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My experience with 'catch a call', 'call wave' and MCI

17 years ago

I bought the catch a call gadget on e-bay and with shipping the total was approx $15.00. I hooked it up and yes it was fairly easy and it does give a little ring when I'm on the computer and get a call. I was able to catch the call and after a brief conversation was still connected to the net. However, it takes 2 wall outlets for the computer, phone, and catch a call and I could not stand all the cords across my desk. Also when I got a call the number of who was calling would not show up on either of our phones. This is not the gadget for me.

My daughter keeps telling me that she gets call wave for 17.99 if paid by the year. The calling number shows up on your computer screen and you can pick up on the call if you like. I don't know what else it does but I knew that this was what I wanted. In their advertising they do not mention the yearly price until you click into their system and give your credit card. There was a free 3 months to try it out and decide which of their programs you want. So after all the downloading business it said to call my local phone company and get busy call waiting turned on. Well we don't use a local company just MCI neighborhood plan. So I called them and they said they don't have busy call waiting but offered me "the call Manager" for 3.75 per month. I signed up. By the way, in dealing with MCI you get the Phillipines which is no problem but at times there is some difficulty understanding what they are saying. So I had to call "Call Wave" and make sure they got me out of their system. Another problem understanding the accent. The girl was very insistent that I keep my account and try another free program for 3 months. I could not understand what she was offering me but finally got her to cancel my account. So far I don't know what the mci program is like because it takes 3 to 5 days to get it activated but I"m still wondering about the call wave program for $17.99 per year which is what I really wanted. I e-mailed the call wave people but the reply was nothing in response to my questions but to tell me that my account was closed and to offer me a speed acelerator.

So here I am, stuck with the catch a call gadget, and wondering what the call manager will be like and wishing I really had the call wave and wondering if I really do have what it takes to get the program.

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Comments (2)

Chemocurl zn5b/6a Indiana
17 years ago
I recently bought the catch a call, and am loving it. The only thing not to like is that I do not know who is calling b4 I answer it. So far it has not been a problem.

If I choose to continue on the call (that interrupted my surfing), then the computer will log off of the net. Once I log back on, everything will be there just where and how I left it.

If the call is brief (like when I got rid of the Gallup poller), I can just hang up and resume my surfing experience.

If my local company offered call waiting caller ID, I would then be able to see on the screen who is calling b4 I take the call.
This is NOT to be confused with the regular call waiting, or regular caller ID.

I Think what call wave should have been telling you is that you need (what Verizon calls) Call FWD-Busy fixed-perm and then callwave gives you the 800 telephone number to you to give to your phone CO. That option alone was an additional 2.25 per month on my tel bill, besides the $17 service order charge to get it set up.
I had Pagoo, an online answering machine...the very same principle as Call Wave, only cheaper if paid by the year.
I found it was giving callers a busy, or a ring no answer, and was not reliable at all. After finding Catch a Call, I won't mess with anything else.

There is no way you can try Call Wave for free. There will be expenses with your phone co in order to get it to work.

I imagine the Call Manager is similar to call wave, but at least you won't have additional pnone co charges. If it does exactly as you want it too, then 3.95 is reasonable, IMHO.

Sue...who has checked everything out b4
clueless1959
17 years ago
Why not just buy an external call waiting modem? I used one for years before we got the cable modem. Got it at the local Walfart for like 20 bucks it gave me 6 seconds to decided if I wanted to take the in coming call before knocking me off line. NO I didn't know who was calling before answering the phone that was the only draw back to it. But even now I can't get the call waiting caller ID on my phone as my phone company not that advanced yet.
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