Man Charges $1.99 / Minute To Angry People Who Need To Rant Via Telephone

[matcom]

<snip>

BOSTON (Reuters) - Licensed mental health professionals are steamed over a Maine entrepreneur who charges angry people $1.99 a minute to listen to them rant and rave over the telephone.

Philip Doyen receives between 10 and 20 phone calls a week to "Vent-Line," a service he launched in February that allows callers to blow off steam -- at a price.

But some professional counseling services aren't happy about Doyen's business and are urging prosecutors to investigate whether he is breaking any state laws, the Portland Press Herald newspaper reported on Tuesday.

"For some people, venting is going to upset them more," Leslie Brancato of the Community Counseling Center in Portland, Maine, told the paper. "That he's charging $1.99 a minute is, in my opinion, totally exploitative."

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=573&ncid=573&e=1&u=/nm/20040505/od_nm/life_anger_dc

[BlondieK143]

1. I think I'll stick...

to venting to a friend for free. May go in one ear and out the other but at least I'm not out the money.

[GOPisEvil]

2. I'd rather rant to the Lounge. It's free!

:D

[arwalden]

3. "Exploitative"?? Good Grief! --- How About Urging Prosecutors...

to prosecute REAL criminals?

-- Allen

[ComerPerro]

4. Interesting idea, because

They can call and rant to him about whatever is bothering them, and it helps them get off steam, I guess...

Then, when they get the bill and realize that they payed $50 to rant to some guy they don't know about a topic that had them upset for a while, they can call him again and rant about how they wasted their money by ranting to him.

Its a viscious cycle...

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. "Hello. I'd like to have an argument"

[skooooo]

6. No you wouldn't!!!! (NT)

[arwalden]

9. A Series Of Contradictions Is NOT An Argument.

[skooooo]

11. Yes it IS, you foolish twit!!

[THUNDER HANDS]

7. why can't I ever think of stuff like this?

Damn!

:)

[MI Cherie]

8. OOOooohhhh, but think of ...

... the possible variations!

[johnnie]

10. Nothing wrong with this...

...And in putting myself in a position to be flamed, but I find it funny that the mental health "professionals" are talking "exploitative". Some of these quacks charge a fortune for the same thing, then pump their clients up with a shitload of meds. $1.99 to "get it off your chest" isn't a bad deal in my opinion.

[Deja Q]

13. You know what SHOULD be outlawed?

And what sort of generic nonsense does the guy say in return to them, "Don't worry, be happy!"?!

$2/min x 50 minutes = $100. Sounds like a typical price when compared to a professional shrink.

Besides, a little nookie will cure everybody. I'd rather pay for a hooker. Legalize that and outlaw these quacks who make $66k/year. :eyes:

[Deja Q]

12. America, land of opportunists.

What else needs to be said? This isn't the first time, nor will it be the last.