Review by The Net magazine: November, 1996
Apparently inspired by a guy who dabbles in illicit phone codes and credit card fraud, Phone Losers of America takes as its premise the fact that symbols of communication authority should be made fun of: Ma Bell, AOL, and Bill Gates. There's a Prank Phone Call page with sound bites of choice harassment, reviews of recordings of more prank calls, extensive links to phone and bad attitude-related sites. Also, an anti-award page. Self mocking we-are-proud-to-be-phone-losers humor throughout. To hear the site's ringleader, Redbox Chilipepper tell it, "everyone's talking about PLA. If only they were saying something nice."
Overall Rating:15 out of 18
I found this review of PLA on excite.com, listing our old blitzinfo.com account.
Phone Losers of America They're phone hackers and proud of it. Back issues of PLA are archived here (kind of like 2600 but more phone-oriented), plus a list of anti-AOL pages, and the convoluted history of these folks. Note: Do NOT get them mad at you.
Here's a letter we got after copying the USA Today homepage graphics and using them on our main page.
I am the marketing manager for USA TODAY Online and am responsible for policing online use of the USA TODAY logo. Your page, http://www.phonelosers.org/, uses the USA TODAY logo and weather map without our permission. Please immediately remove both elements from this screen. If these elements are still online on Monday, October 27, we will send this notice to our legal department. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Review by Internet Underground: August 1996
How to turn the work life of a 7-11 employee into a living hell
The author of this site used his experiences working at dozens of convenience stores and gas stations to compile the definitive how-to list of annoying the underpaid staffs of the quick-stop shopping world. Among his helpful suggestions: "Jam the handle on the Slurpee/Slushie/Whatever machine so that the mush keeps on flowing after you leave. Watch the cashier cry when he finds it." He also suggests calling up cashiers and asking questions such as, "So, are you working there alone? How much money do you have in the cash register right now? Do you have one of those silent alarms behind the counter? Do the cops respond quickly in your area?" Other fun subcategories include "How to Survive the Graveyard Shift," "Screwing Your Store Out of Millions of Dollars" and "Proven Ways to Get Yourself Shot." A sample tidbit from the latter category: "Pick up the phone and dial 911. Tell the police what's happening as you take your time putting the robber's money into a paper bag. If he gets mad, tell him, "Shhhhhhhh! I'm on the phone!"
