Some bullshit

[prog]

If you are not the intended recipient, please do not retain, copy, use, or otherwise disclose the information contained in this message. Instead, please delete it and notify the sender.

Has this ever happened in the history of email?

"When you are finished recording, you may hang up, or press star for more options. (pause) To leave a numeric page

Comments

[ianmcin]

As an alternative to leaving a voice message and then hanging up, I mean.

"Oops, I screwed up that message the first time, let me erase it and try again."

[prog]

That's an interesting and legitimate-sounding use - you've actually done this?

It's never occurred to me that that could be among the mysterious "options", which I suppose I always dimly imagined would be an array of aural filters and sound effects you could add, or something. And anyway, I think like most people I'd only realize my error after I hung up anyway, and end up just calling again and leaving an amending message.

[daerr]

I actually have...

[chocorisu]

Actually... I have done the first one before, but it was years ago when spam wasn't such a problem. I wouldn't do it now because I'd just suspect it was someone fishing for active addresses.

The latter, though... wtf was wrong with "Hello this is David leave a message after the beep *beep*?" People always gotta add stupid "features" to everything.

[jazzfish]

When uilos's phone was acting up I used to page her instead of leaving a message, since the message would have consisted of "hey your phone isn't receiving my calls again." I freely admit that I'm probably the one person on the planet who ever did this, though.

[hrafn]

I've never seen the former. How odd.

The latter has always made me go Wha? Isn't one of the wonders of cellphones that they record the number of incoming calls? And if you-the-caller have your number kept private, then wouldn't you automatically know "hey maybe I should LEAVE A MESSAGE"? But I've used that option (leave a numeric page) once or twice, just for the novelty of it (Hey what does this do?).

[karlvonl]

I only recall ever seeing the former in freakin' *Usenet* postings. :-) My thought is usually "yeah, good luck with that".

[treacle_well]

I've occasionally (but rarely) pressed star for more options because sometimes one of the options is the option to re-record your message, and if you've really botched your original message then it's nice to have a second chance.

And sometimes the options might be to do something like dial another extension at the same office you've just dialed into or to check your own voicemail if that happens to be the same office where you have voicemail, and so it's more convenient than hanging up and then dialing back into the system.

[prog]

That's two comments about the re-recording feature... I'll buy it. Interesting!