One could argue that greed is just a fact of the 1-900 number life, that the entire business exists to give as little entertainment as possible for as much money as possible. There are no charitable 900 number services that I’ve found, no services that prioritize the customer’s experience over the prospect of a slow…. measured…. delivery…. of…. content… that… you… pay… for… by… the… minute.

It is what it is. That said, some of the tactics are particularly gross even for these guys. The TMNT line that plays you a single song for five bucks. The Boglins who give you ‘collectors cards’ for multiple calls. And Paula, sweet Paula Abdul, who will send you an autographed picture if you call her twice!

Paula’s on “a rocket to stardom”, and you can “call her to find out why”.

She’s got “news you can use”, which is a trait I think we can all agree we associate with Paula.

Who knows what these hot tips were, what the cause of her rocket to stardom is, or how long it took to get an autographed picture. At two dollars the first minute and forty-five cents each additional, I’m sure it took about ten bucks to find out.

-ds