Verizon wireless - 800-FREE411 (800-373-3411) Free Dir Asst

Author

800-FREE411 (800-373-3411) Free Dir Asst

Frankster

2006-01-18, 5:48 pm

At the risk of repeating something that may have been posted before...

FYI... This free 411 servcie works for me here in Denver, CO on my VZW
servcie. Apparently it does not work in some locals and some providers are
blocking it. Give it a try. Pretty cool.

-Frank

-----------------------------------------------------------

Free 411

http://www.free411.com/searchresults.php?searchtype=2

Free 411

Claim: The phone number 1-800-FREE-411 offers free directory assistance
service.

Status: True.

Origins: One of the many changes that has taken place in the telephone
industry in the last few decades is that while phone companies once
generally provided their local customers with

free directory assistance (via the 411 phone number), in most cases
telephone customers are now charged a fee (typically $1.00 or more) for each
directory assistance call. Despite the charges, U.S. consumers continue to
avail themselves of the 411 directory assistance service, placing about 6
billion such calls per year.

Now, however, an outfit called Jingle Networks is providing an alternative
directory assistance service - and it's free. Users who call the toll-free
number 1-800-FREE411 (or 1-800-373-3411) can navigate a nifty automated
voice recognition system that asks for a location (city and state), type of
listing (business, government, or residential), and name. Once the service
has located an entry for the requested number, it reads the information
aloud and offers the caller the option of connecting to the number by
pressing a single number on his telephone keypad.

How can Free-411 afford to offer free directory assistance service? It works
sort of like commercial radio or television - businesses pay to sponsor it
in exchange for presenting their advertisements to customers. The funding of
Free-411 is typically explained thusly:
The service is made possible by thousands of national and local businesses
who sponsor this service with brief valuable audio advertisements that are
played to callers who request businesses in their yellow pages category.
This advertising model allows businesses to acquire new customers over the
phone, cost effectively, with little or no risk. Meanwhile callers get free
directory assistance, potentially saving each of them thousand of dollars
per year.
The way it works in practice is that a caller who requests a business number
is first presented with a short (about 12 seconds) audio advertisement for a
sponsor who operates a competing business in that area; the caller is then
given the option of being connected to either that competitor or the
business he originally requested. If no sponsor operates a local competing
business, then the caller hears no advertisement at all. (In the latter
case, if the caller accepts the option to connect to the desired number, the
business receiving the call hears a short message at the beginning advising
them that the call was placed via Free-411, and a Free-411 salesman may
follow up with them a few days later to solicit them as a potential
advertiser.)

We made three separate trial calls to 1-800-FREE411 asking for information
on different local businesses, and in each case the voice recognition system
smoothly processed all our spoken information and correctly identified the
businesses of interest. In only one trial out of the three were we presented
with an audio advertisement.

Free-411 also offers directory assistance information via a free web site.
-------------------------------

Evan Platt

2006-01-18, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 10:09:01 -0700, "Frankster" <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com>
wrote:

>At the risk of repeating something that may have been posted before...
>
>FYI... This free 411 servcie works for me here in Denver, CO on my VZW
>servcie. Apparently it does not work in some locals and some providers are
>blocking it. Give it a try. Pretty cool.

Yeah, those bastards have been spamming the Craigslist FREE forum.

I refuse to do business with them. There's something in it for them -
tracking your requests based on what you ask for, etc.

Frankster

2006-01-18, 5:48 pm

> I refuse to do business with them. There's something in it for them -
> tracking your requests based on what you ask for, etc.

The way I read this, there is no doubt there is something in it for them.
They state that what they get out of it is advertising dollars for
delivering ads via recorded messages, while you wait for them to fill your
request. Seems to me that they are being up front about that. No? Is
there something else?

As for tracking requests, since this service works from any phone (land
line, cell phone, blocked number, work phone, etc.) I don't see how
"tracking" would be very productive. I dunno... maybe I'm not seeing
something.

-Frank

Evan Platt

2006-01-18, 5:48 pm

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:37:25 -0700, "Frankster" <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com>
wrote:

>The way I read this, there is no doubt there is something in it for them.
>They state that what they get out of it is advertising dollars for
>delivering ads via recorded messages, while you wait for them to fill your
>request. Seems to me that they are being up front about that. No? Is
>there something else?

Hmm.. Another big no thanks.

>As for tracking requests, since this service works from any phone (land
>line, cell phone, blocked number, work phone, etc.) I don't see how
>"tracking" would be very productive. I dunno... maybe I'm not seeing
>something.

When you call a 800#, 'blocked numbers' means nothing. When you call a
800#, your number is NOT blocked. Why? They are paying the bill for
your call. They have a right to know who you are.

This is with the right hardware of course. But imagine the
possibilities. "Well, we know this guy at 123-456-7890 calls looking
for pizza places, a reverse lookup tells us he lives at 1234 Anywhere
street. Send him pizza coupons.

Quick

2006-01-18, 5:48 pm

Evan Platt wrote:
> On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:37:25 -0700, "Frankster"
> <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com> wrote:
>
>
> Hmm.. Another big no thanks.
>
>
> When you call a 800#, 'blocked numbers' means nothing.
> When you call a 800#, your number is NOT blocked. Why?
> They are paying the bill for your call. They have a right
> to know who you are.
>
> This is with the right hardware of course. But imagine the
> possibilities. "Well, we know this guy at 123-456-7890
> calls looking for pizza places, a reverse lookup tells us
> he lives at 1234 Anywhere street. Send him pizza coupons.

With a VZW number they should only be able to place
your city (if that). I suppose there is the possibility that
by using their service you are "doing business" with them
and may be subject to telemarketing (not sure how it
being a cell number factors into their being allowed to
do that). But you're right, you've supplied them with
your phone number.

-Quick

Frankster

2006-01-18, 11:48 pm

"Quick" <quick7135-news@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
news:Gtyzf.6043$_S7.2179@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com...
> Evan Platt wrote:
>
> With a VZW number they should only be able to place
> your city (if that). I suppose there is the possibility that
> by using their service you are "doing business" with them
> and may be subject to telemarketing (not sure how it
> being a cell number factors into their being allowed to
> do that). But you're right, you've supplied them with
> your phone number.
>
> -Quick
>
>

I suppose there is a trade off for everything. Nothing is really free.
Sounds a lot like targeted ads via cookies on computers. Anyway, if you
call 411 often at a dollar a shot, it's easy to build up a substantial
addition to your normal phone bill (cell or land line). I guess that's the
trade off.

Cell phones have made communications very convenient today. Along with the
portability of Cell phones comes the fact that you normally won't have a
phone book with you to look up numbers. I find myself often wanting to call
411 but hesitate due to the dollar charge. One shot ain't bad, but frequent
calls get noticeable. I've put this free service into my speed dial and will
use it. I might wind up pissed off later, I dunno. I'll see I guess :-)

-Frank

IMHO IIRC

2006-01-19, 2:48 am

In news:6bSdnVwyFe8nVVP
enZ2dnUVZ_tGdnZ2d@gi
ganews.com,
Frankster <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com> typed:
> "Quick" <quick7135-news@NOSPAMyahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:Gtyzf.6043$_S7.2179@newssvr14.news.prodigy.com...
>
> I suppose there is a trade off for everything. Nothing is really free.
> Sounds a lot like targeted ads via cookies on computers. Anyway, if you
> call 411 often at a dollar a shot, it's easy to build up a substantial
> addition to your normal phone bill (cell or land line). I guess that's
> the trade off.
>
> Cell phones have made communications very convenient today. Along with
> the portability of Cell phones comes the fact that you normally won't
> have a phone book with you to look up numbers. I find myself often
> wanting to call 411 but hesitate due to the dollar charge. One shot ain't
> bad, but frequent calls get noticeable. I've put this free service into
> my speed dial and will use it. I might wind up pissed off later, I
> dunno. I'll see I guess :-)
> -Frank

I just use switchboard.com - not only from my computer but also from my cell
phone browser.
From the phone it costs me minutes during peak time.

saynoto2spam

2006-01-19, 2:48 am

On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:37:25 -0700, "Frankster" <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com>
wrote:

>The way I read this, there is no doubt there is something in it for them.
>They state that what they get out of it is advertising dollars for
>delivering ads via recorded messages, while you wait for them to fill your
>request. Seems to me that they are being up front about that. No? Is
>there something else?
>
I just called to give it a try, and it's pretty darn clear how they
make their money. I asked for a listing for "Pizza Hut." They had
several and the lady at the other end was polite and helpful in
finding the correct one. Then came the interesting part...

The recorded ad "while we find your listing" (which they obviously
"had" already) was for a deal Dominos has going. "Press 1 to be
connected, 2 to hear your listing." Pretty sneaky, but I got my
listing in a reasonable amount of time for free (no airtime since it's
night).

Anyhow, I just thought it was enlightening.

Lena

2006-01-19, 5:48 pm

Frankster wrote:
> Anyway, if you
> call 411 often at a dollar a shot, it's easy to build up a substantial
> addition to your normal phone bill (cell or land line).

In the DC area, a 411 call on VZW costs $1.65 by the time taxes are
added.

Lena

Remove This

2006-01-19, 5:48 pm

"saynoto2spam" <saynoto@2spam.com> wrote in message > The recorded ad "while
we find your listing" (which they obviously
> "had" already) was for a deal Dominos has going.

/response/
In the true spirit of the latest buzzword "guerilla marketing!!"
I can see district managers from Domino's and Pizza Hut
fighting it out at 20 paces !!!

"Press 1 to be
> connected, 2 to hear your listing." Pretty sneaky,
goto /response/

--
I work for the ILEC ...." stuff happens! "

Frankster

2006-01-19, 5:48 pm

"saynoto2spam" <saynoto@2spam.com> wrote in message
news:qsaus1pfc3rlm1s
2v8pb7eo5m7cdc9obom@
4ax.com...
> On Wed, 18 Jan 2006 13:37:25 -0700, "Frankster" <Frank@SPAM2TRASH.com>
> wrote:
>
> I just called to give it a try, and it's pretty darn clear how they
> make their money. I asked for a listing for "Pizza Hut." They had
> several and the lady at the other end was polite and helpful in
> finding the correct one. Then came the interesting part...
>
> The recorded ad "while we find your listing" (which they obviously
> "had" already) was for a deal Dominos has going. "Press 1 to be
> connected, 2 to hear your listing." Pretty sneaky, but I got my
> listing in a reasonable amount of time for free (no airtime since it's
> night).
>
> Anyhow, I just thought it was enlightening.

Yep. To me it's worth it to save ~$1.65 per call (guess the standard 411 is
more than a dollar a call after all). BTW, when I tried it I asked for a
residential number. No ad at all. Still very polite lady.

-Frank

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