Talk:Robocall

The first robocall and fax-on-demand was created by John L Turcott of Kalamazoo Michigan back in the mid 70s using a Digital Development board and software combined with a PC Complete board.
At the time I was creating an automated talking classified named "Sell! Sell! Sell!" which ran 24/7/365 waiting for clients/customers to place and remove classified ads or have a fax sent to the client's modem at a specified time. The first problem I had after purchasing an IBM 8086 computer, fax/modems(1), PC Complete automated answering boards(4) and a board(1) from Digital Development was getting the software to work together. The software took me about 3 or 4 months of calling back and forth to a person by the name of Norm, at Digital Development, asking him to create various commands that were missing in their software. Once Norm/Digital Development's software was updated (on 360k floppies at the time, which I still have) I connected the PC Complete boards and had each answer calls and send out faxes based upon requests from the client(s) using unique filenames and times to call. Basically the boards would receive calls, allow the clients to place and remove ads and request fax which today sounds simple, but in those days it was revolutionary. The fax-on-demand was a totally new concept, but getting the word out was a job proven to be stepped on by big business(the power of newspapers and their press). I couldn't place ads in local papers or area shoppers/circulars because each, after talking with each other and their attorneys, would simply say "freedom of the press" and/or things like "take us to court." Sorry we can't allow you to place an ad for a competing business. They just didn't want a new concept to hurt their hundreds of years old paper's classifieds. Eventually I tried to hire an attorney but after having them make a few calls to the Kalamazoo Gazette and TDI (owners of all the local shoppers and circulars), I quickly realized I couldn't afford the attorney fees. So, along with Sell! Sell! Sell!, I gave up.

About a month or so later, I thought why not just have my boards make calls, play prerecorded messages introducing Sell! Sell! Sell! the talking classifieds? And so I added another board, requested more commands from Digital Equipment and finally "robocall" was created! Only problem was it cost $.08 per call and my first month's phone statement had a surprize for me. $850.00! In those days, that was a lot of money per month and along with my auto brokerage business, which I put on hold while I developed Sell! Sell! Sell!, I didn't have enough time, money or willpower to keep going.

My last days, just after I pulled the plug on Sell! Sell! Sell!, I received a call from Digital Development asking if we could meet to discuss Sell! Sell! Sell!, it's components, software and a possible working together arrangement. Now I know, this is where you think I made millions! Right? Well, not exactly. My auto brokerage business was also a new idea that I tried to franchise a few times, but found out if you don't own the land, you just lease or rent, the better you appear to do, the more the rent would grows! So over the course of the next year, I moved three times because my business seemed to be growing, profit not so much, but we looked busy! Then it happened, not only weren't the francize parties paying me, the location my brokerage was on was suddenly bought out from under me because my bank took over 6 months to review my loan request. So finally, under all the pressure and setbacks, I closed my auto brokerage, ran out of money, got a divorce and just gave up just about everything. My American Dream was DEAD. No millions, no rights to patents or any significant income and my life suddenly bottomed out. I even remember spending Christmas that year eating a polish hot dog at 7/11 which wouldn't have been all that bad, but I put way to much mustard on it so even the Christmas dinner didn't have a happy ending. So what's the moral, well, I guess there really isn't one other than patent your ideas, don't do as Shark Tanks often says "don't let anything get in your way!" Use your head, invest in what you believe in, but be honest with yourself, don't spend money you don't have, don't go out and borrow or hock everything you own, like I did, and seek advise from those that are interested in both you and your ideas.

Bragging rights: First fax-on-demand and robocall in the world! Suggestion rights: Don't bite off more than you can chew. Do what you are good at! Don't think you are good at everything! Protect your ideas, don't over commit, seek help and be candid about your product or idea(s) and your ability. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:406:301:ABD0:5CE0:7CF8:BCB2:1F0F (talk) 06:14, 8 November 2016 (UTC)


 * Based on the companies and components mentioned, the events described must have happened in the mid-1980's, not "mid 70s". The first IBM computer using an 8088 processor came out in 1981. Digital Development Corporation of Dayton, Ohio was formed in 1983 by Norm Wentland. Complete PC (not PC Complete) was founded in 1986 to produce and sell voicemail boards for the IBM PC AT. IBM's first use of the 8086 processor was in the lower models of the PS/2 series introduced in 1987. Wolfcj (talk) 21:08, 7 January 2022 (UTC)

That is well that you did not robospam with these PC fax boards. Pity about your marriage though. Zezen (talk)