You’ve all left voicemails before. You’ve all checked your voicemails. You understand how annoying those 15 second messages between the one you’ve already recorded and the beep are.
For example:
[backbeat to "Can't Touch This"]
“Leave a message
[dooo do do do, deet deet, do do, deet deet, do do]
Leave a message
[dooo do do do, deet deet, do do, deet deet, do do]
I I Iiiii Missed your call/ so at the tone
leave a message on my voicemail/ when I check my phone
I’ll call you back in just a few/ at the beep leave your number and your name
Leave a message!”
*automated voice*
“Please record your message after the tone. When you are finished recording, you may hang up or press 1 for more options. [long pause] To leave a callback number, press 5.”
[beeeeep]
Buzz. Kill. 15 seconds of your life you can’t have back (which is just adding insult to injury considering the first part of the voicemail), wasting precious moments of your life AND wasting minutes on your phone bill.
So here’s the thing.
No one likes the automated messages. We’re not stupid. We know what to do at the beep. No one uses the pager function – it’s called a text message. Welcome to 2009. And Earth to phone companies: YOU CHARGE FOR TEXTS!
And what about the 30 seconds of BS to check your voicemail? Again, a huge waste of time and minutes.
Now I know some of you iPhone users are like, “HAH. I have visual voicemail and people who call me go straight to the beep. I rock.”
And that’s true. You do rock.
But it’s still horribly annoying to have to wait on the message when you call someone else, isn’t it?
That’s what I thought.
So ask your provider to do you a favor and stop wasting your minutes, your friends minutes and ultimately your time and get rid of the automated voicemail intro.
David Pogue of the New York Times has the right idea: he started Take Back the Beep to mobilize the cause.
So let’s get on it! Check out the link to Take Back the Beep (yep, I linked it again there) and get in contact with your mobile service provider.
Also, make sure you share it on your fave bookmarking sites (Digg, Technorati, Stumble Upon, Del.icio.us, etc.), networks (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin, Myspace, etc.) and get in contact with your mobile service provider… again.
Let’s help make this happen.
Cheers!
