# Ask The Former Phone Psychic **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 9, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646 "2005-03-09T06:58:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/1 "2005-03-09T06:58:45Z")
Yep. It’s sadly true. I used to work for the Miss Cleo psychic hotline. Ever been curious about such things? Here’s your chance to ask. ---
**Author:** ![Euthanasiast](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Euthanasiast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euthanasiast)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/2 "2005-03-09T07:15:36Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > Yep. It’s sadly true. I used to work for the Miss Cleo psychic hotline. Ever been curious about such things? Here’s your chance to ask. Did you or Miss Cleo ever get a vision of your collective careers hitting the wall harder than Mr. Magoo playing jai alai? ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/3 "2005-03-09T07:17:31Z")
Well, FWIW, consider yourself not alone. Here’s a question for you. Did you take your readings seriously or were you acting? Meaning, were your readings truly impressions (call it psychic impressions, intuition, feelings or whatever) or just whatever script or impromptu guess worked for you at the time? Did you use any divination tools during your readings? Good money? ---
**Author:** ![WilhelmGefallen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9f8e36/32.png) [@WilhelmGefallen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WilhelmGefallen)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/4 "2005-03-09T07:27:10Z")
Seriously how did you live with yourself? You knew (I assume) that you weren’t psychic and that some of these people would’ve been deluded enough to believe what you said. Did you have a standard line that you could not cross (ie no bad premonitions)? ---
**Author:** ![treis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@treis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/treis)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/5 "2005-03-09T07:29:43Z")
Did you have a script to follow or did you just say whatever popped into your head? ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/6 "2005-03-09T07:52:20Z")
> [@Euthanasiast](#): > > Did you or Miss Cleo ever get a vision of your collective careers hitting the wall harder than Mr. Magoo playing jai alai? It, uh, wasn’t a _career_. It was something to do while unemployed and looking for a reputable job. It isn’t on my resume or anything (would you see a therapist who once was a phone psychic? I thought not). I stopped after a few weeks when the bastards didn’t pay me. So it was sort of like an amusing and shameful volunteer gig. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/7 "2005-03-09T07:54:29Z")
> [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Well, FWIW, consider yourself not alone. Maybe we should have a support group for our shame. > [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Here’s a question for you. Did you take your readings seriously or were you acting? Meaning, were your readings truly impressions (call it psychic impressions, intuition, feelings or whatever) or just whatever script or impromptu guess worked for you at the time? A bit from column A, a bit from column B. > [@Cinnamon Girl](#): > > Did you use any divination tools during your readings? > Good money? I used tarot cards. I’m quite good at them in person actually. If you are in the Bay area, you should drop by. I didn’t make a blooming cents. The bastards stiffed me. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/8 "2005-03-09T07:55:38Z")
> [@treis](#): > > Did you have a script to follow or did you just say whatever popped into your head? No script. Most people just wanted to be heard and comiserated with. A lot were pretty lonely. Some were just curious. ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/9 "2005-03-09T08:02:03Z")
> [@WilhelmGefallen](#): > > Seriously how did you live with yourself? > You knew (I assume) that you weren’t psychic and that some of these people would’ve been deluded enough to believe what you said. Let’s be real about who actually calls these things. Mainly the lonely, the curious, and the incredibly stupid. The lonely just wanted to chat. I chatted. Sometimes I suggested therapy, singles groups, whatever. The curious got tarot readings that may or may not have been accurate. The stupid would call and pay $3.99/minute to ask where they’d left their $10 watch and whether they were pregnant. The pregnant girl I said “yes” to (50/50 shot, right?). Turns out, she was 3 months late on her period and had been having much unprotected sex. :eek: A psychic really wasn’t what she needed. Some people were really dumb. They’d put he on hold to answer the door, use the bathroom, get a snack, whatever. I’d been put on for 20 minutes at a time. At $3.99/minute! I never understood these people… > [@WilhelmGefallen](#): > > Did you have a standard line that you could not cross (ie no bad premonitions)? No medical advice. No telling people in obviously bad scenes/abusive relationships/etc that it would be OK and they should stay with the asshole. I’d tell 'em to run like hell. ---
**Author:** ![AmbushBug](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ambushbug/32/4600_2.png) [@AmbushBug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmbushBug)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/10 "2005-03-09T08:31:33Z")
What are you wearing? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![inkleberry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/f17d59/32.png) [@inkleberry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/inkleberry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/11 "2005-03-09T08:37:25Z")
> [@AmbushBug](#): > > What are you wearing? maroon track pants, raisin coloured stretch t-shirt, nipple soothing lotion. And not a damn thing else. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Scissorjack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c67d28/32.png) [@Scissorjack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scissorjack)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/12 "2005-03-09T10:50:21Z")
Can I have my money back? I never got hit by that bus like you said I would. Seriously, were the perverts ever a problem? An ex-girlfriend used to have a similar gig, doing Tarot readings over the phone {while I was giglling in the background, much to her annoyance}, and the heavy breathers used to call a fair bit. ---
**Author:** ![LifeOnWry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/96bed5/32.png) [@LifeOnWry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LifeOnWry)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/13 "2005-03-09T11:11:08Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > No medical advice. No telling people in obviously bad scenes/abusive relationships/etc that it would be OK and they should stay with the asshole. I’d tell 'em to run like hell. So it was sorta like posting advice on the Straight Dope, huh? I read tarot\*, too, and most of the people who ask just want readings for fun’s sake, not for any real advice or guidance. When someone’s obviously very troubled or puts too much stock in the “answers” I won’t even do a reading, I just send them to a doctor, therapist, whatever. There’s a fair amount of common sense involved – but some people would prefer that their daily dose of common sense come from an “expert” and they place psychics and readers (and Dear Abby) in that category. (\*disclaimer - I have found the cards to be fairly accurate for myself, but it’s entirely possible that I’m merely reinforcing my own “common sense” when I do readings.) ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/14 "2005-03-09T14:04:38Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > maroon track pants, raisin coloured stretch t-shirt, nipple soothing lotion. And not a damn thing else. 😉 Oh yeah? Now tell me what I’m wearing! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/15 "2005-03-09T16:31:26Z")
Thanks for your reply, **inkleberry**. Yes, I read tarot from time to time, but it wasn’t me who did phone readings (I don’t know if he’s embarassed about it) and not for Miss Cleo, thankfully. No pay? Those bastids! Surely, you had callers that insisted on speaking with Miss Cleo. Did you ever try to fake her? That’s probably what I would have done. Well, if they were paying me. Any callers get extremely upset that they didn’t get Miss Cleo? Oh yeah, and what was your psychic name? This is fun, BTW. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/16 "2005-03-09T16:33:31Z")
It’s certainly a fascinating glimpse into another world (so to speak). Would you be able to testify if there was a court case for fraud? ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ea5d25/32.png) [@Happy\_Scrappy\_Hero\_Pup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Scrappy_Hero_Pup)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/17 "2005-03-09T16:37:16Z")
If you were so psychic, how come you didn’t know they were gonna stiff ya? ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/18 "2005-03-09T16:38:21Z")
Tell me what _I’m_ wearing! 😛 Seriously, what do you think of real-life ‘psychics’–people who claim to have actual extrasensory powers? Do you think it could be for real? ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/19 "2005-03-09T16:46:17Z")
If they had paid you, how long would you have stayed? Does any call stick out a really intersting? Did you work in a phone center or did they forward the calls to your place? Did you meet any of the other psychics and did they think they had abilities? ---
**Author:** ![Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac8455/32.png) [@Bippy\_the\_Beardless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bippy_the_Beardless)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646/20 "2005-03-09T17:14:12Z")
> [@inkleberry](#): > > I used tarot cards. I’m quite good at them in person actually. If you are in the Bay area, you should drop by. Should I call first, or will you know when I’m coming 😉 Seriously, hope to see you at the next local dopefest. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ask-the-former-phone-psychic/293646.md?page=2)