Phone dealing is a forgotten option that still exists

[Shadow Trader]

Most brokers have a dealing desk that takes orders by phone. For a scalper who thinks of trading as clicks, it sounds like a relic. In an outage, it can be the only way to close a position.

A few practical facts. Calls are recorded, so there's a record of what was said. Fills may carry a wider spread or a fee, depending on the broker. Wait times can be long during volatile events, exactly when the line is most needed.

Testing it once in a calm period, with a small position, shows what the process is like: identification steps, how orders are confirmed, how long it takes.

Having the number saved in a phone, not on a website that might be down, saves minutes.

Not all brokers offer it at all, particularly the cheapest, and the absence says something about what happens when the platform fails.

Has the dealing desk ever been called during a live problem, and how did it go?