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Two versions of this service (USA+Canada; similar things may be feasible in other countries, but numbering plans would be different):
(1) What's that area/exchange now (basic service): Enter the first six digits of someone's phone number (i.e. area code and exchange) along with a year when that was
valid, and it will tell you to what area code that exchange now belongs. Useful if you want to call a number that used to be in an area code but has moved a couple times since.
(2) What's that number now (premium service): Enter a person's phone number and a year when it was valid, and provided the person has continuously held a listed phone number the service would tell you the person's current phone number. While directory-assistance may in some cases be suitable for locating long-lost friends, especially if their name is obscure, for locating your friend John Smith, directory-assistance would be well nigh useless.
Hello
http://555-1212.com/
Directory Information Services [thumbwax, Apr 07 2002]
Pages
http://infospace.com/
In two (2) Colo(u)rs! White or Yellow! [thumbwax, Apr 07 2002]
[link]
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Or dial (Area Code) 555-1212 and say "I'm looking for..." whomever. |
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Did it occur to you that if they didn't give you their new number, they might not want you to have it? |
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In the two countries I have lived, the phone companies have "new number" services available for a nominal fee. When a person's number changes for whatever reason, that person can have a message played to anyone calling the old number. The service lasts for six months or so. |
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"The number you are calling has been changed. The new number is... " |
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Beyond this service, it's at the discretion of the number owner whether or not old numbers pointing to new numbers should be available. I may have changed my number to get you to stop harrassing me. So I'm against this idea. |
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The trail of obsolete webpages and home sites has put me in contact with a number of old friends by searching for the old number on google.co.uk... they were stupid for posting it on the web for a start off! |
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....and in the UK ... old numbers are commonly re-used by the new occupant of the premises .. calling the old number and getting the NEW number and/or forwarding address also confirms your firends told the new owners about the rising damp or Mississippi mud Pie nature of the foundations |
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phoenix: Directory assistance works just great for uncommon names. But if I look up my brother-in-law (moderately common name) there are two listings in his city. For people with more common names (e.g. Smith), there may be dozens. |
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As for 'wouldn't they have given the number', quite possibly. But if I can't find the slip of paper on which I wrote it, that doesn't do much good. I remember phone numbers I use frequently, but after my sister moved it took me awhile to remember the new number. And the automated forwarding announcements don't last very long anymore (actually, directory assistance still had the old listing even after that number no longer had a forwarding announcement to the new one!). |
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BTW, in the USA numbers generally are NOT assigned by premesis. When a phone account is deactivated, the next subscriber to use that line will usually be assigned a different number. |
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// if I can't find the slip of paper on which I wrote it, that doesn't do much good. // |
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Technology can and should only go so far to overcome human error. There has to be some responsibility on your part to remember the number, no? |
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sorry, forgot what I was going to write here. |
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