Callers beware, party lines less fun than advertised<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): More than 25 services are trying to win the
\nlong-distance phone business of Indonesian callers.<\/p>\n
One of the services even originates in the Netherlands
\nAntilles (country code 599), a tiny country in the Atlantic
\nOcean. In their ads, found mostly in magazines for teenagers, the
\nservices omit their business names or addresses in favor of such
\nphrases as Mari Bergabung (Let's Join). They cloak their services
\nin friendly names line Partylines, Chatlines, Global Friendship
\nand Horoscope, most of which attract male callers.<\/p>\n
Few believe the services are really operated from the country
\ncodes listed as all the chat lines have Indonesian-speaking
\noperators. When asked to communicate in other languages, the
\nstaff can usually get by in broken English and some even speak
\nChinese and Korean.<\/p>\n
Conference lines are also available, although the
\nconversations are not unlike those heard on CB frequencies, which
\nare cheaper and where English-speaking frequencies are also
\navailable.<\/p>\n
After listening to the boring introduction, a female operator
\n-- if you get one at all -- will answer and say in a friendly
\nvoice: "Hello, this is (mentioning her name). Who's calling,
\nplease?"<\/p>\n
The less fortunate will get a recording that plays over and
\nover as your telephone bill continues to climb. The operators
\nwill try to keep callers on the line by speaking slowly and
\ntaking their time to answer your questions.<\/p>\n
After a long introduction, the woman will introduce you to
\nother parties wanting a conference call. If you want to meet one
\nof the callers, you can ask for his or her phone number, set a
\ndate and get off the line. If you can't find anyone that amuses
\nyou, just keep on exploring and listening to the endless options
\noffered until you find the right time to hang up. (bsr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/callers-beware-party-lines-less-fun-than-advertised-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}