Goodbye Home Phone

By Paul Bolster

Don’t call me on my home phone ever again. I am cutting it off.

For 50 years friends found me, Riki, and my children at 627-1697. When I think about all the connections made through that number it makes me sad. We raised our three kids on 627-1697. We found their babysitters for Saturday nights. Riki called the Grady ambulance when my daughter Lillian stopped breathing. It was this number my other daughter used to call from Tanzania, and my son called from college to tell me how he broke his nose jumping off a bridge.  A neighbor barked into this phone at 2:00 a.m. to let me know I needed to find a new home for my lonesome barking Irish setter. I talked to a lot of voters on this number.

No one we care about except Mary Maynard and Robert Searfoss calls us at this number anymore. You can’t find it by dialing information but it is embedded in databases all over the world and is now under the control of marketers and their computers.

Anticipating the end, I took notes on the last calls to 627-1697. A website builder wanted to build a new site for me. A realtor wanted to sell my home. A realtor wanted to sell my daughter’s home. A marketer wanted to list my Tybee rental property that I sold three years ago. Another wanted to design a website for that rental. Google wanted to improve the listing of my non-existing business. There were two offers to extend the warranty on my van which has an extended warranty. A caller wanted me to support the police by giving to a PAC. I got a little interested because it was a real person. I asked what reforms the PAC supported. He said he could not talk about any issues. He could only read to me what his computer said. He referred me to the website. A real person called to see if I wanted a walk-in tub. I said I wasn’t ready yet. My phone said one call was from Harold Clark. I have a highly respected dead uncle of that name and answered with anticipation. I would love to talk to Uncle Harold again, although I knew that was unlikely.  The computer voice asked if I was paying too much for utilities and offered to help change what Georgia Power charges me. I didn’t think Uncle Harold had that kind of clout with Georgia Power.

These are only a few examples of the marketers and scam artists who have taken over the number I paid for and I will always remember. Like a lot of people, I resent what marketers have done to my home phone and whoever has allowed them to do it.

We had three lengthy calls with AT&T (8 hours and 30 minutes) to see if we could move the number to a home cell phone. It didn’t work. It took 2 hours and ten minutes and 8 transfers to find a person who would agree to cancel the phone. I am still not sure if they have told the billing folks.

I am feeling the loss of 627-1697. And I am very sorry for the person who gets assigned this number in the future.

Recent

AdvertisementAd for A-1 Roofing. Phone: 404-627-6909 / 404-787-7001. Website: www.a1roof-remodeling.com
AdvertisementAd for A-1 Roofing. Phone: 404-627-6909 / 404-787-7001. Website: www.a1roof-remodeling.com

More from Author

June 2023 Print Issue

Open the issue in a new window

Introducing: The Pooch Press

By Robert M. Sarwark Calling all pets of Grant Park, the SAND...

Grant Park Sign Topper Update

By Phil Kelly In the fall of 2021, the Grant Park Neighborhood...

Zuber-Jarrell House Receives a Preservation Award from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation 

oto by Elena Kaplan Homeowners & Representatives from the GA Trust,the ...

Read Now

June 2023 Print Issue

Open the issue in a new window

Introducing: The Pooch Press

By Robert M. Sarwark Calling all pets of Grant Park, the SAND neighborhoods, and East Atlanta! We want YOU for a new feature in this newspaper. The Pooch Press invites all notable dogs, cats, and any other non-human friends and associates to submit their stories, skills, and photos for publication...

Grant Park Sign Topper Update

By Phil Kelly In the fall of 2021, the Grant Park Neighborhood Association's Homes & History Committee asked the Transportation Committee if we could take on the work of the Sign Topper update project. Since then, we worked hard to understand the City process for the project and...

Zuber-Jarrell House Receives a Preservation Award from The Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation 

oto by Elena Kaplan Homeowners & Representatives from the GA Trust,the Jarrell Family, and ZJH Tradesmen. Left to Right: Front Row: Tiffany Alewine, Brandy Morrison, Mark McDonald, Jennifer Murray, Marc Dobiecki, Rob Wanderman, Back Row: Alan Keck, Douglas Frey, Norris Broyles, Rebecca Jarrell, Dick Jarrell, Robbye...

Grant Park Pool Opens for Summer

By The Friends of Grant Park Pool Splash into your pool! The Grant Park pool is one of 12 public outdoor pools provided by the City of Atlanta Parks and Recreation. As of late April, the city plans for the pool to be open five days a week...

May and June Happenings at Oakland

By Angie Wynne Oakland’s late-spring calendar is filled with family-friendly opportunities to experience the cemetery in unique and educational ways. May is National Preservation Month, and to celebrate, Historic Oakland Foundation’s preservation team will lead two “Behind-The-Stones” preservation tours. Tickets for these tours tend to go quickly, so...

CALENDAR – April/May 2023

COMMUNITY MEETINGS GPNA (Grant Park Neighborhood Association) 3rd Tuesday, 7:30pm-9:00pm. Check www.grantpark.org for details. SAND (South Atlantans for Neighborhood Development) – 2nd Thursday of every month at 7:30pm, Ormewood Church Fellowship Hall, corner of Woodland & Delaware Avenues. EACA (East Atlanta Community Association): 2nd Tuesday of the month, 7:00pm. www.eaca.net for details. EABA (East Atlanta Business Association) General Meeting,...

EACA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, April 11, 2023

Call to order / Meeting recording started 7:00 pm. Approved without dissent, March 14, 2023 meeting minutes. Approved without dissent, March 2023 treasurer report. Public Safety Update – Zone 6 Representative and Myron Polster: FBI now says robberies are not a violent crime for statistical reporting purposes, and now Zone 6...

SAND Meeting Minutes – Thursday, April 13, 2023

Submitted by Kate Champion The developers of Halidom Eatery at 1341 Moreland Avenue presented architectural drawings of their proposed food hall. They expect the facility, with its art deco/South Beach vibe, to house about 11 eateries and invited those with concepts to contact them. They hope to also...

GPNA Meeting Minutes – Tuesday, April 18, 2023

Register in advance for the meeting: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZctd-GurzgjGdBhY9lxJr2uJh7N2LKfiNZO. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Call to Order–7:30pm. President’s Introduction: We will be moving voting items to the top of each meeting moving forward. There are no items today. Public Official Update: Jonathan Harris - Community...

Thanks, EACA Topper Volunteers

By Henry Bryant What would any community be without volunteers to cover the gaps when public funds don’t quite stretch? When the East Atlanta Community Association (EACA) decided to take part in a Neighborhood Planning Unit-W (NPU-W) grant, the allotted money was not enough to print and install...

Red’s Farm Update

By Paul Bolster District One Council Member Jason Winston told The Porch Press the City of Atlanta is interested in acquiring Red’s Farm to preserve open space in Ormewood Park. Winston said the city, Red’s family, and the Conservation Fund are in active negotiations regarding the acquisition. He says, “The...