Comments on: Who Uses Payphones, And Why?

By: Anton Nonymous

Anton Nonymous — Wed, 29 Jan 2020 16:13:52 +0000

Trying to schedule an appointment with a locksmith to have some new locks rekeyed before I install them. By using a payphone and paying in cash I remain anonymous. (I’m not carrying a cellphone when I go there.)
I know almost all locksmiths are honest, and they can pick a standard door lock, but why give someone the pin information and my address? If the locksmith happens to record both pieces, and they later dispose of the hard drive, that info is available to anyone who dumpster dives at the right time and place. Why would a criminal risk detection by picking a lock when they could have a key made?

By: JQ Public Sr

JQ Public Sr — Thu, 14 Nov 2019 20:21:24 +0000

Hello to All, I’d like to take a moment to inform you that I never provide my phone number to any entity for any reason. I purchased a Tracfone flip phone($20) & a $20 60 minutes/60 text/60 mb data & 90 days service. I use a free promo code from their website that doubles the minutes to 120 which is more than enough for 90 days usage for me and will carry over to the next 90 days service. Over time minutes build up quite extensively as well as texts and data. I don’t use phones as I did in the past because of 6pm solicitations, entities that sell your number and random robot calls during dinner became overbearing. I provide a generic local number that is nonfunctional consistently for any organization that “demands” a number though I know by law they are not permitted to do so. I play their game instead of arguing and it satisfies their need for authority/power and I maintain my peace and uninterrupted quality time. I have been doing this now for at least the last 10 years and I couldn’t be happier. I only answer the phone if the number is already programmed in it and the name appears. I only give the number to family and close friends making it known the number is not to be freely distributed or without my permission. This has saved me many frustrations during voting years, unwarranted solicitations and random robot calls. $40 initially and $20 every 3 months is well worth the solace and quite cheaper than anything else out there. I hope this helps!

P.S. When you activate the Tracfone make sure you don’t give them your name, address or any information about yourself and say you want it to remain “anonymous”

By: Linda J.

Linda J. — Tue, 12 Nov 2019 23:52:45 +0000

In reply to Lee Harvey Weinstein. i usually put in the local area code, a common local prefix and then 1212 or just (area) 555 1212 it usually is accepted even though it's information number, or maybe because it is a real number, maybe. i'm not sure, but yeah my health insurance keeps refusing to have my account as "no phone number" they keep asking me if I can verify the phone number they have on my account, but I keep asking them HOW do they have a phone number on my account when I don't have a phone? and I don't validate myself that way, but they continue to refuse to take the number off my account since they continue to ask me about it. jerks

By: Lee Harvey Weinstein

Lee Harvey Weinstein — Thu, 20 Dec 2018 18:58:21 +0000

> Who still uses payphones, and why?

I need a phone only a couple of times a year, so it’s just not worth the ongoing expense, not to mention what the phones themselves cost.

So I could call my 80+ y.o. mom a few years ago on her birthday I bought a $15 phone at the deep discounter and charged it up with $40 worth of time, but even after calling her (and a friend in another state I’d not seen in several years) there was still $20-25 worth of time on it — which of course evaporated since I didn’t use it in time. That’s where the ripping-off is going on.

Until recently there was a pay phone at the downtown grocery store when I absolutely had to call someone, but even it has now vanished.

Living without a phone you’d be amazed at how widespread the belief is that *everyone* has a phone. I see it all the time filling out forms online, like to pay my utility bill. They tend not to be able to take “no phone” for a number, and some are smart enough to know if you’ve just fed them a bunch of random numbers after a valid area code. It’s exasperating.

Long live the pay phone!