An idea whose time has definitely come.

[bpcmxr]

Last week, in The Times and on my blog, I've been ranting about one particularly blatant money-grab by U.S. cellphone carriers: the mandatory 15-second voicemail instructions.

<snip>

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.

<snip>

Second, we're PAYING for these messages. These little 15-second waits add up--bigtime. 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.

<snip>

In 2007, I spoke at an international cellular conference in Italy. The big buzzword was ARPU--Average Revenue Per User. The seminars all had titles like, "Maximizing ARPU In a Digital Age." And yes, several attendees (cell executives) admitted to me, point-blank, that the voicemail instructions exist primarily to make you use up airtime, thereby maximizing ARPU.

Right now, the carriers continue to enjoy their billion-dollar scam only because we're not organized enough to do anything about it. But it doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to sit there, waiting to leave your message, listening to a speech recorded by a third-grade teacher on Ambien.


More here.

[mikelgb]

1. fail to provide paragraphs

[Recursion]

2. Prepaid cell companies' voicemail have default instructions...

...to leave a full, detailed message rather than just a name and number. Why? So you'll use up more minutes listening to messages.

[elocs]

3. Which is why I don't check voicemail on a prepaid phone but use a landline

and therefore I use no minutes.

[Recursion]

4. I like the anonymity of prepaid phones

So I put up with having one as an "extra". Plus, if you really only want to use a phone for emergencies, they're very cost-effective.

[elocs]

5. I've used a Tracfone for more than 10 years now and its all I need.

I use it for quick calls and for emergencies and not for casual yak-yaking. I currently have over 800 minutes and seldom ever fall below 600 minutes.

[Daveparts still]

6. I have felt the same thing

The cell phone companies rip people off left and right. We had a problem with charges for ring tone downloads. Me download a ring tone? A. I don't know how and B. I don't like it when it rings anyway.

After half a dozen calls it was removed but returned the next month $2.99 X's half a million customers. It turned out the ring tone company was a sister company of the cell phone company.
Wasn't that cozy?