American Telegram: Reasons People are Still Sending Telegrams
You may be wondering why on earth, in these days of cell phones, instant messages, email, and other rapid means of communication, anyone would ever use a telegram. I asked myself the same question when I learned that American Telegram existed and continued to offer this seemingly outdated service. Besides the pure novelty of telegrams and the entertainment value inherent in the anachronistic practice, I could not imagine a serious use for the telegram in today’s society.
And boy, was I wrong!
As it turns out, thousands of individuals and businesses still use telegram service for pressing legal reasons, unusual emergency situations, political statements, and more dramatic communication of personal messages.
Contract cancellation is a common reason for sending telegrams. It’s hard to refute notification by telegram in a court of law, as it is a federally licensed means of communication subject to FCC regulations and record-keeping requirements. Telegraph companies like American Telegram (which is really the only US provider these days) archive all the messages they send and provide time and date stamps that hold up in a court of law. In the case of a time-sensitive contract that one party wishes to cancel (often before a midnight deadline), a business may decide it’s worth paying a hundred or so dollars to send a hand-delivered telegram with their message. It gets immediate attention and is, frankly, virtually impossible to ignore. An email or a phone message has proof of the time it was sent, but not proof of when it was received, and sometimes that can make the difference.
Another legal reason for sending telegrams is to protect intellectual property. When I brainstormed all the reasons that telegrams could still be sent, it never occurred to me that the time and date stamp affixed by a telegram company could serve as proof for copyright purposes. You can even send a telegram to yourself. In fact, American Telegram even seriously suggests this, since the copyright process takes months to complete. So if you are concerned about someone trying to steal something you’ve written, you can protect your rights by telegraphing a copy to yourself or a trusted associate.
There are other reasons to use telegrams besides legal documentation, however. Consider international telegrams, for example. This is one way to send an urgent message to someone who may be in a foreign country without regular phone service, mail service, or the internet. Imagine someone like a Peace Corps worker or a missionary in the wilds of West Africa or the steppe of Central Asia. Although it may cost you nearly a hundred dollars, depending on the length of your message, a telegram may be the most assured way to reach a loved one quickly in a remote part of the world. You can even pay for a receipt service so you know that the recipient definitely got the message.
Besides communicating in unusual situations abroad and ensuring legally sound time-and-date records, there may be political or activistic reasons for sending telegrams domestically. If you believe your message is extremely important and in danger of being ignored by someone too busy, unsympathetic, or otherwise indisposed to receive your postal mail, email, or phone calls, a telegram is a standout way to deliver your message. American Telegram, for example, offers telegrams that are “hand-delivered to a government official” for $25 plus a hefty per-word fee of 89 cents. They also have a special Washington package, which will send a telegram to a powerful triad: your US senator, your US congressperson, and the US President himself/herself.
Lastly, I discovered that lots of telegrams are sent for more personal reasons. When communication of a more formal or gracious nature is required, as in the case of a funeral or wake you cannot attend, you can express semi-personalized condolences through a sympathy telegram – a somber but respectful gesture. You can just send an expensive but one-of-a-kind birthday telegram to stand out from the heap of regular birthday cards. You can even telegram a marriage proposal. Or an official dumping. After all, as American Telegram readily reminds customers, they are a neutral third party service will send a message so that you can “avoid direct confrontation” (their words). While that may not promote healthy relationship communication strategies, there’s certainly a market for this kind of thing! In fact, telegram operators for both Western Union and American Telegram say they’ve seen and heard it all before.
After weighing these possible telegram options, I became convinced of the service’s ongoing usefulness despite its peculiarity and waning demand. For details on the services provided by American Telegram, visit their website: www.americantelegram.com.
