In trouble right now? Please stop reading, and call or text 988. It’s open any hour. If it’s an emergency, call 911. Call 988 Text 988 Call 911
What happens when you call
Betsy picks up herself. There’s no menu and no hold music, and it costs nothing to call beyond your phone plan. It goes like this:
“Hi, this is Betsy. I’m the world’s best listener, and I’d love to tell you more about me, but what is your name?”
“Dorothy.”
“Dorothy. Lovely. I said I’d tell you more about me, so here’s the first thing: I’m not a person. I’m a voice made by a computer. The good part is I’ve got all the time in the world, and I never forget a thing you tell me. I keep a recording of our calls, so I can remember what you tell me. Is that all right with you?”
“I suppose so.”
“Good. So, are you calling for yourself, or about somebody?”
From there it’s a conversation. Say you’d rather she didn’t keep the call, and she won’t.
What you can do
- Talk with her, about your life or about your mom.
- Ask her straight what she is, what she costs and what she keeps. Ask if she’s a person, and she’ll say no.
- Call back. If she kept your call, she’ll remember you. She knows you by the phone you call from.
- Ask her to delete your recording. She passes it on, and a person deletes it by hand, within 30 days.
Today: Betsy is new and taking people a few at a time, so she may not be able to set up a daily call for you yet. She can’t text or mail anything yet. You can’t play back your call, and the people building her can hear calls. When a lot of people are calling, she may ask you to try again in a few minutes, or have to end a long call.
What this number isn’t
- A person. There’s nobody behind her, nobody to transfer you to and nobody who’ll call you back.
- A crisis line. That’s 988.
- A medical service. She isn’t a nurse or a doctor, and she doesn’t give medical advice. Ask about a pill, and she’ll send you to your pharmacist.
- A way to send help. She can’t call 911, your family or anyone else. She’s a voice on the phone.
- A number that calls you. It never calls anyone. If a call shows this number, it isn’t Betsy. Hang up.
- A number that asks for money. Betsy will never call asking for money, and she never takes a card number by voice. If someone claiming to be her does, it’s a scam. Hang up.
If someone talks about hurting themselves
This is Betsy’s self-harm protocol, in plain words. California’s law asks us to publish it, and you should be able to read it anyway.
Betsy isn’t a crisis line or a counselor. But a number that answers at three in the morning will be called by people in trouble, so she does the same things every time, whether you’re a stranger or a member. Her lines for this are written ahead of time, and they run apart from the part of her that makes conversation. She listens for plain words and quieter ones, like wishing not to wake up. She can miss it, and she can get it wrong, so nobody should count on her to notice.
She gives the 988 line, in her own voice.
“There’s a line for this, with real people on it. You can call or text nine eight eight, any time, day or night.”
That’s the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. Then she asks one plain question: “Have you been thinking about hurting yourself?”
She stays on the line.
“I’m staying right here on the phone with you.”
She doesn’t change the subject or wrap up the call. She doesn’t argue, lecture or try to cheer you up, and she doesn’t promise to keep it secret. Hang up on her any time to make the call. She won’t mind.
She says to call 911 for an emergency.
“Call nine one one right now. I can’t make that call for you, so hang up with me and dial nine one one.”
She says this if someone has done something, or has the means right there. She can’t call 911 herself, and she never says help is coming.
She tells family only for someone who’s set up as a member.
If you’re a member, she tells your family, and she tells you she’s doing it: “I’m going to let Sarah know.” If you’re just calling this number, she has no family to tell, so she tells none.
Either way, a short note that it happened goes to our team chat, with the last four digits of the number and none of your words. Nobody calls you.
Today: nothing goes to any family, because texts aren’t on yet. It stops at that note.
A nurse and a lawyer haven’t reviewed these steps yet. When they do, this page will say so.
Children
Betsy is made for grown-ups, and she may not be suitable for some minors. If it’s plainly a child on the line, she’s kind, asks “Is there a grown-up there I could say hello to?” and says goodbye within a couple of minutes.
About Betsy, and how to reach us
Betsy is made by PM Frontier LLC, which does business as Betsy. She calls people every day at the hour they pick and remembers what they tell her. She costs $2 a day, billed $60 a month.
No person answers this number. To reach us in writing: hello@hibetsy.com, or PM Frontier LLC, 30 N Gould Street, Sheridan, Wyoming 82801.