As if La Cucaracha ring tones weren't enough, Verizon may soon offer residential customers and callers prerecorded song samplings and goofy greetings.
If a trial run in Pittsburgh goes well, by next year Verizon subscribers in the Tampa Bay area will be able to let Britney Spears tell that special someone that a message is from the Bottom of My Broken Heart. A birthday wish can be complemented by a reminder from Aaliyah that Age Ain't Nothin' But a Number. An anniversary can be marked by Phil Collins' promise, Can't Stop Loving You. Residential customers who have Verizon's standard voice mail service can forward song excerpts accompanied by personal or prerecorded messages to any phone number in the United States.
Users in the trial run also can set up their voicemail greetings with prerecorded comedic messages. One message instructs callers that in order to leave a message they will need to "ask for extension 4443 . . . press star twice, bark like a dog, spin in a circle, press one 26 times and wait for the beep."
At least this way, you can blame the phone company if your smart-aleck messages don't prove amusing.
