![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-546082-100x100.png\")
For Alltel, it was \"3\".
For my voicemail message, I always start with \"Press X to skip this message\" for the benefit of friends and family so they won't have to remember which network I'm on and which button to push.
It also helps to have a short message, like Agent Casey from Chuck: \"Casey. *grunt*\".
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1201340-100x100.png\")
Better yet, don't leave a voicemail. Voicemail is so passé. Use text. I'm much more likely to respond to a text than listen to a voicemail.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-389492-100x100.png\")
@zacox: i don't text people unless i know they are ok with it but i mostly communicate by text message during the hours i am at work. my job involves being on the phone so i can't answer my personal phone for around 8-9 hours out of the day
![\"user-pic\"](\"/css/images/default.gif\")
@zacox: Too many telemarketers and boob-heads who had no business calling my personal cell phone were leaving long messages. I got tired of people trying to pretend leaving an incomprehensible voice mail means we have some sort of business relationship or I have agreed to something simply by having voicemail.
I finally ditched the option completely. People who know me know enough to send me a text if I don't answer.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-277413-100x100.png\")
@bohemian:
I HATE the telemarketer/bill collector calls. I get those messages all the time. Someone with a lot of trouble had my number before I did, and I'm always getting calls from 800 numbers & long voicemails meant for her.
\"*garbled robot voice* This is a message for so & so. If you are not so & so, please hang up now.............. By staying on the line, you agree that you are so & so. We need to speak with you about an urgent business matter. Please call us back at X-XXX-XXX-XXXX.\"
UGH. This is why I will only give out my google voice number from now on.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-157517-100x100.png\")
@zacox: Better yet, use voicemail, but be succinct. I won't read your text after shutting it off after my carrier refused to do anything about spam.
@zacox: Yes, because a job you applied for or an audition you went to or a wedding planner you're working with or a doctor you're seeing are all going to send you text messages, or cheerfully keep trying to call your phone a hundred times in a row until you finally answer. Yup.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-129735-100x100.png\")
@zacox: Because text messages are SO much more affordable at $1300/MB. Not everyone purchases a text message plan, so every message you send them costs 10-20 cents vs taking a few minutes to listen to their V-mail.
Text messages are also limited in usefulness as they are ony available cell phone to cell phone (or computer to cell phone using some application or website. If I am calling from a business or using a landline, I have no ability to leave someone a text message explaining why I need to speak with them.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-224192-100x100.png\")
@Rachacha: Email is a far superior solution to SMS for many reasons. I don't really understand why everyone doesn't just use that, accessing it from their phones.
SMS pricing is a joke. I'm one of those people who refuses to \"text\", because I've yet to encounter many situations where I can't just email or call faster. And so I don't have a text messaging plan. Yet AT&T has quadrupled the price of pay-per use text messages (which I occasionally have to pay due to other people texting me), AND eliminated mobile-to-mobile text messaging (meaning you have to pay TWICE for the same text message if it's between two phones on the same family plan). $0.40/SMS is absolutely obscene.
@johnva: I am with you. I as well do not have a text messaging service, and will tell the few friends that do TM me that I do not use TM and will not read it. I have E-mail access on my phone, or if you really want to communicate with me...call me. I find it easier to call my wife and ask her what she wants to do for dinner, or when she thinks she might be home. One conversation, no constant back & forth, and with a hands free, you can do it in a car while driving and it is much safer than SMS.
@Rachacha: It just seems strange to me that when we have a perfectly good universal messaging system in place (email), that doesn't have ridiculous pricing or stupid limitations on content type, languages, or length, that the POS service of SMS ever caught on. I certainly understand why the carriers love it, but I don't get at all why users would.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1050308-100x100.png\")
@johnva: Even fewer people have data plans on their phones than have text messaging plans. This is why adoption of emailing from mobile devices is slower than it should be. The carriers are keeping data plan pricing extremely high in part to encourage wider usage of extremely high priced text messaging... because while high it is still cheaper for most people's usage habits than data is.
@johnva: The only reason that I can think is that there is a potential for brief delay in receiving the message as it moves through the E-mail servers. Add the fact that you may need special hardware (or G-mail Push on the iPhone) to have the E-mails pushed to your phone like a text message (so you are actually notified when the message is received).
E-mail on phones is fairly new (or at lest it is now becoming very usable on a phone), think back a couple years ago when most people did not have smart phones therefore E-mail was difficult, now smart phones are the norm. The only advantage that I can see is SMS messages MUST be short, so you don't get people rambling on and on and on.
@Rachacha: SMS also has potential for delay, as does any messaging system that moves messages across networks. So that's not a problem unique to email.
I realize that a lot of this is simply because there hadn't been a critical mass of people with email-capable phones. But what I don't get is why email wasn't used from the get-go when it was decided to add messaging to phones. Adding a system like SMS just creates two mutually incompatible systems for little reason (although they can be bridged together), and an inferior one at that. Now there is little reason ANY phone capable of sending SMS (basically all of them) should not use email instead, except as a money-grubbing scam by the carriers.
@Rachacha: I succeeded in starting a sarcasm war! Actually, i set out to find out who wanted to deride text messages as the horribly expensive bits they are.
The truth is, for all those people who buy extra plans at $20 per month so they can have unlimited texts, the cost may be $1300 per MB or more! But, for those who have certain carriers and certain plans that include unlimited texts for free, the cost per MB is zero.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-16563-100x100.png\")
@Rachacha: To say nothing of those that turn off text messaging on principle. Yup, that'd be me.
I'm reachable at least eight other ways digitally, which don't cost $1,300/MB.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-943594-100x100.png\")
@Trai_Dep: I knew I liked you. Good God texts annoy me.
I had a friend meet a guy in a bar once who got her phone number and proceeded to text her. she responded suggesting she wasn't a fan of texts and that perhaps he should call. His response? A text saying ok...He never called, and she never lost any sleep.
@Trai_Dep: I agree with you in principle, and look forward to the day that cell companies stop overcharging for texts. However, in practice, it's worth five bucks a month to me because, for issues that are not particularly pressing and don't require a conversation (such as \"What's your 20?\" or \"Lunch?\"), texts are so much faster, easier to process, and less intrusive than voice or voicemail.
Depending on your usage pattern and your willingness to carry a QWERTY phone, a $5 text upgrade could allow you to downgrade your voice plan by $10 to $20.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-437778-100x100.png\")
Sprint/Verizon used to have an option that the user could set to turn on \"pager notification\" which resulted in the computer voice adding \"To Page This Person, press now\" ...
To the person saying that one carrier lets you record your own greeting: All carriers let you record your own greeting, it' just a matter of whether the user sets it or not.
Frankly if you're leaving a short message the 15 seconds doesn't really matter because they charge you by the minute and round up ... so even 20-25 seconds listening to a voice mail greeting doesn't really matter as long as your message is less then ~30 seconds, it all costs 1 minute.
@emis: It matters a whole lot when I had to make a $1.99/min call to my gf in DC from the Bahamas last night. It was the fastest \"I'm sorry you haven't heard from me but there's no CDMA signal on this part of the island nor is there internet in this house and the next time you'll hear from me is when I'm in the office tomorrow morning\" voicemail I've ever had to leave.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-55114-100x100.png\")
@emis:
Well, it does matter in the sense that it's annoying as freaking hell to have to listen to it every time.
No, I do not want to page this person, nor do I want to leave a callback number. Just let me leave the damn message you binary bitch.
@Murph1908: I never did understand the 'paging' thing. What good would it do if they didn't answer the phone? It already rang, so obviously they aren't there to pick up.
@Murph1908: I think the problem with that is that phones don't keep a list of missed calls if the phone is turned off. At least not the phones that I know.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-423957-100x100.png\")
@Murph1908: Yeah with Verizon there's no way to shutoff the \"to leave a callback number (just a text message for pete's sake!)\" BS. I hate it, I've used the methods listed above for years... especially when it's to leave a message for someone I already know.
@egoods: You should be able to shut this message off with any carrier. Call your carrier and they can turn it off for you.
My old cell provider wouldn't allow you to delete a message until you had listened to the entire thing. Extremely infuriating. I think hitting 7 (delete) even may have started the message over, or maybe just skipped back a few seconds. The worst were those marathon messages where you had already spoken to the person, rendering the message completely irrelevant, or the times you had to listen to a message over again to write down a phone number or something. Greedy bastards nickel and dimeing me to death. Now I'm with Virgin, much better.
@mizike:
OMG I would switch carriers if Sprint did this. My mom fills up my voicemail with \"Answer your phone, call me back!\" type messages, & I would commit suicide if I had to listen to them all.
@kabuk1: My mom does that. I've tried telling her that I'd rather only have voicemail if it's important, because I don't like checking it if a glance at the phone gives me the exact same information as her usual \"Hi, it's me. It's nothing important, I'm just calling to see what you're up to. Call me back if you get a chance.\" She keeps doing it though.
If I remember correctly, for a time AT&T did do the forcingyou to listen to the whole message crap, but, thank goodness, they stopped that quite a while ago.
I leave this voice message:
\"Hello, this is Dallas May, Please press # to leave a message.\"
Done.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-386420-100x100.png\")
Is this really a complaint? Whether it's 5 seconds, 15 seconds or 59 seconds, it all counts as 1 minute on your minutes. This guy is just bitching about nothing to make himself popular.
@JustinSane07: I have to call out crews reguarly, I can spend 45 min calling one list, since most have multiple numbers. If I can cut that down, eveny by a few seconds per call, it will save me a lot of time each list.
@JustinSane07: David Pogue is bitching about nothing to make himself popular? I'm going to go out on a limb and assume you don't know who New York Times columnist and bestselling author David Pogue is. I.e. he no longer needs to make himself popular.
@JustinSane07:
Well, it is a complaint in the sense that it's annoying as freaking hell to have to listen to it every time.
No, I do not want to page this person, nor do I want to leave a callback number. Just let me leave the damn message you binary bitch.
Addition not your strong suit? Say you're going to leave a 31 second message. If the outgoing message is 10 seconds, then it matters if the instructions are 5 seconds (5+31+10 = 46 seconds = 1 minute) or 20 seconds (20+31+10 = 61 seconds = 2 minutes).
Sprint will actually let you disable the automated options portion of the greeting, its in the voicemail options menu. It will play only what you record and leave off the instructions that take up so much time. Great feature, hard to find and they don't talk about it though.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-8966-100x100.png\")
@Devidence: Yep. Sprint lets you turn off that beginning message. But if you do a major phone upgrade it always seems to get turned back on.
@Devidence: I did this the day I set up my account with Sprint a few years ago, but then I'm one of those people who like to hear and understand every single option in any configuration menu deal.
@wishnias:
Exactly! I don't even remember why I even sat through all that, but it was when I set up the initial greeting when I switched to Sprint.
@Ichiro51:
No problem. On Sprint:
call voicemail
option 3 - personal options
option 2 - greetings
option 1 - change main greeting
option 3 - add/remove caller instructions played after greeting
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-264335-100x100.png\")
@Devidence: AWESOME. Thanks for that, just did it on both the phones on my account. Will never have to listen to that woman again. There is also an \"expert mode\" in the personal options menu that shortens any instructions or commands relayed through the voicemail system. Saves a bit more time.
@Ichiro51:
Yea, I have my Sprint phone to go directly to the 'beep' after im done talking on my message. I wish more people I talk to did that too.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-104054-100x100.png\")
I wish Pogue would have educated his readers as opposed to championing a drive to tell the phone carriers to remove something that at least ATT and Sprint allow you to turn off. SMS cost or standardizing voicemail key commands seem more important than this.
Consumerist, please educate your readers instead of driving them into this unnecessary drive.
(P.S. Thanks for the skip commands, that's good posting.)
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-851646-100x100.png\")
@traeblain: It is not me who has the long message, it is all those who are not tech savvy. They don't read Pogue and I can't educate them all.
We are on AT&T and our greatly extended family uses \"0\" to successfully get directly to the beep.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-6536-100x100.png\")
This sort of thing is why it's better not to have friends in the first place. This way you don't get a bunch of people calling you leaving messages that all just say, \"Call me back\", anyway.
(I don't know what the voice mail equivalent of making your own soup is. Maybe it's the missed call list...)
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-254112-100x100.png\")
unfortunately if you hit * and it's T-Mobile you'll be prompted to enter your PIN because that's how you access your voicemail remotely. If you're just trying to leave a message you'll then have to hang up and call back because there's no way back to the top of the tree.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1020806-100x100.png\")
I don't even leave messages.
I just call, and if I even BEGIN get their message, I just hang up.
Their missed call records will tell them it's me that called, and to call me back.
Doesn't cost any minutes, wastes no one's time, not bugging anyone.
Picked that up from a friend in Lebanon.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-738213-100x100.png\")
I think these voicemail messages are ridiculous--
Anyone who uses their cellphone for work-- it is incredibly inefficient to be playing phone tag and to have to sit through these ong messages when a simple \"This is Bob in Sales, push 1 to leave a message\" would do.
This is also an example of how the \"marketplace\" does not self-regulate when it comes to obscene profit.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-350854-100x100.png\")
Sign up for an invite for Google Voice and skip all the silly tricks the cell companies try to pull.
I got my invite in less than 2 weeks after asking for one.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-665956-100x100.png\")
I always tell people not to even bother leaving me a VM. I look at caller ID to see who it was, and then I call them back. I never listed to the VM messages.
Cingular? Way to keep up with the times.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-261962-100x100.png\")
NO! I don't want to send a fucking FAX through voicemail! NO! I don't want to page you my number! I don't need other options! WHY THE FUCK DO YOU ASK ME TO SEND A FAX!?!?!? Might as well ask me if I want to send my message through carrier pigeon or morse code! It's a fucking joke and it pisses me off to no end and is why I hate leaving people messages. I absolutely hate it and would gladly go to prison for the rest of my life if I could meet the pricks who \"invented\" this shit and rip out their tongues.
@el-brazo-onofre: Dont get me wrong, I use my fax machine every few months, and it's handy to have around. But cell phone faxing? What the frak?
I do feel much better now that I've vented and know how to skip it. Now I won't have to yell at my friends voicemail when I must leave him a message. He's a technician and is too stupid or lazy to turn that thing off. \"hey sprint uses faxes.\" \"I know that, but do you ever use it?!?!?!!!?\"
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-630279-100x100.png\")
i have sprint. the only crappy part about turning the crap off is that i don't get to hear what phone number it came from. so i get \"hey, it's me...\" and sometimes i'm not sure who \"me\" is.
@lotussix: Your friends need to learn how to leave a voicemail. When they just say \"hey it's me\" do they think you can see them or something?
@henrygates: like you've never had a \"hey, it's me....\" message before....
i agree that better message leaving skills are in order.
don't get me wrong, there are a handful of people i know by voice instantly, but there's a metric shit-ton of people who i can't recognize by voice alone unless i listen to the message multiple times to try to figure it out.
@lotussix: It's also not helped by the fact that voice mail is so often garbled and low quality due to crappy connections at one end or the other.
@lotussix:
I think that is something different. You don't want to turn off the stuff it plays when you listen to voicemails, you want to disable the instructions when you call someone elses voicemail. On sprint you can disable this, I don't know about the rest.
@Devidence: i could really care less about other people's minutes then! i mean, i almost never go over my minutes.
they don't care about what minutes i use when i leave them voicemails, so why should i care about their's?
@lotussix:
Yeah I'm with you. It helps for professional reasons though. The less time before they can leave a message the better in my view.
@lotussix:
I dunno, I have all the options turned off for people and I still get the phone number. I think there is an option for that as well...
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-39759-100x100.png\")
I'd venture to guess most of us know the provider by the sounds of the applicable automated voicemail message - but for those who don't, these tips aren't very helpful..but I guess it's the thought that counts :P
Why does a voicemail call cost minutes anyway. Isn't it an in network call, and shouldn't that be free?
@aswearengen: If you are checking your voicemail it doesn't cost minutes but if you are leaving a message on someone else voicemail it cost minutes.
@TehQ: It costs to check your VM's unless you do it during your weekend or night-time free calling. This is not a mobile to mobile call.
@TehQ:
On some providers, it very much costs minutes to retrieve your messages using your cell phone. See Verizon. Yet, I can talk to my brother in Florida on his Verizon phone from my home in Michigan for as many minutes as I want, day or night. For no minutes charged to my account.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-352646-100x100.png\")
@zentec: Yeah, I feel your pain too. Depending on who calls me and when, I'll either wait until 9pm to check voicemail or do it right away if it's someone I deem is important enough. Or if I am at home, I'll use my VOIP phone to call my voicemail system, since the VOIP account has unlimited minutes all the time.
I work at a cell phone store and believe me its not some evil tactic to screw people out of minutes. They make the automate voice mail super easy because 90% of the people using cell phones are complete idiots. Thats why its set up for 5 year olds. Besides 15 seconds still count as 1 minute so it doesn't matter if its 5 seconds or 45 seconds you are still getting charged for 1 minute.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-25946-100x100.png\")
@TehQ: between connection time, the users message, and your VM you are using a good portion of a minute already.
These recordings are designed specifically to push a non-insignificant number of calls over 1 minute so they can collect more money.
They can keep their 15 second prompt, how about if they just quit rounding up to the next minute for billing the call?
In this day and age, there is no reason other than profit padding. They can tell down to the micro-second the duration of the call, and in all cases of rounding up (which is all calls), the consumer loses.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-335454-100x100.png\")
Hey, a fellow Moto SLVR L7 owner! Nice phone.
@jokono: after owning a RAZR, i will never buy a motorola ever again.
i should have learned with star-tac.
In ROGERS Canada you just log into your voicemail and disable that option - then after your personal recording it just beeps and records the message....
I wish everyone would/could do that.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-77175-100x100.png\")
Try youmail, there is no 15 second instructions you decide what it says AND you don't have to listen to a bunch of useless info when you retrieve voicemail either. Oh, and you can retrieve VMs online, saving even MORE minutes. Plus I like that it provides the name on the persons cell account that is calling you, it can be interesting sometimes...
I thought \"1\" also worked for AT&T...does it not anymore?
Use \"1\" for AT&T and for Verizon non-cell voicemail.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-388550-100x100.png\")
This shortcut just made my day! I am always sad to have a friend leave Sprint, since I know I can push 1 as soon as their voicemail picks up. Now I will 1 *# it all the time!
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-474558-100x100.png\")
I have ATT cell and just called myself from landline. Hit 1 at the VM prompt and got straight to the beep.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-194223-100x100.png\")
Haw I just reset my voicemail to say \"Leave me a message. Hit # tp gp right to the beep.\"
Cingular? Keep things updated, do we?
Calls back to your own voice mail are not billable minutes on Verizon... and 90% of the people I know are on Verizon, so the time on VM does not matter. I let everyone I know that matters that if you don't leave a VM I will call when I can. If it is urgent I call you back you better leave a message or it could be days.
Will this also work for carrier based voicemail on landlines?
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-79194-100x100.png\")
File this one under \"No _hit Sherlock\". If you didn't know already, this also works for office voicemail systems, but start with \"#\".
will this work with provider based voicemail?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-362561-100x100.png\")
Bypass them entirely with YouMail. Its got so many excellent features on top of avoiding all that garbage.
\"1\" works to skip straight to the beep for Verizon Wireless voicemails. I've been doing it that way for years.
Does anyone else find it annoying that there's no general consensus by any of the mobile companies' voicemail commands? Even PBX voicemail systems have some general navigational similarities. None such on the mobiles.
Just went on AT&T's live chat to ask a representative - it took 15 minutes to finally get a person, then about 3-4 minutes between 2 questions and finally it Timed Out on me - here is my conversation (I added the 'Timed Out' to let you know where we left off).
All representatives are currently assisting other customers. At this time, our average wait is 1 minutes and you are # 1 Thank you for your patience. A representative will be with you shortly.
Welcome to AT&T Technical Support Chat. My name is 'Wanda Reese' and I'll be happy to assist you today.
Me: Hello - How can I turn OFF the pre-recorded voicemail instructions on our cell phones so I get a beep immediately after my personal recorded message? I understand iPhone users have this with AT&T so I know it is possible.
Wanda Reese: I will be more than happy to assist you, Mr. Me.
Me: thank you
Me: It is a relief that you will assist me to turn this feature OFF
Me: Wanda - it has been a few minutes - are you still there?
Wanda Reese: Mr. Me, please hold with me for 2 to 3 minutes while I check the device tutorial for that information.
Me: ok - thank you
Wanda Reese: Mr. Me,which Razr do you have?
Me: Motorola Razr - we have 2
Wanda Reese: The iPhone has many options that are not available with other phone.
Wanda Reese: Our voice mail platform requires the voice mail prompts be in place for your voice mail.
Me: Well this isn't a phone option - this is a voicemail option which I imagine would be based on your voicemail features NOT the phone itself
Me: Why is that?
Wanda Reese: [www.wireless.att.com] ...
Wanda Reese: Please open the link from your PC. This is a device guide to show you all options to use with your phone.
Me: What is the reason the instructions are repeated each time someone calls?
Me: Is there a hotkey to skip it?
Wanda Reese: For other options that you may need with the device. Please contact Motorola by calling 866-289-6686. Their hours of operation are Mon - Fri 8 AM - 11PM Sat and Sun 10 AM - PM ET.
Me: This is an AT&T issue - not a Physical Phone issue
Me: Is there a skip feature?
Me: so callers do not need to listen to this same 15 second message every time they leave me a message?
Wanda Reese: We do not have a skip feature for the voice mail prompts. I do apologize, Mr. Me.
Me: Why do iPhone users have it but others do not?
Wanda Reese: Yes, I do understand. Thank you.
Wanda Reese: Mr. Me, have you been able to open the device guide?
Me: Yes - it is NOT a Phone Device issue - it is 100% an AT&T issue -
Me: Just to Clarify - You CANNOT Disable the Voicemail Instructions for my AT&T Cell Phone Family Plan?
Wanda Reese: That is correct. the device guide would allow you to view other phone option. Our systems do not skip the voice mail routing, message.
Me: But the iPhone does
Me: Are you saying that the iPhone has special features in the phone that will allow me to skip these instructions?
Me: Are you still there?
Timed-Out
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-452977-100x100.png\")
I'm just sharing this for those people who might not know: When listening to a voice mail message - you don't have to listen to the entire message before you delete it; just press the number 3 twice and that gets you to the end of the message.
I'm always surprised when someone complains about this. When I tell them and they try it and it WORKS, they are so grateful.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-462541-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-52435-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-917643-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-103878-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-940937-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-350632-100x100.png\")
? AT&T doesn't make you use their voicemail message. It's an option to use their default one, just record your own.
@outlulz: or, if you are calling someone with at&t, as soon as any message starts, you can hit 0 (zero) and it skips everything to the beep to start recording. Not true for some others (i've tried), but always true for at&t.
@outlulz:
You can turn it off with Sprint as well. I don't think that's a good reason to keep doing business with the overpriced AT&T.
@outlulz:
I have a couple of AT&T phones for my business. With the iPhones you can turn off the carrier instructions completely, for the other phones they will not allow you to do this.
tim
@outlulz:
Why should you have one at all?
@outlulz:
it's referring to the instructions that are played in between the greeting and the \"beep\".
@outlulz: One of the reasons I'll stick with AT&T when my contract goes way, at least for now.