Dodgy phone number?

[retired_member27]

I was thinking of getting a gold mobile phone number from ebay mainly because I can never remember my own. The majority go for between £1 and £1000, the really good ones sell for about £2000.

Anyway I was watching a few and was shocked to see this one sell for £17300, normally it would sell for about £50, I just for the life of me can't see what is so good about it, looks like a bit of shill bidding going on.

 

[dotNetFreak]

It'll be some idiot(s) with new accounts bidding it up stupidly high for a laugh, it happens occasionally on certain items...

 

[Skinner]

Some of these numbers sell for crazy sums, normally you would think like the one my mate is still sore about losing

07788998899

But then on the flip side people, I bet a number like 07743662467 loads of people would pay f'ing good money for, because it spells out 077 4 DOMAINS which means value can be added that way

 

[Systreg]

I bet a number like 07743662467 loads of people would pay f'ing good money for, because it spells out 077 4 DOMAINS which means value can be added that way

@ Skinner, I've never understood where they have words after a number, in this instance, "077 4 DOMAINS", I can't fathom how these work, after the 0774, the 3662467 supposedly equates to, DOMAINS, how exactly, because how can the O, the M and the N all be the number 6?

 

[retired_member13]

@ Skinner, I've never understood where they have words after a number, in this instance, "077 4 DOMAINS", I can't fathom how these work, after the 0774, the 3662467 supposedly equates to, DOMAINS, how exactly, because how can the O and the M both be the number 6?

Think about text messaging on your mobile.

Look at the keypad...if you were spelling out DOMAINS on your mobile which keys would you press?

 

[Skinner]

Type it in on your phone, using the letters on the keys.

In predictive text its also the keys you press, I think I got them right as I did them from memory so maybe your right I got a number wrong.

2 ABC
3 DEF
4 GHI
5 JKL
6 MNO
7 PQR - S
8 S - TUV
9 WXYZ

I can't remember if its 7 or 8 that has 4 letters on it, I think it will be 8 since 9 def has 4 letters on it.

 

[Skinner]

There is a tow/garage company with Red Vans and White writing on the side of their vans it has something like 0800 4 GARAGE or 0870 or something like that, I don't remember the prefix but then I don't drive so why would i need it ? However the idea stuck in my mind.

 

[retired_member13]

 

[Systreg]

I sort of see what you mean now, but I would never type words if I was calling a number, I'm not much of a mobile phone user anyway, probably only use it 2 or 3 times a year at most, last used it the other month to send 1 text and before that was a text I sent in May.

I've got 2 phones, one was a basic £20 one from several years ago and the other was given to me in 1997, and it was a few years old then, can't find the charger for that one, though, they don't have that predictive text stuff on them.

 

[retired_member13]

It's not a new idea... Promotional telephone numbers with words instead of numbers have been around forever - that was what Rick Schwartz did before he got into domains in the early 1990s...

 

[Systreg]

@ Ty, yeah, seen letters on phones years ago, but still don't get it how if I was to dial the numer 234 on that old phone photo above, how would it know which of the 3 letters for each number I wanted to use?

 

[Skinner]

each number represents 3-4 letters, so if you was want CAR dia 227,

 

[retired_member13]

each number represents 3-4 letters, so if you was want CAR dia 227,

@Kev... basically if I list my number as 0800 800 CAR then there is only one way to dial car - 227

So that same phone number 0800 800 227 could also be advertised as 0800 800 BAR or 0800 800 CAP as that is the only number you could dial if you knew the words and not the digits... it's not a case of trying to pick one of the separate letters off the number, it's just that each word can only be dialled one way.. geddit?

 

[boxerdog]

i can picture you now kev..........

 

[Systreg]

^^^ :lol: not far off Wayne, my old phone isn't quite as big as that, it's a Motorola flip, I've got the rapidly greying hair, not had a shave for over a month either, very grey beard now, and I'm only 43

I knew a bloke in Windsor years ago, probably around 1982ish, he was a bit of a jack the lad and had a huge mobile phone to pose with, the battery for it was massive and very heavy, not far off a car battery that you had to carry around with you

@ Ty and Skinner, yep, got it now, still can't see the point in advertising a part number and part word, though, for me it's easier to just remember a number.

 

[rjs_essex]

It's a promotional tool heavily used in the states. A word is easier to remember than a number (especially if the number is a complex one and completely random)...

In American ads you will see: Call now on 555 BUILDERS instead of 555 34548939 (or whatever it may be)... Its more memorable to the service / product you may want to use / buy.

Been around for donkeys!

Rich

 

[HariSeldon]

I'm not much of a mobile phone user anyway, probably only use it 2 or 3 times a year at most, last used it the other month to send 1 text and before that was a text I sent in May.

A man after my own heart...

I have two mobiles; I've never made a call or texted from my iphone and my 'main' mobile has been diverted to answerphone for about three or four years now.

The irony being that I ran a mobile phone business for 15 years.

 

[boxerdog]

sorry i couldnt help myself.............

 

[dotNetFreak]

Some people have too much time on their hands

 

[HariSeldon]

sorry i couldnt help myself.............

LOL!

My folks are always complaining they can never get hold of me so they'd definitely agree with the sentiments in that photo.