BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions

Subject: BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions
From: GUEST
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 08:46 AM

Two friends and myself are starting up a monthly coffeehouse open mike series. We want to give out a phone number for people to call and get information, etc. but none of us really wants to have our phone numbers handed out all over the place, put up on billboards, etc. What we'd like to do is have some "central number" where we could leave a message, such as "Thank you for calling the ----- coffeehouse information line. Our next open mike session will be held...etc. etc." Of course we'd check the messages and respond as necessary.   We were thinking - just buy a cheap cell phone and let that serve as our voice mail.    Anybody have any better suggestions?

Subject: RE: BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions
From: wysiwyg
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 11:32 AM

I like the cellphone idea because on gig day, performers or ticket-buyers may want to contact you urgently; club leaders can take turns carrying the cell for the day.

~S~

Subject: RE: BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions
From: open mike
Date: 07 Apr 05 - 11:24 PM

getting a land line phone would probably be much cheaper//
cell phones would be over $20-$30 per month at the least
and a regular phone might be had for less than half that.
there are message services connected to the phone company
but i do not know how much they are. or an answering machine
goes for 20 or so. We have that for our folk society..a
dedicated phone in one of our members' homes...it could
have an unpublished address...or some cell phone companies
have an extra line program that might save some $.

Do you need people to sign up for a tiime slot ahead of time?
some news paper ads have a voice mail phone to call to leave
messages...maybe this is jus tin the personals section...
perhaps you could take out an ad and use the newspapser
phone number for contact! (there are ads where they issue you
your own number to get messages...) how about a pager? I am
not sure how they work or how much they cost...i think they
will take an incoming phone number--but probably not a message.
Aperhaps there is an answering service that could field your
calls for you...not known if they charge a flat rate or per call..

good luck.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions
From: open mike
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 12:54 AM

when i searched for answering service i found this one for $8.95 per month. not sure where you are...http://www.voicenation.com/
and here is the musicians answering service in london
http://www.maslink.co.uk/
if you intend to hold youjr evbent in the same venue each time
perhaps the venue would be willing to field calls..
or have an extension for you....i have called osme people's
houses wher ethe ansent machine says if you want to leave a message
for Mr. X push 1, for MS. X push 2, for little X push 3..
that might be a function of the answering machine you have.

Subject: RE: BS: Cheap Voice Mailbox? Any suggestions
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Apr 05 - 05:22 PM

Looking into both options, thanks for the suggestions. We don't want them to call the venue, they would probably get one of the teenagers who work there and they wouldn't know anything about the concerts. We've found a cell phone (Virgin) which you can buy for $40 and there is no contract - pay as you go, $.25 a minute for the first 10 calls a day and $.10 per minute for the rest. We have no idea how many people will be calling us!