Path: utzoo!telecom-request Date: Sat, 6 Apr 91 12:51 PST From: John Higdon Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: 411 Will Now Connect Call Direct Reply-To: John Higdon Message-ID: Organization: Green Hills and Cows Sender: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu Approved: Telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@eecs.nwu.edu X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 11, Issue 273, Message 6 of 9 Lines: 29 portal!cup.portal.com!fleming@uunet.uu.net (Stephen Fleming) writes: > Just called local information (411) in northern Virginia. Got a new > recording: "You may be connected to this number for an additional > charge of 30 cents. The number is: xxx" > Nice. Very nice. Especially when I'm in my car trying to juggle > pencil and paper. Should get some use. (Disclaimer: for all I know, > NT invented this service, but *I've* never encountered it before!) That was precisely my initial reaction when I got that identical message on my cellular phone while negotiating traffic in downtown San Francisco. While under siege from assault taxis and attack MUNI vehicles, it was very convenient to press one key and be connected to the party I was calling (in this case, a restaurant to make reservations). But there is a side effect. Remember how telcos admonished and implored DA callers to WRITE IT DOWN so that additional calls to DA would not be necessary? That was back in the days of free DA. Now that the service apparently pays its own way, why not add (at extra cost, mind you) a little convenience feature that virtually assures future inquiries for the same number? John Higdon | P. O. Box 7648 | +1 408 723 1395 john@zygot.ati.com | San Jose, CA 95150 | M o o !