Answering Machines - Opinions Please

[Wimblees@aol.com]

Zen:

Call your local telephone company and ask if they have voice mail. This is a
service the phone company has available, without the expense, or unreliability
of an answering machine. With voice mail, you can recall your messages from
any phone, anywhere in the world, without special equipment. You never have to
remember to turn it on. You never have to worry about power surges or power
outages. Your messages will stay in the system for 15 days. You can save them,
replay them, pass them by, ignore them, or erase them witht he touch of a
number on the phone pad. The other thing it does is answer your phone while
you are on it. In other words, if you are talking with someone, and someone
else calls you, the other person will not get a busy signal. Unless you have
call waiting, the caller will get your voice mail. The only disadvantage I
have found is that it is automatic and it can't be stopped. If you don't get
to your phone within 5 rings, voice mail will take it, and you can't pick and
stop the "machine". You will then have to call your voice mail, after about 5
minutes, to see who called.

I have voice mail at home and at the store. The cost is only about $3 or $4
per month. It has been very helpfull in my life. Like I said, it is automatic.
You will never leave home without it. 

Willem (Wim) Blees  RPT
St. Louis