Robotic voice gives callers lot of nothing

If you call the city of Cheney using the Spokane County phone book, this is what you hear:

“We’re sorry,” the phone company’s robotic-sounding woman says. “The number you have dialed is no longer in service. The new number is: Oh, oh, oh … oh, oh, oh … oh, oh, oh, oh.”

Oh, really?

Then, the woman repeats her dispassionate litany, sounding like a very bad actress in a very bad love scene.

According to Cheney City Administrator Paul Schmidt, the city found a new telephone service provider in December 2003, and had to change phone numbers.

Cheney originally arranged for calls to be transferred to the new numbers.

That worked for a year. Later, a message gave the correct number.

But now, it seems like the robo-woman has had her memory reset to zero.

“I first noticed it last year,” said Cheney Mayor Allan Gainer of the problem. “I think everyone’s used to it by now.”

The smaller CenturyTel phone book has the right numbers, as does www.cityofcheney.org.

The correct numbers were also mailed to residents along with utility bills.

Gainer, who took office in January, had tried to call City Hall before he was elected, but couldn’t get through. He ended up circumventing technology and walked to City Hall.

A phone-book worker said the numbers come from Qwest, and Qwest gets them from telephone companies.

The phone company, XO Communications, said the city hasn’t asked for new information. Schmidt says it has. Whether the 2007 phone books will have the correct numbers remains to be seen.

But residents seem to be taking the problem in stride.

“I think it’s very infrequent that we get any complaints,” said Schmidt.

So, for the time being, all is quiet at City Hall.