Running a small business is hard work - it's impossible for anyone to be 
near a phone all the time. Answer phones are easy to use I find most people 
here in North Wales get back within a day of  messages being left. It's 
unrealistic to expect 24 hour coverage of a telephone. I know, I'm trying to 
start a small historic research business.

Can anyone give me any information on a small mine deep in Artists Valley 
mid- Wales. I visited it recently and would be interested to learn more 
about the history of it.

Thanks
Gill
North Wales



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Chris" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2006 12:12 AM
Subject: Re: New Book


> Howard
>            No I'm not Scottish, and with respect I don't know who are what 
> book company is.
>
> I don't leave messages on business phones due to the majority not 
> returning my call. To be honest, I find it difficult to understand that 
> when a person post to a list stating that they have a certain book for 
> sale that there is no-one to take the orders.
>
> Chris
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Howard Sprenger" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2006 10:59 PM
> Subject: Re: New Book
>
>
>>>        I tried at 9.30, 10.00 and 10.30 am.
>>
>> You're not Scottish are you?  :-))
>>
>> I ask because a couple of weeks back somebody with a Scottish accent left 
>> messages at about these times on our answer machine.  As it happens we 
>> were out delivering books that particular morning, and giving up after an 
>> hour seemed to us a bit hasty (the messages grew increasingly grumpy - it 
>> actually ruined our day!)
>>
>> Leaving a phone number would have resulted in a call back almost 
>> certainly by lunchtime, and in the late afternoon/early evening at the 
>> latest.  Most small business people (I don't mean they are small, but 
>> their businesses are :-) just can't be by the phone all day, and the 
>> answer machine is the only viable alternative.  Some of us also have day 
>> jobs.  I daresay there are some companies who never ring back, despite 
>> what they say, but it would be nice to be given the chance to prove that 
>> we were not among them.
>>
>> I'm not getting at you of course - I realise you're almost certainly 
>> *not* the person who rang us, but I'm intrigued as to why people are 
>> suspicious of answer machines - when there is really no alternative.  I'd 
>> be genuinely interested to hear what people think, so anyone with a view 
>> on the subject can answer - privately to me if they think this is too 
>> off-topic.  Which it is :-)
>>
>> Cheers,  Howard.
>> (Kestrel Railway Books)
>
>