The Person You Are Calling Knows You Are Waiting... (BT's 'Free' Answer 1571 Service)

Member Name: sarashaw100

Product:	BT's 'Free' Answer 1571 Service
Date:	17/01/02 (207 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you know whos called if you are engaged, its free

Disadvantages: you have to wait till you get off the phone to find out, if you forget the number you cant make any calls till your inbox is cleared

We’ve had call waiting for a few years now, which you have to pay for, but is useful. We had the option of 1571 that you used to have to pay for as well until recently, we stuck with call waiting.

That is till recently moi, the annoying teenager of the household, run a £40 phone bill just for the internet by using the wrong dial up button (we pay for unlimited access and I pressed on the pay button for two months). Dad was furious so we had to get rid of a few things that we have to help raise the money for the bill, call waiting was first off the list.

Nobody told me that call waiting had gone and that we had 1571. I tried to dial the Internet the other day and realised we had a funny dial tone. It was not the normal done but instead had an occasional beep in it. I thought our phone line was broken, shock horror that means no Internet, and that means no dooyoo.

I got my parents who told me that we had 1571 and that the funny beep meant that someone had left a message on our phone. When you are on the phone and someone rings, instead of the call waiting beep in our ear and being able to swap from conversation to conversation, the second caller could leave a message. When we got off the phone the ring tone would beep to inform us that someone had left a message. Good idea expect for I forgot the number.

The service is free and to collect your message all you have to do is dial 1571 (not to be confused like I have done with 1471, the number you dial to see who the last person who called was).

So now that I’ve had 1571 do I prefer call waiting?

Well call waiting has its advantages, I knew at that moment when someone was calling. However if I was on the Internet people still got the message that I knew they were calling, and I didn’t. 1571 means that they can leave their message and I know when I come off the phone that they wanted me, or my family.

Call waiting had to be paid for while
1571 is now free. Hmm, pay money or not. I know which I would go for.

That’s all I can think of…

My suggestion for everyone is to get a sticky label on your phone and put 1571 on it because when my parents went out the other day a message was left and I didn’t know the number to collect it. If there had been an emergency I wouldn’t of been able to use the phone because there would have been no ring tone.

Happy message leaving

Love Sara

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