person to person

A phone call for which the intended party was changed only when the intended caller answered the phone. Back in the days before inexpensive or free longdistance phone calls, callers worried about the risk of being charged if the person to whom they wanted to speak wasn't available. To avoid that possibility, they made an operator-assisted person-to-person call. However, if they wanted to gamble or they knew the party would be available to answer, they made a station- to-station call where toll charges began when anyone picked up the receiver. Many travelers abused person-to-person calls to let the folks at home know that they had reached their destination. For example, college students placed calls to a family pet when they returned to a distant school after vacation. Their parents knew their children had arrived safely when they received a person-to-person call for “Mr. Spot” or “Ms. Fluffy."