Western Union telegram service will. Stop.
By Evan Blass 
posted Feb 1st 2006 9:00PM
posted Feb 1st 2006 9:00PM
We got the
"stop" joke out of the way in the headline so we wouldn't have to bother you with it throughout the post, but
we couldn't resist breaking it out at least once in homage to that archaic little bit of tech, the telegram. For those
of you who were born post-1850, the telegram was a method of communication (before telephones) that required writing
down your message and bringing it to the telegraph office, where someone would dot-dot-dash it off to another telegraph
office near the intended receipient for transcription and delivery- a process not nearly as efficient as the email or
IM. Well Western Union, which has oddly continued to offer this product for over a hundred years, has finally gotten
wind of all this newfangled tech and abandoned its Telegram and Commercial Messaging services as of January 27th.
That's right, if you're one of the few folks still using telegrams to send little Billy his birthday wishes, we're
sorry to tell you that you need to get with the times and join the 21st Century (you're off to a good start if you're
not reading this on a telegram).
Telegrams are tied to the American psyche as an emotional communication, unlike faxes and emails, which did not put nails in anyone's coffin, as your article suggests. Western Union is no longer delivering Mailgrams, but have not been hand delivering Telegrams for quite some time now. This does not mean Telegrams are no longer available or is still not a substantial business. It is more of a 'niche' business, but America still uses Telegrams regardless of what Western Union is doing.
American Telegram® has been in the Telegram Business since 1986, with thousands of Agents nationwide and throughout Canada, hand delivering Telegrams, plus other carriers handling overnight and 2 day hand delivery of Telegram messages, in addition to Telegrams sent through our International Telegram Network. Both our company and Western Union are (were) the two companies regulated by the FCC with a 214 authorization (although we now operate as an enhanced service provider under Title: I) and our product is just what you would expect a Telegram to look like. As a regulated company, American Telegram® has billing and collection agreements, to bill customer’s phones for service, just like Western Union.
As a Carrier of last resort, American Telegram® often provides Emergency Service where no other means of communication is available, such as after a disaster or when a recipient's telephone line is not operational. The Telegram Division in its' 20th year of operation is the predominant provider of Telegraphic Service in the United States and Canada and has been the only competing Carrier authorized by the FCC, providing such service.
American Telegram® is a wiring network for products and services delivered same day, next day, 2 days or more. There are other competitors who try to copy what we do. We have been referred to as 'The Rolls Royce of our Industry". American Telegram® was created to make sure that messages sent, were delivered in a timely manner as promised.
American Telegram® has been on the cover of Inc. Magazine as one of America's fastest growing companies. We are also affiliated with 1-800-Flowergram®.com, 1-800-Candygram®.com - Candy with a Telegram Message (used as a running gag on Saturday Night Live, and in movies such as Hoodwinked, Wedding Crashers and Blazing Saddles) and Balloongram®.com.
Telegrams are a 'niche' business, used when impact is needed, for legal purposes like canceling a contract, or when email or faxes are unknown. When there's a political crisis, you can be sure our lines and web site are flooded with Telegrams to the Capitol, the House of Representatives and all the players involved. The Telegram industry is a multi-million dollar industry, with clients using us to do mass mailings to notify their customers, their employees and a list too long to explain here. It is the day to day business of Telegrams that has decreased, but even that business is still good (just not what it once was). I can assure you, we are alive and well. We hope you will log onto American Telegram®.com to see what we are all about.
Marian Meyers, CEO & Founder
American Telegram®
My Grandma OB passed away last week in her 101st year. She worked for Western Union as a young, unmarried lady. She quit when she married Grandpa, but went back when Western Union begged her because she was so good. The sermon at her funeral mentioned Western Union ceasing telegram service at the same time as her death. A fitting tribute!
The author must be very young. Or, there must have been a typo. 1850 should read "1950".
Telegrams were great at getting attention. They were delivered to anyone PERSONALLY at the time chosen by Western Union at a much cheaper cost than what is available now.
International Telagram is still around. iTelegram.com
Found an online service at http://www.telegramstop.com that blends the experience of a classic telegram of the old days with the benefits of the web, it looks really cool. Time poor people can type their message (yes it even inserts the word "STOP" where ever you use a period ".") and creates classic looking telegram, mails the original to your recipient from any country to any international or national destination, and emails the sender a cool version of it. It even gives you a preview sample in old typewriter fonts to proof before sending. Pretty good and not expensive - we've had a blast using it to for friends getting married overseas.
Candygram for Mr. Mongo,Candygram for Mr. Mongo... Me Mongo.You know the rest don't ya. Thats all folks!
Does anyone know about retro-gram.com? I just sent a telegram and im going to see how quikily it arrives. I hope it was not a scam. I hope the telegram will stay around a few more years. If we really look at it should be here fifty years from now. With todays tech, why hasent the newspaper or telephone gone obsloete?
Damnit, wish i knew about this sooner. Would have been pretty cool to send a telegram to someone on the very last day of service.
Aren't we in the 21st century?
I thought they ended services in like the 1950's. Still, would have been cool to send one...
Damn, now I have to buy one of those newfangled teleuhhhphones
I sent one to my wife a couple years ago as a novel act of love and she liked it. But some schmuck third-party courier delivered it and it was kind of a hassle.
You have to admit - in its day a telegram was a lot more glamorous than an email or an emoticon is today. Or picking your snail mail up at the local American Express office while summering in Paris...
unfortunate to hear of discontinuation ga.
I hope this does not affect engadget cellphone sales to Nigeria ga.
Recommend you transition telegrams to blind teletype machines ga.
Good luck! Ga.
My grandfather sent me one when I turned 25. Oddly that was after I sent them a computer.
I meant picking up mail at Amex WAS glamorous...
If they had publicized this, I'm willing to bet thousands of people would have sent a telegram before the service was discontinued. I guess since it's not the core biz anymore, no one cared.
it is the 21st century, but engadget is being nice and only asking those people to accept at least 20th century technology - like email or fax. We're not asking them to text-message or anything.
That's too bad. It's one fo those things I'd think they would keep up as a tradition at least.
Obviously even if you're not into computer or SMS stuff, it's faster to just fax something, but there's something so cool about telegraphs.
I literally just sent my girlfriend a birthday telegram through Western Union a week ago. Don't hate on the service. It's a classic bit of anachronistic tech that's great to have around - after all, why do us nerds keep Apple IIs and Ataris?
I was shocked that you could still send one up until today! ;-)
anyone remember when 'telegrams' were read out at wedding receptions?
*cue darth vader*
noooooo!
they should have kept this as a novelty. in fact, just streamline it, use email instead, type it out on an archaic looking typewriter font, and add all the "stop."s in there.
they'd make money, too, charging a couple dollars for an email.
That sucks. I've sent a few telegrams myself over the last couple years. It's great to send a tangible message anywhere in the states overnight, as the postal service isn't that fast. It was also a good way to reach politicians and celebrities who don't exactly read all their mail.
I came across a news article within the US of someone telegramming someone else for business/political purposes just last week. Doing a google news search on telegram showed all kinds of world leaders telegramming one another... and it looks like the Pakistani's beat Western Union in realizing that the technology was growing just a little bit old. http://www.dawn.com/2006/01/02/top16.htm
You can still use telegrams canada (http://www.telegrams.ca/You can still use telegrams canada (http://www.telegrams.ca/)
What a shame. Yes, it's low bandwidth and low tech - but I work in theater for a living and it's always been a treat on opening night when celebs send you their opening night wishes via telegram. A tradition is lost -
bb
There is also sendtelegram.com, I just found it, and will send a telegram to somebody. Excelent idea;) Reminds me about the lo-techs from Johny Mnemonic (was it like, Ice-T there?)
Just think, maybe in a hundred years or so, our grandkids could be seeing the death of email and sms. I Wonder what will replce them?
I worked for Western Union in the early 1990s in their service center so this is bitter-sweet for me. What we mostly did was field calls from irate soon-to-be-recipients of money grams wanting to know "where's my money." What was really sad was when someone had to spend $13 to send $20 to help someone out. This happend alot of the time. The most enjoyable part of the job was when I got to send an international telegram and the sender would spell out the message letter-by-letter in a foreign language.
One day I sent a telegram to my girlfriend just to give her a surprise, saying how I love her (she lives in the same city as I do).
The ugliest part is she received the telegram when I was with her in his house :D lol
But how will we now coordinate a world-wide counter offensive if aliens attack and take over our satellites?
I guess they're no used for legal issues as in my country (you've got to send one when quiting a job, for example).
My uncle in Cuba still sends me telegrams for my birthday. I guess he's screwed this year.
Dagnabit! Now I'll have to hitch up my wagon and ride down to the General Store to use their teleophone! I bet they's got one of them fancy new rotatin' dial ones, too!
Now, when the power goes out in the apocalypse, only those with satanic RFID chips will be able to communicate long distance. Thanks a lot Western Union, for screwing us all.