Verizon customer calls phone alarm ‘dangerous’

An Austin woman who dialed 911 recently discovered what she said could be a fatal flaw in some new cell phones.

“I think it’s a danger to everyone,” she says.
[…]
She grabbed her new Casio G’zOne phone from Verizon Wireless, which to her horror made an audible alarm when she called 911.

Fearing vandals were still on the property, she hung up and hid, then put her hand over the earpiece and dialed again to muffle the sounds.

“I was afraid the criminals were down the driveway and they would hear and they would know somebody was doing something and they would come out to stop me,” she said.

Turns out, Verizon said the 911 alarm is on all its new phones. Verizon said the audible tone is required by the Federal Communications Commission.

The FCC, however, said that’s not so.



  1. Personality says:

    @&$% that is stupid. I wonder if it would still do it when it is on silent?

  2. the answer says:

    Verizon must have the same PR Rep as Sony. Those are the two main companies that I remember flat out lying to consumers. And if I remember lawsuits always came out of it.

  3. MikeN says:

    Wasn’t 911 calls the reason the FCC mandated tracking of all cell phones?

  4. Tom says:

    This ranks with stories about Philadelphia cops knocking on your door “to see if you’re OK,” so the crack dealers know who called.

  5. I doubt they could pull their hands out of their pockets to pay a licensing fee for “Danger, Will Robinson.” 😉

  6. DavidtheDuke says:

    Well that leaves one thing left for us to do: Sue. It’s pretty much the only way to get through to a corporation anymore.

  7. bill says:

    Is this a Dilbert cartoon? How about a cell phone that gives you an electric shock or catches fire if you dial 911? That would make more sense. Or better yet, drops it’s service connection.

    I agree SUE THEM.

  8. Aaron_W says:

    What exactly would be the point of this alarm?

  9. NitroNeo says:

    Maybe instead of re-engineering their phone sets to their list of features that VZW wants you to have, they should leave them alone and allow the manufacturer to set the features.

    God what a concept, no more $.25 per pic transfered, the ability to connect the pc to a computer for file transfer, the ability to use Bluetooth for it’s actual intended purpose and not just a headset connection.

    What am I thinking, this is still the USA. Just leave VZW and go to a more OPEN Carrier. Wake Up America, don’t settle for your phones being changed and having their features sets locked down!

    Yea I’m a previous Disgruntled V710 VZW customer, but no longer, I actually voiced my opinion with my wallet and feet going to another carrier.

  10. 888 says:

    how ’bout just buying different phone instead of suing, you morons?


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