How to Bypass Stupid Voicemail Instructions. In my Times column last week, I wrote about those inane, utterly pointless, time-wasting “how-to-leave-a-message” instructions foisted upon us by Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile.
I calculated that they earn the carriers over $850 million a year, just by eating up our airtime. Several of you asked how I arrived at that calculation. Here it is: I’m using, as an example, Verizon’s $60-a-month plan. You get 900 minutes for that, which comes out to 6.67 cents a minute. Verizon has 70 million customers. Google Voice - One phone number, online voicemail, and enhanced call features. Virtual Phone System from Grasshopper.