Are you one of those people who will always go to the phone book if you don't know the number of a person you want to call? Or, are you likely to just punch in 411 to let the phone company do the looking for you?
I have to admit that I was ticked when they started charging for information. Most of the time I'll go look up a number, but there are times when I weigh the value of my time, and go for the assistance.
I've discovered that there are several ways to check for phone numbers on-line for FREE, so today I tried one of them. I'm happy to report that it's quick, and easy, and most of the time, successful. I tried www.WhitePages.com today. I pulled up both business and personal phone numbers without any trouble. In several cases, I missed on the town, but the service checked surrounding areas for the number. Tomorrow, or the next time I need to look up a number, I'll try SuperPages.com.
I remember trying the Yellow Pages at AOL when I was first on-line, without much success. I tended to avoid them after that, thinking that they amounted to advertising, and didn't cover the area as thoroughly as I would have liked.
You all know that I'm not into electronic gadgetry, but I just discovered that both Google and UpSNAP have free directory assistance that responds to text messaged requests sent from mobile phones. How cool is that!? If I ever replace the dinosaur of a cell phone that resides in the black hole of my purse, I'll have to get one with text messaging!
I'll have to see what my cell phone company charges me when I dial 411. It may be convenient to call 411 when you are on a cell phone and you don't have anything to write with, but you need to factor in just what they charge for the service. Since I rarely use my phone, and never use up my allotted minutes, to have to pay several dollars more a month for information on top of the basic monthly fee is just giving money away.
I know....it's time to look for one of those phone deals where you only pay for the minutes you use. You're right. Does anyone have a service they'd like to recommend?