Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Can You Hear Me Now?

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the saved-by-the-bell dept.

squarefish writes "CNN has this story about a hiker stranded in South America's Andes mountains when a blizzard begins. He reaches into his backpack for his cell phone -- only to find his prepaid minutes are up. Out of nowhere, a phone company solicitor is calling on his cell phone, asking if he would like to buy more time. Is this convenient or what?"

20 of 300 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Probably the only time by flewp · · Score: 5, Funny

    Although, if they had cell phones on that soccer/football (or was it rugby? I forget) that was forced to resort to cannibalism, they all probably would have gotten sales calls - after all, they always call during dinner.

    --
    WWJD.... for a Klondike bar?
  2. Telemarketers suck by rblancarte · · Score: 3, Funny

    Hell, I probably would have died in his situation, I would have refused to answer the "OUT OF AREA" call.

    RonB

    --
    It is human nature to take shortcuts in thinking.
  3. What probably should have happend by VirexEye · · Score: 5, Funny

    "...Ok Mr. Diaz you don't need to make up some stupid story about being lost in the Andes mountains. If you are not interested, you could just say so." *click*

  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 4, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. What they don't say... by rant-mode-on · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... is whether or not they made him buy the minutes before they would help him.

  6. Good! by MonMotha · · Score: 4, Funny

    Can you hear me NOW? No? Hum, get a crew out here...we need another tower.

    Ah, can you hear me NOW? Good!

    --MonMotha

  7. Cold batteries? by chamenos · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Then suddenly, at above 12,500 feet, Leonardo Diaz hears a familiar ring."

    was his girlfriend by any chance named Cameron Dicaprio?

    anyway can someone shed some light on how cellphone batteries get recharged by cold temperatures?

  8. freezing and drinking by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny

    True, but if I'm going to freeze to death, I'd much rather do it drunk.

  9. Don't you see? by commodoresloat · · Score: 5, Funny

    It's more convenient than you think. How did the hiker get stranded in the first place? My theory is that the phone company had a hand in getting him lost in the first place. Who benefits? Suddenly here is a heartwarming story that makes the phone solicitors look like benign life-saving angels rather than annoying pricks paid to disrupt our most precious moments of peace....

  10. That's it!! I'm moving!! by vrassoc · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't even get decent reception at home! Which network covers the Andes??

  11. Help! I've fallen, and I can't sign up! by tlambert · · Score: 3, Funny

    "Help! I've fallen, and I can't sign up!"

    ...for a new long distance service, until you rescue me from this cliff...

    -- Terry

  12. Aw CRAP! by Rhinobird · · Score: 5, Funny

    Now we can't even DIE in peace, without some ($*%&$ing phone solicitor bothering us.

    --
    If Mr. Edison had thought smarter he wouldn't sweat as much. --Nikola Tesla
  13. Re:hrm. 911 (at least in the US) by JKR · · Score: 2, Funny
    And furthermore, if you're in a congested cell, emergency calls will kick people off to free up bandwidth for your call. Can't remember if it's last-on, first-off or some other scheme.

    It gets entertaining if the cell is full of people making 112 calls, though ;-)



    Jon.

  14. Re:hrm. 911 (at least in the US) by thing12 · · Score: 3, Funny

    By throwing them in the snow of course.

  15. Re:Wow! by Maserati · · Score: 3, Funny
    I was sitting on my couch taking a sick day (sick of work) when the phone rings. It's the PBX I said, I gotta go in. Maybe someone forgot their password (bonehead, no - that's what I reset their password to last time).


    So after some quick agonizing I take the call, hoping it isn't my boss in a panic. It's Pacific Bell. The nice lady wans to know if I'm interested in signing up for CallerID.


    I couldn't have been more interested !

    --
    Veteran, Bermuda Triangle Expeditionary Force, 1992-1951
  16. Ads are sometimes funny by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    When I clicked on the story, there was MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) on top of a phone calling card ad. Fitting I think.

  17. Wouldn't work in the USA... by SysKoll · · Score: 5, Funny

    The guy was lucky he wasn't a crusty, battle-hardened American consumer. Otherwise, here is what would have happened:

    Man, I'm freezing... This brandy is good (Hiccup)...

    Riiiinng...

    Hello?

    Hi, maybe I speak to Mister Diaz?

    Leave me alone, you f&@*$%ing telemarketer bitch! Click. Hey, wait a sec... Hello? Hello? Oh crap...

    That's right, boys and girls, telemarketers are not only a nuisance, they also create deeply ingrained reflexes that can hamper your survival if you happen to be drunk, stranded and out of minutes at the same time...

    Did you hug a telemarketer today? Good! Keep hugging him until he chokes.

    -- SysKoll
    --

    --
    Mad science! Robots! Underwear! Cute girls! Full comic online! http://www.girlgeniusonline.com/

  18. Ironic... by NTmatter · · Score: 2, Funny

    Funny...if you hit reload enough times, you'll eventually get an ad for 50% more phone minutes on the right side of the page.

  19. To the telemarketer by Chris+Johnson · · Score: 3, Funny
    To the (apocryphal) telemarketer of this touching story:

    QUIT WHILE YOU'RE AHEAD! ;) You may be the only (fictional) telemarketer to have inspired more gratitude than raw, stomach-churning hatred, so get out of the business right away! And live the rest of your life on cat food and talk show appearances :)

  20. Re:DON'T EAT SNOW!!! by marhar · · Score: 3, Funny

    especially if it's yellow!