covert@covert.enet.dec.com (John R. Covert 26-Jul-1990 0901) (07/26/90)
From: Greg Monti Date: 25 July 1990 Subject: Answer Call Service The brochure arrived in this month's bill from C&P Telephone of Virginia. This is not intended to be an advertisement; I thought Telecomers would be interested. "Announcing Answer Call from C&P Telephone. Thanks to the Bell Atlantic Intelligent NetworQ(sm), you no longer need to buy an answering machine to enjoy all the advantages of automatic telephone messaging. In fact, you don't need *any* new equipment whatsoever - just the touch-tone equipped phone you have right now! "Call in to retrieve messages quickly and easily ... at home or away from home. Save the $10.80 connection charge if you order by July 28th!" The list of features (edited for space): "- Special dial tone alerts you...if you have messages. "- Call in to retrieve messages...give your password and your messages will be played back for you. "- Callers hear your personal greeting. "- Retrieve your messages from anywhere. You don't need a pocket beeper. You can operate Answer Call from any touch-tone equipped phone... "- Protects your confidentiality at all times. No one - not even at the phone company - can retrieve your messages unless you request it. "- 30-minute message capacity. When your mailbox is "full," you clear it by erasing messages you've heard. "- Skip, replay, fast forward, erase or save. ...You can even hear the date and time of each call. "- Takes messages even when you're on the phone. ...Plus, if you have Call Waiting, use Tone Block when you're on the phone and Answer Call will take the second call. (With Call Waiting, Answer Call will not pick up the second incoming call unless you use Tone Block to temporarily deactivate Call Waiting.) A third caller will either hear a busy signal or will be forwarded to Answer Call. "- Option of multiple "mailboxes." For a small additional charge, each member of your household (up to 8) can have his or her own personal mailbox and password - all on one line! "...for as little as $5 a month - total. (Each time a call is forwarded to your Answer Call access number, or you call to retrieve messages, a message unit may be charged if you have measured service.) "Call now toll-free 1 800 321-7176, Operator 4501." I think not. Greg Monti, Arlington, Virginia; work +1 202 822-2633 [Moderator's Note: Perhaps, Mr. Monti, you will write again and explain your objections to voicemail over traditional answering machines. Is it just a matter of personal taste, or do you have serious objections to the service? I've had voicemail from Centel here in Chicago for quite awhile, and like it a lot. PT]
"George A. Theall" <theall@rm105serve.sas.upenn.edu.sas.upenn.edu> (07/27/90)
In article <10138@accuvax.nwu.edu> Greg Monti writes: >"Announcing Answer Call from C&P Telephone. Thanks to the Bell >Atlantic Intelligent NetworQ(sm), you no longer need to buy an >answering machine to enjoy all the advantages of automatic telephone >messaging. Bell Atlantic is offering Answer Call now with what look to be the same features as the service from C&P Telephone. Since I frequently tie up my phone while dialing into the campus computing system I have been considering this service. Here are a few of my concerns: - When the service is initiated you must specify how many rings occur before the call is passed to Answer Call. Bell Atlantic will change this setting in the future, albeit for for a $16 fee. What's involved in this change that would justify such a fee? Are there similarly high (IMHO) charges for, say, altering the mailbox password? - Each mailbox will store up to 30 minutes of messages, as Greg noted. Apart from this, though, there is no limit on the size of any single message. Once the mailbox is full, subsequent callers get a recording saying there is no space for their message. Does this means callers at least would hear a message saying "I'm unable to come to the phone right now..."? How likely is it that an abusive or talkative caller would monopolize the mailbox? - Those with measured phone service are charged for not only their own calls to check the mailbox but also calls forwarded there. I'm curious as to the reason(s) for these charges. Is Answer Call targeted primarily at users with unmeasured service? From perusing the articles in this newsgroup I gather Answer Call works by intercepting calls to a number; hence the charge. Isn't this the same way, though, that the phone company handles calls to numbers that have been changed? - Would it be better (in terms of cost and convenience) to simply install another phone line with basic service and hook an answering machine up to that line? How long does the average answering machine last? I'd appreciate your comments on Answer Call, especially if you've ever used it. If there's sufficient interest, I'll summarize my findings for the group. George A. Theall, Dept of Economics, Univ. of Pennsylvania theall@rm105serve.sas.upenn.edu (yes, I know our mailer's broke and the "From:" line is wrong)
Dave Levenson <dave%westmark@uunet.uu.net> (07/29/90)
In article <10192@accuvax.nwu.edu>, theall@rm105serve.sas.upenn. edu.sas.upenn.edu (George A. Theall) writes: > Bell Atlantic is offering Answer Call now with what look to be the > same features as the service from C&P Telephone. Since I frequently > tie up my phone while dialing into the campus computing system I have > been considering this service. Here are a few of my concerns: Bell Atlantic is the holding company who owns C&P, so this should not be surprising! George asks some good questions, and I'd like to take a stab at responding: > - When the service is initiated you must specify how many > rings occur before the call is passed to Answer Call. Bell > Atlantic will change this setting in the future, albeit for > for a $16 fee. What's involved in this change that would > justify such a fee? Are there similarly high (IMHO) charges > for, say, altering the mailbox password? It probably requires a human being to process your change order by using one or more administrative functions on their Voice Mail system. They probably divide the total cost of this system administration function by the number of service initiations and service changes they expect when they price such things. > - Each mailbox will store up to 30 minutes of messages, as > Greg noted. Apart from this, though, there is no limit on > the size of any single message. Once the mailbox is full, > subsequent callers get a recording saying there is no space > for their message. Does this means callers at least would > hear a message saying "I'm unable to come to the phone right > now..."? How likely is it that an abusive or talkative > caller would monopolize the mailbox? It would be nicer if they'd provice a per-message limit as well as a per-mailbox limit. > - Those with measured phone service are charged for not > only their own calls to check the mailbox but also calls > forwarded there. I'm curious as to the reason(s) for these > charges. Is Answer Call targeted primarily at users with > unmeasured service? From perusing the articles in this > newsgroup I gather Answer Call works by intercepting calls > to a number; hence the charge. Isn't this the same way, > though, that the phone company handles calls to numbers > that have been changed? They're probably using CO features like call-forward busy as well as call-forward no-answer to transfer inbound calls to voice mail for coverage. Calls forwarded to another working telephone line are charged to the forwarding party. This includes toll charges, if the forward-to number is toll, and message-unit charges if it's local and message-rate service applies. > - Would it be better (in terms of cost and convenience) > to simply install another phone line with basic service > and hook an answering machine up to that line? How long > does the average answering machine last? Answering machines in the $100 - $150 range probably last long enough to end up costing less than you would pay for CO-based call-coverage. A second line, however, might cost more. A machine without a second line, of course, can only provide coverage for no-answer, not for busy. The second line answering machine can provide coverage-busy, if you provide hunting. It can also provide coverage no-answer if your CO offers the forward no-answer feature. You might want to price 1) additional lines, 2) hunting service, 3) forward no-answer, and 4) answering machines to properly compare what you'd pay for alternatives. Dave Levenson Voice: 908 647 0900 Fax: 908 647 6857 Westmark, Inc. UUCP: {uunet | rutgers | att}!westmark!dave Warren, NJ, USA AT&T Mail: !westmark!dave [The Man in the Mooney]
"John R. Covert 31-Jul-1990 2124" <covert@covert.enet.dec.com> (08/01/90)
From: Greg Monti Date: 31 July 1990 Subject: Re: Answer Call Service > [Moderator's Note: Perhaps, Mr. Monti, you will write again and > explain your objections to voicemail over traditional answering > machines. Is it just a matter of personal taste, or do you have > serious objections to the service? I've had voicemail from Centel here > in Chicago for quite awhile, and like it a lot. PT] Because it just doesn't pique my interest enough, yet. $5 a month is not particularly expensive, but my $89 Panasonic KXT-1415 answering machine (bought 50 months ago) would be paid for in 18 of those $5 months. The machine still works, clunky, mechanical beast that it is, requiring a beeper for remote retrieval, etc., as it does. I'm not the type to call the machine from work every two hours to see what important calls came in. I'm also not the type to call the machine much when out of town (maybe once or twice on a one-week trip). Most people I know are aware when I'm out of town and don't call at all, much less leave a message. I don't object to voicemail. I use and enjoy the Rolm Phonemail system installed late last year by my employer. What I don't like is organizations who install voicemail and, through ignorance or incompetence, fail to force a path to an "always answered by a human" extension, a key requirement of any corporate voicemail system. Call WNYC radio in New York (212 669-7800) sometime and listen to yourself get lost in the ether. Me as a telecom buff and me as a consumer are two different people. Sure, I thought cellular phones were neat when they came out, but not neat enough for me at the $1,600 price tags they had then. Now that department stores here in the Washington area are selling them for $199 with three-month activation, my interest is up. ($199 buys a phone in a plastic "pack" with rubber-ducky antenna, car cigarette lighter adapter and few in-phone features, no battery, no charger, no mag- or glass-mount antenna, no car speakerphone features, etc. But, it's a working unit that allows you to get [removable] phone service in the car - fast.) Greg Monti, Arlington, Virginia; work +1 202 822 2633