Normally, when you remember someone you haven't haven't heard from in awhile or need to contact an acquaintance who you don't have a phone number for, you retrieve the phone book and find their name. Nowadays, most people do not even waste space in their office or homes with the oversized paper phone books, but go to internet pages containing the same information and find what they need much quicker.

Yet things happen in in everyday life where they obtain a phone number and need to identify who it is connected to. Phone books are designed only to look up the name of the business or person you want to contact, so offer little help. With cell phones being so commonplace these days it gets even more complicated because there isn't a cell phone phone book accessible to the public as with residential numbers. Apparently, developments in technology have made another type of phone number compilation essential.

Reverse phone lookup means basically what its name suggests: it reverses the method in which you normally use a phone number listing. Instead of browsing for a name to find a number or address, you use a phone number to locate the name or address of whoever the number may be registered to.

Many people do not even realize this is available, yet with the development of reverse phone lookup directories it is now common by many businesses. It is also growing with people who find themselves curious about a number for one reason or another. It is a more modern form of the phone book that is likely to erase the demand for paper phone books in the future.

If you are bothered by a lot of unwanted phone calls, whether they be childish hang ups, disturbing pranks, or even solicitations or bill collectors who don't clearly identify themselves but call constantly, there is a way to discover just who is making the calls by accessing one of these services.

You can visit yellowpages.com and access a free reverse phone lookup directory for very basic information or for listed landline numbers, but there are two sorts of information that cannot be retrieved through any other resource besides a more detailed listing.

1. * If you have a phone number but no other information and must find a corresponding name.
2. * If you have someone's cell phone or an unlisted landline number and want to find a name, address, or additional information. Whitepages.com is not likely to help with this type of information because it is not updated with the information you want.

Reverse phone lookup directories put out a lot of time compiling information, ensuring it is as updated as possible, and saving it all in an organized listing so that it can be easily utilized by consumers on demand.

Much of this information collected is not that simple to find and some of it must be paid for as well. For example, a legitimate, well maintained website will have to pay cell phone networks for accurate listings of phone numbers. As with any business, it is to be expected that you will be required to pay a nominal fee to gain access to their records.

The deal about the charge is it should be small and reasonable, usually about a buck or so for a single phone number lookup and around fifteen dollars for more long term subscription to the |listings|directory|service}. Any service which requires a high charge for limited information retrieved should be avoided.

There are too many worthwhile websites out there to waste time and money on incomplete resources, so ensure they are offering the information you desire before wasting your money.