Take Back the Beep - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

fredr123 · 07-30-2009, 03:14 PM

Sites all over the internets, including engadget, gizmodo and theconsumerist, are joining David Pogue in the "Take Back the Beep" campaign: http://pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/...-instructions/

Pogue is advocating against the cell phone providers using 15 second messages before your voice mail describing how to leave a message (e.g. "[Phone number] is not available right now. Please leave a detailed message after the tone. When you have finished recording, you may hang up, or press pound for more options"). These messages are specifically designed to help you burn up your minutes and increase your ARP. He estimates that Verizon, for instance, is netting around $620 million a year thanks to these little annoyances.

Pogue is urging people to complain to their cell phone provider and put pressure on them to at least allow a user to turn those messages off.

Sounds to me like something CP users could get behind.

Gozer · 07-30-2009, 03:33 PM

Yes, finally, this has scam has lasted long enough.

Jordan! · 07-30-2009, 03:36 PM

I thought this thread was about that old Orange/Chemical flavored drink called BEEP!

stang · 07-30-2009, 03:41 PM

FINALLY!!!

I hate that stupid recording! We know how to work it.

burn_this_city · 07-30-2009, 03:44 PM

I always assumed they made those messages that long for that reason.

You Need a Thneed · 07-30-2009, 03:51 PM

has anyone, ever, "pressed pound for more options?"

ken0042 · 07-30-2009, 03:52 PM

I still have by the second billing. Keeping in mind that the call timer starts from the start of the ringing until hanging up, I find a call now that consists of me saying "Hey, it's 7:30- give me a call if you can." takes about 1:05 now. So if you don't have by the second, it's 2 minutes.

Yeah_Baby · 07-30-2009, 03:54 PM

And here I thought we were going to talk about the cat Dolls.

fredr123 · 07-30-2009, 03:54 PM

Someone should go through the trouble of posting links to the various Canadian carriers so we can inundate them with complaints. Sites for American carriers are getting flooded right now. John Mayer even tweeted about this to 1.8M or so followers. The message is spreading.

jydk · 07-30-2009, 04:31 PM

I'm with Rogers, and I'm able to turn of the "annoyance" It's an option in my VM settings. I wish more people new about this.

4X4 · 07-30-2009, 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jydk

I'm with Rogers, and I'm able to turn of the "annoyance" It's an option in my VM settings. I wish more people new about this.

Tell me how! As far as I'm concerned, if you don't know the procedure on how to leave a message, I probably don't want to hear from you anyway.

BlackArcher101 · 07-30-2009, 04:38 PM

Or as soon as you hear the message start you can just press the number. No need to wait for it to complete.

Designed to waste minutes? Please, this started with voicemail on landlines.

The Yen Man · 07-30-2009, 04:41 PM

Even after all these years of getting this message, it always throws me off, because I'm all ready to leave my message when the voicemail is done. Just as I'm about to start talking, the 15 second auto message thing goes on, and by the time it's done, I forget what I was originally going to say, and then I start stammering like an idiot through my message.

FlamesKickAss · 07-30-2009, 05:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 4X4

Tell me how! As far as I'm concerned, if you don't know the procedure on how to leave a message, I probably don't want to hear from you anyway.

it used to be under personal settings, but its not anymore, not for me anyways. all my lady says is please leave your msg after the tone.