I read about this in a newspaper article. I'm kind of summarizing here, so as not to bore all you to much...:D

If you're one of those people who can't back out of a date that isn't going well without feeling terrible, technology has a new solution for you!
Cell phone companies such as Cingular are offering a new feature in their Voice Connect Suite. "Escape-a-date" can be subscribed to for 4.99 a month. Customers can program their cell phones to ring at a certain time with one of eight Escape-a-date messages that go something like this:
"Hey this is your escape-a-date call. If you're looking for an excuse, I got it. Repeat after me, 'Not again! Why does this always happen to you?...Alright, I'll be right there.' Now tell them that your roomate got locked out and you have to go let them in."
It seems many people would rather pay the fee for the service instead of making up a lie on their own because "it looks like you're not lying."

I have several different opinions on this ranging from thinking it's absolutley hilarious that someone spend 5 dollars a month just to get out of a date to well, if it's keeps peoples feelings from being hurt...maybe it's not thatbad.

That's a great idea! But you could just always have a friend call you, and then it would be free!

Well, I think it would be more practical just to have a button to mash that would ring your phone, and if you started getting uncomfortable just reach down and hit the button. That way it wouldn't interrupt you if you were having a good time.

People actually would set their start noise to their ringtone and have it ready to turn on. Most people realized that the call came only AFTER you'd reached into your bag, and thus it was broken. The Dial A Date thing means that nobody's going to trust that your roommate locked themselves out of the apartment, etc. My escape from blind dates? Have a friend nearby (usually someone like my friend Tink, who people feel kinda uncomfortable around), and a TM ready to send on your phone. If you REALLY need an excuse, excuse yourself, go to the bathroom, and send the TM. The person comes rushing in (you always warn your blind date that someone knows where you are, I repeat this is ONLY for blind dates) with some emergency. Last time I used this (Saturday) it was my friend MJ with the excuse that the kitten I was rescuing was trapped in the crawlspace in my closet's floor. Worked like a charm, and got me out of one of the worst dates I've ever had. It's just taking the safety of having a friend nearby one step closer. You SHOULD always tell someone where you're going on a blind date, and have them call and check on you. Most people do have a friend nearby on alert so they have a safe place to go. This just makes it easier.

Thats just awesome... And you could always ignore the phone call if you were having a good time...

Well, for women, there is a less technical, but almost completely fool proof way out of a bad date! Just start talking about how you can't wait to meet his Mother, what kind of wedding you want, and pick out names for your children! And say how you hope they have his eyes! He will bolt!

I'd just get up and walk out...but I'm ignorant. :D

*smacks Joey upside the head with a cell phone*

It's, like, so waaaaay more complicated than that...

People spends hundreds and hundreds of dollars trying to get a date -- everything from the shoes they'll only where once to polka dance classes to "How to Get a Date for Dummies".

Why not spend an extra $5 a month to get out?

hehehe

I guess I havent had to do it in a while. :D

Actually Joey, I would just get up and walk out too, or I might just tell the person that they are getting on my nerves, dependign on how bad they are.

Well, if they would invest in sensible shoes to only wear once, they could run out the door and save that five extra dollars!

I can see the commercial for these shoes now!

"Need a quick way out of a date? Try our new shoes! They are sensible, yet make you super fast to run out of a bad date! For the girl who likes here shoes to serve many purposes! (Steel toed incase you need to kick the guy in the a*s if he gets fresh!)

If all else fails, summon me, I'll be over in a bit, and I'm not afraid to make a huge scene that involves your shitty date. You risk some embarrassment, as I will probably show up wearing a huge potato sack and not much else and making a mess and waving things around, mostly plastic things dealing with feminine hygiene and self-pleasure, but hey, you're low on options, when you get to that point (hopefully, it won't happen, but sometimes you're just backed into a corner). Yep, it's the got the Marcus guarentee right on the box. Just dial 1-800-ASS-HOLE, our office hours are Friday and Saturday from 5 p.m. to 1 a.m. For emergencies dial 1-800-HEE-LLPP, open 24 hours. Yes, we do office parties, private restaurants, club scenes, fast food joints, and, believe it or not, if you're not fully satisfied with our date dismissing service, we'll send you a vibrator and vodka, free of charge. Remember, that's 1-800-ASS-HOLE.

I'm a dissatisfied customer! Where's my vibrator and vodka, hmm?