January 2003
As any traveler will tell you, the need for good telephone communication is heightened when the road beckons. To help enhance enjoyment of life on the road and provide peace of mind to members, FMCA began offering an emergency telephone message service in 1982. Since September 1992, the service has been handled by an automated voice mail system.
It was announced in the February 1996 issue of Family Motor Coaching magazine that FMCA’s Emergency Message Service had been changed from a system designed to relay emergency messages only to the current operation, which permits members to have 31 voice mail messages and 31 check-ins per calendar month for general use while traveling in their motorhomes.
Although the message service is no longer limited to messages of an emergency nature, its intent always has been and continues to be for members’ use while they travel. That’s why the name of this member benefit is now the “FMCA Traveler’s Message Service.” The service is intended to enable traveling members to receive messages from family and friends who might otherwise be unable to contact them. In addition, the message service is not intended to be used for conducting business or handling business messages.
Effective May 1, 1999, a charge of $5 per calendar month was established for those members using FMCA’s Traveler’s Message Service. To promote the most automated and cost-effective operation of the service, the system is designed to charge a $5 usage fee to a major credit card (American Express, Discover, MasterCard, or Visa) the first time a member checks in and enters his or her security code in a given month. If a member’s mailbox is closed mid-month and then reopened prior to the end of that month, there will not be another $5 charge; the maximum any member can be charged in one month for the allowed 31 messages and 31 check-ins is $5. In months that a member does not access the system, no $5 charge will result.
Members need to enter their credit card number into the system the first time they open a message box or check for messages. At that time, they will be asked to authorize or decline FMCA’s use of this number for future message service charges.
Members who do not have a credit card may pay by check; however, they must submit payment in advance and define the months that they plan to use the service, as this information will need to be entered into the system manually. Members who pay for the service by check will be responsible for keeping their own record of the months for which they have paid. The system will not issue a prompt to remind members to send another check, and there will be no method to identify a remaining balance.
FMCA still offers the option for members to purchase additional messages and check-ins at a cost of 10 for $10 ($10 for 10 check-ins or $10 for 10 messages). There is no expiration date associated with these added messages and check-ins, so message service users can use them as needed, and they can be carried over from month to month. Members interested in taking advantage of this “10 for $10” program can contact the national office at (800) 543-3622 Monday through Friday between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Payment by VISA, MasterCard, Discover, or American Express is required. The same restrictions apply for the additional check-ins and messages as apply for the existing message service.
FMCA’s Traveler’s Message Service is accessible in the United States and Canada, 24 hours per day, seven days per week, including holidays. To use the system, members call toll-free (800) 445-1732. Cellular phone users may wish to use (513) 388-5272 (see accompanying sidebar). The system is programmed to Eastern Time. No enrollment forms are involved; the service may be accessed by following a few simple instructions:
1. When preparing to go on the road, members should call the Traveler’s Message Service and follow the instructions provided to open a message box. To ensure that only FMCA members use the service, both your membership number — including the prefix, which is either F, L, or C — and your membership expiration date are needed to open a message box. The membership expiration date functions as your security code; it ensures that only the appropriate member can hear the message. This information is printed on your FMCA membership card. The membership number and the expiration date are both needed to close a message box as well.
2. Members should leave their membership number — including the prefix, which is either F, L, or C — with anyone who may be calling to leave a message for them. Only the membership number is needed to leave the message. There is a two-minute limit per message.
3. Once they are familiar with the system, callers can avoid listening to the instructions again by simply using the Express Check-In. This gives FMCA members the ability to log into their mailbox quickly, thereby using less phone time. Although callers don’t need to listen to the current system prompts, a few “inputs” are required:
- Upon hearing the greeting — “Thank you for calling the FMCA Traveler’s Message Service” — press star (*) 1 for “Express Check-In” to listen to messages.
- Enter your membership number followed by the pound (#) key.
- Enter your security code — membership expiration date — followed by the pound (#) key.
The system will then inform you as to whether you have messages, and will continue with the regular options from that point on.
Remember that other options are available:
Dial “2” to leave a message.
Dial “3” to open a message box.
Dial “8” to close a message box.
Dial “9” to end the call.
4. When calling to check messages, members should be prepared with paper and pencil. After receiving a message, a member can either repeat it or delete it. Members are encouraged to delete messages once they’ve been heard. If a message is not deleted, it will be held for only one day after it has been retrieved; after that, the system will automatically delete it. Also, messages will be deleted automatically after they have been repeated twice (heard a total of three times).
5. A maximum of 31 messages each month may be left for a member. A warning prompt, advising the number of messages still available for the month, will be issued each time a message box is checked after the 26th message has been left.
6. A member can check in for messages up to 31 times per month. The system will automatically issue a warning when a member has five or fewer check-ins available for the month.
7. More than one function can be accomplished in the same call by dialing “4” to return to the main menu.
8. The system accepts signals from touch-tone telephones. The system may not respond to cordless or cellular phones. Callers should try again from another telephone if the system does not respond to their entries. Users who frequently experience problems may purchase a tone dialer, a device that is available at electronics stores such as RadioShack, to correct this situation.
9. FMCA’s Traveler’s Message Service is not to be used for business purposes or for relaying business messages.
10. Members are encouraged to establish check-in times with family and friends to avoid missing messages.
11. Members should close their message box when they’ve stopped traveling. Service can be re-established when needed.
The following questions and answers will help you use the voice mail system.
Q: Can members who intend to use the service each month use their credit card to charge $60 for the whole year versus having $5 charged to their credit card every month?
A: The system is not designed to accept prepayments. To promote the most automated and cost-effective operation of the service, the system is designed to charge members a $5 monthly usage fee the first time they check in and enter their security code in a given month.
Q: Is it necessary for members to close their mailbox at the end of each month in order to prevent someone from leaving them a message and activating the $5 charge for the next month?
A: No. The $5 charge for the next month will not go into effect until the member accesses the system to check for messages and enters his or her security code. In months where the member does not access the system, no $5 charge will result. It is recommended that members close their message box when they’ve stopped traveling (press or dial “8” to close a message box). Service can be re-established when needed.
Q: If a member reaches the limit of 31 check-ins or 31 messages, will FMCA automatically charge his or her credit card for additional check-ins and messages?
A: No. Members will continue to be notified when only five or fewer check-ins or five or fewer messages remain. When a member has used either the 31 check-ins or 31 messages in a given month, he or she will need to call the FMCA national office (800-543-3622) to purchase additional check-ins or messages.
Q: What’s my security code?
A: The same number as your FMCA membership expiration date. Note, however, that if you pay your dues while you have an open message box, your security code does not change, even though your membership expiration date does. If you close the box and reopen another box on a later date, you then will need to start using the new expiration date as your security code.
Q. My call got cut off. What happened?
A. Causes for this include: 1. Use of a cordless or cellular phone; 2. Static or other noise on-line that the FMCA system interprets as the call being terminated; 3. A period of silence; 4. Your message has reached its two-minute limit.
Q. Someone left me a message and I didn’t receive it. How did it get lost?
A. Messages can be “lost” because members are using the system for two-way communication. When the person who left the message plays it back (access to the security code is required to do this) before the person for whom the message was intended retrieves it, the message is erased after one day, or after the message has been repeated twice. Two-way communication also causes members to run out of messages and check-ins before the end of the month because of “double” traffic. The voice mail system was never designed to be used in this fashion. Do not give your security code to anyone!
Q: I left a message and forgot to press “9” when I was done. Did the message go through?
A: Yes, it did. You’re asked to press “9” to free the connection more quickly, so that another call can be processed.
Q: What’s a pound key?
A: It looks like this # — and should be located on the lower right-hand corner of your phone’s touch-tone keypad.
Q: Is there a simple place to find directions on using the voice mail system?
A: Yes. Check the back side of your FMCA membership card for handy tips on how to use the Traveler’s Message Service. Also, immediately after a box is opened, the system responds with a prompt that offers general information; users should dial “1” to receive up-to-date details about the service.
By being prepared before you make a call to the message service, and by instructing family and friends as to its proper use, you should be able to enjoy the full benefits of an efficient and functional message service program — for use when traveling.
FMCA assumes no liability for damages, either direct or consequential, to any person or organization as a result of the use of this service.
Offsetting Telephone Costs
If you have a cellular phone with an allotted number of long-distance minutes per month, and you are charged the same for each call you make (toll-free or not), then you can help FMCA offset telephone costs.
FMCA has a per-minute charge for each call made on the toll-free Traveler’s Message Service line. By using a telephone number in Cincinnati’s 513 area code that provides access to the Traveler’s Message Service, members can help save the association thousands of dollars in a year’s time.
If you are currently using the service and have a cellular phone with an allotted number of long-distance minutes per month, you are encouraged to use (513) 388-5272 to make those calls. Members who do not have such an arrangement, or are calling from a pay phone, can continue to use the toll-free number: (800) 445-1732.
The new phone number has not changed any operational aspects of the Traveler’s Message Service. It does not replace the toll-free line. It simply permits you to access the Traveler’s Message Service through a toll number.
Express Check-In
The Express Check-In feature is a time-saver for members using the FMCA Traveler’s Message Service system once they are familiar with the instructions, as it allows users to avoid listening to the prompts each time they call. This gives FMCA members the ability to log into their mailbox quickly, thereby using less phone time. Although callers don’t need to listen to the current system prompts, a few “inputs” are required:
- Upon hearing the greeting — “Thank you for calling the FMCA Traveler’s Message Service” — press star (*) 1 for “Express Check-In” to listen to messages.
- Enter your membership number followed by the pound (#) key.
- Enter your security code — membership expiration date — followed by the pound (#) key.
The system will then inform you as to whether you have messages, and will continue with the regular options from that point on.