Telstra making pay phones free during covid

[N4TE]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.9news.com.au/article/a75e9ade-a9da-41df-987f-838e7b8c52a2

I don’t honestly know like honestly honestly think when I would have used a pay phone

 

[Chris Harding]

I can't recall seeing a payphone these days. In my younger days, they were everywhere.

A bit of trivia - outside Earl's Court tube station is the last blue Police Box in London - you know, the Dr. Who "Tardis".
The BBC wanted to register the Blue Box as theirs for promo and sales, but London police argued it was their design. However, the police had never formally registered the design, so it was awarded to the BBC.

 

[N4TE]

I can't recall seeing a payphone these days. In my younger days, they were everywhere.

A bit of trivia - outside Earl's Court tube station is the last blue Police Box in London - you know, the Dr. Who "Tardis".
The BBC wanted to register the Blue Box as theirs for promo and sales, but London police argued it was their design. However, the police had never formally registered the design, so it was awarded to the BBC.

Every red phone box I went in in London was just being used as a toilet.

 

[BELMORE]

The only people that use pay phones are junkies

 

[DinkumDog]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.9news.com.au/article/a75e9ade-a9da-41df-987f-838e7b8c52a2

I don’t honestly know like honestly honestly think when I would have used a pay phone

Since no-one actually calls anyone anymore they seem redundant. Not sure if still the case but for a while at least Telstra made all their remaining pay phones free Wi-Fi hotspots for Telstra customers. Seems a bit redundant though in the days of generous mobile data plans so not sure how successful this was.

 

[Moedogg]

I used one in the past to call up the mistress
but then I got a call from a sniper....

 

[Flanagun]

Super spreader promotion? lol, nobody uses them anyway.....except for addicts trying to score drugs and people who pick up random phone calls from Die Hard inspired terrorists.

 

[CroydonDog]

Since no-one actually calls anyone anymore they seem redundant. Not sure if still the case but for a while at least Telstra made all their remaining pay phones free Wi-Fi hotspots for Telstra customers. Seems a bit redundant though in the days of generous mobile data plans so not sure how successful this was.

Mobile phones are great thing - you can pay your bills, order a car home, call people.... except they have one fatal flaw - they are useless when the battery goes flat.

Problem with them having to relay upon using a payphone is that most people don't remember anyone;s phone numbers anymore.

 

[Mr Beast]

Did anyone do the Maccas straw trick on the pay phones back in the day, to get your money back and free calls?

 

[N4TE]

Mobile phones are great thing - you can pay your bills, order a car home, call people.... except they have one fatal flaw - they are useless when the battery goes flat.

Problem with them having to relay upon using a payphone is that most people don't remember anyone;s phone numbers anymore.

I don’t know my missus my sisters or any families or close ones mobile numbers. I just press Mum or Mel or whatever

 

[N4TE]

Did anyone do the Maccas straw trick on the pay phones back in the day, to get your money back and free calls?

Yep sure did and you could also press some number combination and put the out of service..

 

[CroydonDog]

I don’t know my missus my sisters or any families or close ones mobile numbers. I just press Mum or Mel or whatever

We did a survey in the office the other day, and about half knew their partner;s number. I know Mrs CDs, but that's about it off the top of my head.

I remember filling in a form recently where i had to give my mother's phone number. I immediately rattled off the number i grew up with (so i've known it for 40 years), only to remember that Mum finally got rid of their landline last year.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

Mobile phones are great thing - you can pay your bills, order a car home, call people.... except they have one fatal flaw - they are useless when the battery goes flat.

Problem with them having to relay upon using a payphone is that most people don't remember anyone;s phone numbers anymore.

I don't even know my own number

 

[N4TE]

I don't even know my own number

I don’t reckon I would either if I didn’t have to give it out a lot.

 

[CrittaMagic69]

I don’t reckon I would either if I didn’t have to give it out a lot.

Na I actually do, only because i picked it and it only has 5 different numbers

 

[Hacky McAxe]

If you keep an eye out you'll see that there's still a few around. Many of them brand new.

I was having a chat with a town planner about this a few months back and he mentioned that part of Telstra's contract with state governments is that they can install a phone booth anywhere that they deem fit (as long as council approves it) and they don't have to pay the government any money to do it.

Telstra then sell advertising space on the phone booths and make a profit.

 

[Hacky McAxe]

We did a survey in the office the other day, and about half knew their partner;s number. I know Mrs CDs, but that's about it off the top of my head.

I remember filling in a form recently where i had to give my mother's phone number. I immediately rattled off the number i grew up with (so i've known it for 40 years), only to remember that Mum finally got rid of their landline last year.

I know my wife's number, and I can order pizza hut delivery or a lube mobile to fix my vehicle.

 

[N4TE]

I know my wife's number, and I can order pizza hut delivery or a lube mobile to fix my vehicle.

13 30 32 and 9481 11 11 how good is a clever jingle..

 

[CroydonDog]

13 30 32 and 9481 11 11 how good is a clever jingle..

Growing up Pizza Hut was 13 11 66. Blew my mind when I moved to Sydney and they had a different number.

 

[B-Train]

Yeah that makes sense. Encourage random people to all touch the same object that never gets cleaned so they can spread the virus some more...