How to have only an outgoing message?

September 4, 2010 5:34 PM

How can I have a phone number play a pre-recorded message and hang up?

I recently ditched my voicemail. Problem is, I still want the outgoing message. Is there a cheap/free online service that will let me have the recording without the voicemail part that I can forward calls to?

posted by ooklala to Technology (6 answers total)

I don't know of an online service, but you could get a cheap answering machine and fill it up so there is no room to record messages.
posted by Bruce H. at 5:41 PM on September 4, 2010

So like a message that says "Hi it's me, here are other ways to reach me, but you can't leave a message"?

I think United Voicemail has a personalized Reach Me service where you can record a message.
posted by parmanparman at 5:43 PM on September 4, 2010

Best answer: You should check out PhoneBooth -- they'll give you a phone number and you can have different messages and dial-your-extension prompts. Especially important for you: you can add your own greeting, and I believe you can turn off the voicemail function.
posted by suedehead at 6:10 PM on September 4, 2010

Google Voice lets you play a message and then hang up, for only certain callers or all callers. If it's a mobile phone you can reroute your voicemail settings to point to GV instead of your carrier's VM.
posted by msbutah at 6:30 PM on September 4, 2010

Tropo.com can do that.
posted by miyabo at 10:13 PM on September 4, 2010 [1 favorite]

Check out www.youmail.com. It's free online voice mail. You can set up different messages to different callers. And I currently have messages that say the message and then hang up for blocked and unavailable numbers.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 1:16 PM on September 5, 2010