TELECOM Digest OnLine - Sorted: Re: Personal Opinion Telegram and Mailgram - Discontinuance?

Re: Personal Opinion Telegram and Mailgram - Discontinuance?

hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
2 Aug 2005 14:02:30 -0700

Jim Haynes wrote:

> You can still send a telegram, according to www.westernunion.com

Yes, but the Opiniongram was a discounted service, much cheaper than a
regular telegram (IIRC, 90c vs $5 years ago).

I feel a traditional letter gets more attention than an email because
(1) a letter has a physical presence instead of fleeting bits on a
screen, and (2) the recipient knows you went to the trouble of writing
and mailing it while an email is easy to knock off en masse. However,
writing to Washington today may be bad because letters are secured
before delivery and they can be seriously delayed.

> I guess you can still send a Mailgram; somebody sent me one last year.

Yes, today's WU website does have them, but under business services.
I think you have to send them in volume and they're not available for
an individual to use as before. Also, I wonder if there is still a
printer in a post office for fast delivery, or is this basically an
ordinary first class letter in a mailgram envelope.

WU has some interesting services, but I noticed they left the price
off most of them (a telegram is $15). They have a deposit debit card
but the transaction fee wasn't given, as well as quick payment (but
unknown fee). I think if I searched deeper I'd get the fee, but I
didn't want to waste time. Some of these services can be pretty
expensive to use.

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