GOOG411

I hate it when the cell phone bill comes. Mostly because I am notorious for "misplacing" (i.e. running through the wash, losing in the trash, leaving completely behind) any important phone numbers or addresses for places we need to go or errands we need to run. So I am the one to blame for all of the 411 calls that show up on the bill. And at $1.75 or more, those add up FAST.

Enter the information mavens themselves, Google.

Did you KNOW they have their own information line? Apparently they have stretched their Googly arms to reach out and touch all of us perpetual phone number misplacers. The best news? It is COMPLETELY FREE. No crazy surcharges, just whatever your regular phone company would have charged if you dialed direct.

I've been using it exclusively the last month, and I haven't had a single issue. What I really like is that they give you the top options for your request....have you ever tried to get 411 to help you find a business when you're not entirely sure which town it's in? Yeah, that's like pulling teeth...sometimes the live operators are worse than the automated system. But with GOOG-411 the automated system gives you as many listings as you're willing to listen to.

Perfect example - a few weeks back we needed to cash one of my husband's checks but we were driving to a Doc's appointment that was 30 miles from home. It's a chain bank so I called up GOOG-411 to see if they could help. We were on the highway, so I gave the town listed on the nearest exit sign, and the bank name. Duh....moving car....means we weren't in that town's area for long. But Google to the rescue, the system started rattling off locations, and eventually I heard one for the town listed on the NEXT exit sign. They connected me, I got specific directions, and we were good to go.

Just another way to whittle down those nasty little charges that end up turning into big green-eating monsters!






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