On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 4:56:18 PM UTC-5, trader_4 wrote:
On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 4:06:34 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 4:00:36 PM UTC-5, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Wednesday, November 18, 2015 at 3:34:51 PM UTC-5, wrote:
Is it possible to get "Directory Assistance" on a Cellphone?
I was away from home and needed to call a glass company to see if my
storm windows were repaired and ready for me to pick up. Thats when I
realized that I had not put their phone number in my contact list. The
glass company was 20 miles away, so I did not want to waste a trip to go
there.
On a home phone (landline), I'd either use my phonebook, or call
"Directory Assistance", or go on the internet and look it up.
But I was not home, so there's no phonebook in my car (maybe I should
put one in there). And my cellphone is just a flip phone, (no internet).
I tried to call 411 and got some error message.
I finally went to a gas station and used their phonebook to get the
number for that company.
Anyhow, is there a special number to use to get "Directory Assistance"
on a Cellphone?
My phone is a pre-paid Tracfone (if that matters).
I used to use FREE411 (800-373-3411). I'm pretty sure it's still
active.
You have to listen to a quick commercial, but then you can (usually)
get the number you want. The ads pay for the service.
You can also simply dial 411, but most carriers access a fee.
I'm still trying to learn all the tricks to using these cellphones....
Seems the "kids" under 30 are the "experts" at using them. Not us old
guys. We're just experts at using rotary dial phones, (and the "kids"
dont know what those are, or how to use a phonograph). 
What do you define as an "old guy"? I'm ~2 x 30 and have no problems
using a smartphone.
I just Google the company I'm interested in. Most times, the Google
hit includes a little green icon that looks like a phone handset.
I tap it and, surprise, surprise, my phone dials the number.
Oops..sorry...the phone icon is blue, not green.
I can tell you that for sure it's possible on Verizon. Couple
decades ago, I was charged $150 for the airtime minutes to directory
assistance. At first, I couldn't figure out what the hell was going
on. The I realized I did call their 411 service for a number. Some
how the call didn't disconnect and they charged me for like a 90 min
call. So, I call Verizon Wireless and the customer service person
tells me, it's my problem, I have to take it up with the party I called.
I'm telling her that it's Verizon's 411 service and I wouldn't even know
who to call there or how to resolve it. She just tells me tough luck.
Even worse, now I have a phone where IDK WTF is going on, like suppose
next time it's a 12 hour call? I told her I guess I'll have to get rid
of the phone and Verizon service. She tells me she'd be happy to take
care of it.
Finally, I got a supervisor who realized the absurdity, that I couldn't
possibly be on with 411 for 90 mins on one call. He had me on hold for
about 20 mins, while he checked with their network people to find out
how it happened, make sure there isn't a recurring problem, etc. Then
he credited me for the call.
The stories I could tell you about Verizon customer service would curl
your hair.
The latest episode involves a fraudulent account that was opened in my
daughter's name. I called them when I received the first bill ($600+) and
the rep told me I had to fill out a Verizon form and take it to my local
police department and file a report. As I was filling out the form, there
was "required documentation" that my daughter couldn't produce, like utility
bills in her name. I called Verizon back and that rep told that if the
first rep had simply read the notes on the account, he would have seen
that the account was flagged as fraudulent within 2 days of it being
opened. The rep assured me that my daughter was not responsible for the
bill and she sent me an email stating that. Imagine if I had been able to
fill out the form easily. I would have gone to the police department and
filed unnecessary reports, etc. A ton of work for nothing.
For the past 4 months my daughter has continued to receive bills (with late
charges added) and eventually letters threatening to send the bills to a
collection agency and report her to the credit agencies. So I've got an
email from the Verizon fraud department telling me that they will notify
the credit agencies that my daughter is not responsible for the bills. At
the same time, the Verizon billing department is threatening to report
her to the very agencies that the fraud department has told to ignore any
reports related to the unpaid bills.
Apparently the fraud department can't just tell the billing department to
stop billing a customer even if they know the bills are not the
responsibility of the person they are billing. So every month I call both
sides of Verizon, every month I send the bill back with a copy of the email from the fraud department and every month I am told that the fraud
classification will work it's way over to the billing department and the bills
will stop. When I received last month's bill, I called the fraud department
again and was told that the last bill should be the last bill. I won't know
for a couple of weeks, so we'll see what happens.
Another time I bought 2 phones that came with a $50 (each) rebate. I sent in
all of the required documentation and was notified that the rebate was
rejected because (according to them) I didn't buy the right phone. I
called customer service and the first level rep had no idea what to do, so I
asked for a supervisor. The supervisor came up with a fine suggestion. "How
about we forget about the rebate and I just credit your account for $100?"
That worked for me and I thought it was settled. The $100 credit appeared on
my account the next day and 2 weeks later I received two $50 VISA cards
in the mail. I had done nothing regarding the rejected rebates after talking
to the supervisor, yet somehow I suddenly became eligible for them.
After all I've gone through with Verizon over the past decade, I felt
justified in keeping the extra $100. SWMBO and I enjoyed a very nice
dinner with the money.