Dialing 1-800-WTF on a Blackberry or other smart phone

Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
1

The other day my credit card number was stolen, so the company had to send me a new card. No problem. When I called to activate it, the automated voice asked me to key in the 16-digit number. No problem.

Then it asked me to key in my mother’s maiden name “using the keypad on my phone.” Well, hel-LO- the keypad on a Blackberry isn’t set up like the old touch tone phones. Hasn’t anyone thought of this yet?

I wound up phoning in and after doing a multiple-choice test regarding my last address, any car I’ve ever owned, and where my vacation home is located, I was in. I didn’t mind the inquiry- I wish they had made these inquiries of the person who used my number to buy $223.68 worth of goodies for themselves.

When I mentioned to the credit card person that I couldn’t use my Blackberry to enter my mother’s maiden name, I distinctly heard a light bulb come on over her head… “Oh, yeah… huh…I guess you’re right…”

Surely, I’m not the only person who’s noticed this.

2

My phone number, without the area code, can be translated into a nasty mnemonic using the letters on an old keypad. I would usually give out the words instead of my number until I had a person unable to suss it out because their phone didn’t have that info.

3

Umm…you just have to press Alt + Letter.

Surely I’m not the only person who’s noticed this. :wink:

4

Would that work? On a phone there are three letters to each number key - for example if you wanted to spell out JONES it’d be 56637.

On my BB, only WER-SDF-ZXC correspond to the numbers 123-456-789.

5

Just use the letters that you need. With ALT pressed down the phone will figure out the right numbers for you. Try it - call 1-800-GO-FEDEX or something.

6

Yup. When you dial, eg, 1900MIXALOT, the phone will figure out what numbers to dial after you hit the green button.

I’ve never tried it to use it to enter information after the call or navigate, say, a dial-by-name PBX, though.

7

Huh. I never thought of that.

I just checked. The iPhone keypad lists the letters under the numbers.

Do others without a physical keyboard list both? I’m guessing yes, since there’s room on the screen vs the tiny physical buttons.

8

I have a Blackberry Pearl, which doesn’t have a regular QWERTY keyboard. Each physical key has two sequential letters.

The exclamation point has QW
In order across the top row:
1 has ER
2 has TY
3 has UI
. [period/dot] has OP

Second row
? has AS
4 has DF
5 has GH
6 has JK
, [comma] has L

etc.

I don’t have an “alt” key. I have a shift key which accesses the top row of the key and a caps key.

9

Clever, I see what you did there. You didn’t say it was a Pearl, but they thought of a solution for that already too. RTFM or use Google if you’re going to get all snippy about it. Christ.

10

Don’t understand your reply. Please explain. No snippiness intended, only clarity. Please don’t use the “F” word. Or the Lord’s name that way. Unless you were addressing me?

Why would I use Google when I can get answers here?

11

Seriously? You cheekily quoted me as “Smart” Guest and intentionally deleted the smiley at the end of my post so I look like an asshole and that’s solely out of your desire for clarity? Please don’t piss on my leg and tell me it’s raining. Did the Lord teach you to treat your neighbors that way?

Anyway, to put an end to this, you hold the Shift/Alt/whatever key and then one keypress for the first letter or a quick double-press for the second one.

12

See if you know what this letter stands for: A.

13

I don’t know, but I’m going to guess “aardvark.”

This is a fun game, your turn. CTSOOYVAFDRN.

14

Both of you knock it off. And ThelmaLou, please don’t change users’ names when you’re quoting them.