Sorry, we're not in right now... (BT's 'Free' Answer 1571 Service)

Member Name: benniash

Product:	BT's 'Free' Answer 1571 Service
Date:	12/01/04 (4489 review reads)
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BT Answer 1571 is a free alternative to buying an answer machine for your home. Firstly, I must add, you have to have a BT line, so NTL users and alike - sorry this is not for you!!

Basically the service is done entirely through your phone line and so you don't need to find a space for an answer machine near your phone. To actually get the service you have to ring 1571 and follow the simple instructions to install. It usually takes a couple of days to actually be installed into your system.

Once it's installed any call that isn't answered or is engaged will be diverted to your own inbox and a voicemail can be left. Each message can be up to two minutes long and ten messages can be stored at anyone time. Although this isn't a great deal you can actually save messages once you have listened to them and when your store is nearly full you do get a warning. Messages are stored for twenty days.

Leaving a message is just as simple for the caller. They are given a short welcome and asked to leave a message after the tone and when done so they simply have to hang up, no pressing any buttons. The only flaw here is that the caller is charged, this happens at the point of connection, and is charged at the usual rate.

Collecting a message couldn't be simpler either. If a message has been left a different tone, easily distinguishable, greets you when you lift the handset. To gain access to the messages you have to dial 1571 and given options on listening to the messages. The date and time that the message was left is also given.

Obviously this service does have it's shortcomings in that you can't leave a personalised message and that you have to pick up your hand set to find out a message has been left but remember it is free. However, there is now an upgrade available.

That upgrade is BT Call Minder which offers an enhanced version of the original 1571 free service but costs £2 a month. The cost
is simply added to your quarterly bill.

When someone leaves a message the service operates the same as the original service where a different tone can be heard when you pick up the handset. Messages are also retrieved by calling 1571 is exactly the same way as before. However one benefit the new system offers is that if there is a message on the phone when you replace the handset it will call you and an automated service will tell you so. This is particular good for those of us who continually check the phone for messages!

Along the lines of message retrieval, probably the best new feature is that BT now supplies you with a pin number so that you can log into your messages from anywhere. The pin is also changeable so you can personalise it to make it easier to remember. The system couldn?t be simpler and works exactly the same as if you were at home. I find this very useful for when I?m out and about and also for getting messages from those friends of mine who are still to tight to call a mobile!

The standard greeting can also be personalised using the new call minder service. This is simple to do and can be done through the prompts when calling 1571. It sounds much better for someone to hear your voice rather than the dulcet tones of the usual lady ? I put her in the same mould as the guy who did ?Mind the gap? on the London Underground!

The last improvement to the service is that the amount of messages that can be stored increases from 10 to 30. This is one of the reasons that I changed over as getting back from a week away I found ten messages but unable to trace if anyone else had called after the last one was received half way through the week! The messages are also stored for thirty days, ten longer than on the original service.

Retrieving messages is free from your BT landline but a cost is charged to the calling phone if you dial in using your pin.

To sign up for the service you need to have a BT phone
line. If you call 0808 100 0428 you will be put through to a BT advisor who will arrange for the function to be added to your service. This usually takes no more than five days.

I have always found the original service to be excellent and for free you expect the flaws that have been highlighted and enhanced for the Call Minder service. The question is then whether you really need these features and whether they justify £24 a year. Personally I feel that the personalised message and the call back when you have a message are both good options but not worth the money on there own. On the other hand the other two features do; being away quite often I like to be able to retrieve my messages from my landline whilst the 10 message maximum store on the original is not enough. For those two factors alone I feel that the cost is justified but each person would really have to look at their own situation, possibly the amount of calls they receive, who is likely to call them and how important the calls are likely to be, etc. Remember that people leaving a message are charged at the going rate.

Overall I would recommend both of the services on reliability and performance. The services are an excellent alternative to buying an expensive answer machine. Whilst the functions are limited in the original, the Call Minder offers everything you would want in a basic machine at a reasonable cost.

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