Beep"

This is funny, and yet legitimate, at the same time.

Cell phone users, send a message
David Pogue, NY Times

I’ve been ranting lately about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cell phone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.

Suppose you call my cell to leave me a message. First you hear my own voice: “Hi, it’s David Pogue. Leave a message, and I’ll get back to you” — and THEN you hear a 15-second canned carrier message.

These messages are outrageous for two reasons. First, they waste your time. Good heavens: It’s 2009. WE KNOW WHAT TO DO AT THE BEEP.

Second, we’re PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up — big-time. If Verizon’s 70 million customers leave or check messages twice a weekday, Verizon rakes in about $620 million a year. That’s your money. And your time: three hours of your time a year, just sitting there listening to the same message over and over again every year.

Let’s push back, and hard. We want those time-wasting, money-leaking messages eliminated, or at least made optional.


Read the full article here and if you’re so inclined (like I am), send your carrier a little note and let them know that there is in fact, some merit to this argument.

After all, like David says, it is YOUR time and money.

Posted by Lisa Jeffries Nobling

A good old-fashioned Southern girl - at home in the modern world.