Take Back the Beep

David Pogue has an excellent post at the NY Times about how cell phone companies rob us with their instructions on how to leave a message.

The cell phone companies want to make as much money as possible. That's why text messages that cost them a hundredth of a cent to cent cost us 20 cents. (And 20 cents to the person you send it to!) So of course, they put a 15 second message on your voicemail before the beep, on the off chance that the person leaving a message is a customer, and they can charge them for the airtime. Even if I record my own outgoing message, theirs is there and I can't turn it off.

And of course you can't press the same button on every system to skip the message.

So: Pogue calls us to revolution. Complain. Complain to the phone companies about the ridiculous practice of adding instructions on how to leave a message. Here's where to complain:

* Verizon: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/FJncH.

* AT&T: Send e-mail to Mark Siegel, executive director of media relations: MS8460@att.com.

* Sprint: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/9CmrZ

* T-Mobile: Post a complaint here: http://bit.ly/2rKy0u.