Cell Phone Blues

[TommyK]

"lan line" is that what the kids are calling it these days?

 

"Land Line" Telephone wires that are attached via wooden poles or directly buried in the LAND.

 

I believe the term "Land Line" came about during the days of the CB craze... no, not the Johnny Hart comic strip, C.B. Citizen's Band radio. 10-4 good buddy

[Artie Owl]

I call it both I guess, LAN for Local area network, is kind of technically what a home phone is, isn't it?

[milod]

I think cops were using the term "land line" way before the CB craze. Ditto the "10 code."

 

Funny... on my way back from a meeting I heard the old CB days "Convoy" on the radio.

 

m

[TommyK]

"By the dark of the moon on the sixth of June and a Kenworth hauling logs

A cab-over Pete with a refer on and a Jimmy hallin' hogs

We was headed for bear on I one oh, about a mile out of Shakytown,

I said, "Pigpen this here's Rubber Duck, we about to put the hammer down."

 

"we got a little convoy, truckin' through the night......"

 

Ah those were the days.

 

Me and a buddy had the words memorized and would sing it between classes in the hall way in High School. Probably why we got our locker stacked.

 

C.W.McCall, I think.

 

I still celebrate "Convoy Day", June 6th every year.

 

 

"By the time we hit that Chi-Town them bears was a gittin' smart

They'd brought up some reinforcements from the Illinois National Guard

There 'as armored cars, and tanks, and Jeeps an' rigs of every size

Yeah them chicken coops 'as full a bears an' choppers filled the skies"

[Mr. Natural]

I'm not opposed to technology, but it ain't the be-all and end-all. I don't need my phone to take pictures, play music, keep my calendar, start my car, do my taxes, change the oil in my car, or massage my gluteus maximus. I need it to make and receive phone calls....

 

Yeah, all I do is make and take calls. I've haven't figured the camera thing yet. I DO have quite a nice collection of close-ups of my left ear.

[WahKeen]

You forgot to put yourself on the DO NOT CALL registry. As soon as we did that, those calls stopped. I mean stopped. And why on earth are you paying $80/month for a landline? Where the heck do you live?!

 

Didn't forget. I did put us on the do not call registry, but after a while new ones were calling and like I said, 10% of the calls were not enough to justify the $ to keep it. We ended up giving them our cell numbers anyway. Yep, $80. I don't have internet at home, so can't go through that. Straight up landline = $80 in Central Texas (Verizon).

[flem snopes]

I don't even own a cell phone.

 

I don't even have a landline.

[NeoConMan]

National DO NOT CALL Registry

Good call Shred - I've been on it since its inception.

Same for junk mail.

Just remember, there are significant exemptions to DO NOT CALL;

 

Surveys - on any subject.

 

Charities - in any form you can imagine.

Churches - see above.

 

Political fundraising - Makes sense to me, you can always hang up on them.

Political surveys - I actually do 'em, I consider it my civic duty to give an opinion based on ethics & morals. Blows 'em away...

 

 

Here's a brief narrative from the Federal trade Commission website;

 

 

If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?

No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most telemarketing calls, but not all. Because of limitations in the jurisdiction of the FTC and FCC, calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls. However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request. You should keep a record of the date you make the request.

 

Are calls from political organizations or calls soliciting for charities covered?

Political solicitations are not covered by the TSR at all, since they are not included in its definition of “telemarketing.” Charities are not covered by the requirements of the national registry. However, if a third-party telemarketer is calling on behalf of a charity, a consumer may ask not to receive any more calls from, or on behalf of, that specific charity. If a third-party telemarketer calls again on behalf of that charity, the telemarketer may be subject to a fine of up to $16,000 .

 

What about telephone surveys?

If the call is really for the sole purpose of conducting a survey, it is not covered. Only telemarketing calls are covered — that is, calls that solicit sales of goods or services. Callers purporting to take a survey, but also offering to sell goods or services, must comply with the National Do Not Call Registry.

 

 

 

 

More info here if you're the reading type;

 

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt107.shtm

[WahKeen]

I wish y'all stopped calling me as charity fundraisers for your guitar collections....

[TommyK]

Way to respond to bona fide telemarketer who is selling me something I don't want even though I am on the do not call register and don't forget to re-register every year.

 

Caller: "Mr. K? How would you like to save money on...."

 

TommyK: In my best redneck voice, "WEE HAW Mamma! we hooked a live one! What company did you say your represent young feller?"

 

Caller: "The AcmeAce Widgit company. How would you like to.... "

 

TommyK: "Fam Tastic! We're on the Do-Not-Call-Do-Not-Tell-Register and you now owe me FIVE HUNNERT DOLLARS!, thanky Jeee zus"

 

Caller: "wuh?"

 

TommyK: "Honey Pot! Put on that white tank top I like and them dungarees that fit you so-o-o-o tight, we're goin' to Dollywood! Yup, the ones with the hole in the britches pocket" "Git down dog, you ain't goin. "

 

Caller: "wuh?"

 

TommyK: "When can we expect your check to arrive?"

 

Caller: >click<

 

TommyK: "Day Um woman... he done threw the hook. Fetch me a beer." :(

[i Can Tuna Guitar]

Would love to get rid of the land line, but cell phone reception in my home is spotty at best. Any Ideas?

I have Verizon and there have been many occasions where I've had perfect reception when other people's cells didn't. My wife has had the same experience. Have you noticed this with friends/family using different providers?

[milod]

In the state where I live, Verizon and Alltel have shared about 90+ percent of cell biz the last number of years. Verizon bought Alltel and was ordered to sell it.

 

AT&T's purchase of the former Alltel has apparently been approved, but they have been using a different cell phone technology. Alltel and Verizon have done some degree of "sharing" so with current tech, if one could get either service, one at least had services here.

 

I'm not so certain what will happen over the next year or so as things get shifted around. I am in regular contact with our public utilities commission on the subject.

 

Service in general has improved, but there remain dead spots - but given the population density and geography, there are claims that it's to be expected.

 

Me, I just keep wondering what's gonna happen when the predicted sun activity increase hits us. We had an Alltel server that covers half the state go down for about six hours and it was interesting, to say the least. PUC chairman said there's a good reason why landlines should be kept as a backup if you feel you can't entirely do without telephone services.

 

m