Remote answering machine I never ordered

You can access the answering system remotely by dialing your home telephone number from any touch-tone telephone. To remotely access the answering system
Dial your telephone number from any touch-tone telephone. When the answering system answers, enter the two-digit remote access code (19, unless you have changed it). The answering system automatically announces the number of messages (new or old) if there are any. If there are new messages, the answering system automatically begins to play new messages only. -OR If there are no new messages, the answering system automatically begins to play all old messages. You can also enter the remote commands: Play all messages
1 Press to listen to all messages. If there are new messages, the system plays back only the new messages (oldest first). If there are no new messages, the system plays back all old messages (oldest first). Play new messages
2 Press to listen to new messages only. Delete a message 3 Press during message playback to delete the current message. Delete all old messages
3 Press to delete all old messages. Replay current message or previous message
4 To repeat the message currently playing, press 4 after the answering system plays the day and time the current message was received. To listen to the previous message, press 4 while the answering system is playing the day and time the current message was received. Stop
5 Press to stop playback and recording. Play help menu * 5 Press to listen to a list of remote commands. Skip to next message
6 Press during playback to skip the current message and advance to the next message. Record a announcement
7 Press to record a new announcement. Begin speaking after the long beep. Turn system on or off 0 Press to turn the answering system on or off. Exit
8 or hang up Press to end remote access (the call is terminated). 1. 2. 3. 4.5
0 Answering system Remote access Hang up to end the call and save all messages.
NOTES: If you do not enter a valid remote access code, the system answers the call automatically. If the date and time is not set when a message is recorded, the system announces, "Time and date not set" before the answering system announces the number of messages. If there are no messages in the answering system, the system announces, "You have no message." If there are no new messages in the answering system, when you press 2 to play back new messages, the system announces, "You have no new message." If you pause for more than four seconds during remote access, you hear a help menu listing all features and commands. If there is no command for another 20 seconds, the call ends automatically. If the memory is full, the answering system answers after 10 rings and announces, "Memory is full. Enter the remote access code." Enter your remote access code to access the messages and announcements. When the answering system is turned off, the telephone answers after 10 rings and announces, "Please enter your remote access code."

Without know what voice mail system you are talking about you cannot be helped.

Your answering machine is set to "announce." In this mode it can announce that you're not available to take the call but will not record a message. The machine automatically switches to this mode when its memory is full.
If the memory is not full, you can switch from the "announce" mode to the "answer" mode by pressing the [ANSWER ON/OFF] button until it lights up in red.
If you need a manual, you may view one here.

To use your system from a remote telephone, you must first enter a 3-digit remote operation security code. The security code label is located on the bottom of the system.

1. Dial your phone number.

2. When your outgoing message is playing, enter your remote operation security code. Bd appears on the display to indicate the system is in remote mode.

If there are no new messages, you hear three beeps.
These are the remote codes available to you:

2 # Play all messages.
2 5 Play new messages.
3 # Delete all old messages.
7 # Record new outgoing message.
7 # Stop recording outgoing message.
8 # Record memo.
8 # Stop recording memo.
9 # Turn system off/on.
0 # Monitor the room..

Remote Message Retrieval
You can operate your answering system from a remote location using any touch-tone
telephone or the handset.
Remote access away from home
You can check, play, or delete messages, even record a new greeting message when
you are away from home. Additionally, you can turn On or Off your answering system
from a remote location.
Remote access:
1) Call your telephone number and wait for the system to answer. If the answering
system is off, it will answer after about 10 rings and sounds a series of beeps.
2) During the greeting message (or a series of beeps when the answering system is off),
press 0 and enter your PIN code within 2 seconds (see "Setting a PIN Code" in your owners manual.
3) The answering system announces the current time and the number of messages stored
in memory. You hear "To play incoming messages, press zero-two. For help, press onezero".
You will hear a beep.

4) Enter a command within 15 seconds, each command there after must be entered
within 2 seconds. You may select a command from the following chart:
For your convenience
a remote operation
card is provided for
you to use while
away from home, it can be found in the back of your owners manual.
Command Function
0 then 6 Answering System On
0 then 7 Memo Record/Stop **
0 then 8 Greeting Message Record/Stop **
0 then 9 Answer System Off
1 then 0 Help Guidance
Command Function
0 then 1 Repeat a Message*
0 then 2 Playing incoming Messages
0 then 3 Skipping a Message
0 then 4 Deleting a Message
0 then 5 Stop Operation
* For Repeat a Message function, press 0 then 1 within about four seconds to
repeat the previous message, or press 0 then 1 after about four seconds to repeat
the current message.
** For Memo Record and Greeting Message Record function, the first time you enter
the corresponding command, it starts the Recording function. If you want to stop
the recording, press 0 then 7 or 8.

5) After the command has finished, you hear intermittent beeps indicating that the
system is in the command waiting mode. You may enter another command at this
time from the chart above.

6) When you are finished, hang up to exit the system. The answering system
automatically returns to standby.
Your machine automatically has a PIN set of 80.
If you are trying to use remote access from a cellular phone and having trouble: Try changing your tone length on your cell phone to long.

Here are the instructions you need to follow:

If you want to be able to play your messages from a remote location, you need to enter a two-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) code (01-99).
To select a PIN, perform the following steps:
1) With the phone in standby, press [menu/clock] twice.
The system announces "Security code," and the current PIN code is announced as it is displayed on the base.
Then the system announces the instructions for setting the PIN code.
2) Press [volume/select/ ] or [volume/select/ ] until the desired number appears.
3) Press [set] to select the PIN code. You hear a confirmation tone, then the announcement "Security code" followed by the new PIN code is announced. After a few seconds, the system announces "To set ring time, press menu again."
Note: The PIN code is set to "80" at the factory.

Remote Operation
When you are away from home, you can operate your answering machine with any touch-tone telephone. Use this function to check for recorded messages, to play or delete messages, even record a new greeting message.
1) Call your telephone number.
2) During the greeting message, press [0] and enter your PIN code
3) The answering machine announces the current time and the number of messages stored in memory. Then you hear "To play incoming message, press zero two. For help, press one zero."
4) You may continue to listen to the voice prompts, or you may select a command from the following chart:
Command Function Command Function
[0] then [1] Repeat a Message [0] then [6] Answering Machine On
[0] then [2] Play Incoming Messages [0] then [7] Memo Record/Stop*
[0] then [3] Skip a Message [0] then [8] Greeting Message Record/Stop*
[0] then [4] Delete a Message [0] then [9] Answering Machine Off
[0] then [5] Stop Operation [1] then [0] Voice Prompts
* For Memo Record and Greeting Message Record functions, the first time you enter the corresponding command, it
starts the Recording function. If you want to stop the recording, enter the command again.
Note: Once you enter the remote access menu, you must enter a command within 15 seconds, or the
answering machine automatically hangs up and returns to standby.
5) After all of the voice prompts have been played, you hear intermittent beeps indicating that the system is in the
command waiting mode. You may enter another command at this time from the chart.
6) When you are finished, hang up to exit the system. The answering machine automatically returns to standby.

Turn on the Answering Machine Remotely
If you have forgotten to turn on your answering machine, you can turn it on remotely from any touch-tone telephone.
1) Call your telephone number.
2) Wait ten rings until the system answers. You hear intermittent beeps.
3) Press [0] and then enter your PIN code. The answering machine announces the number of messages stored in memory. You hear "To play incoming message, press zero two. For help, press one zero."
4) Press [0] then [6] to turn the answering machine On. You hear the outgoing message and a confirmation tone.
5) Hang up the phone; subsequent calls will be answered by the system.

Can you please specify the exact model of the phone? Because the steps in accessing it remotely varies from model to model. Anyway, you can try to follow the steps posted here and then test:

Remote operation allows you to control the functions of the Answering System when you
are away from the Base,and call from an outside telephone line. The Answering
System cannot be accessed from another telephone on the same line. You can access
many of the Answering System functons from a remote location, such as listening to
messages, changing recorded announcements, and recording memos.
Remote operation can only be accessed from a touch tone telephone. If the remote phone
is set to pulse dialing, switch it tone. If tone dialing is not available, you will not be able
to access the Answering System.
Note: All function codes should be entered within 2 seconds in order to activate Remote
Operation.
To Activate Remote Operation From a Different Telephone Line
1. If the Answering System is OFF, you can dial your telephone number and wait for
the Answering System to answer your call after 10 rings. An announcement, "Please
enter your security code" is given, and you enter your security code to use remote
operation.
2. If the Answering System is ON, it will answer your call and begin playing the currently
selected announcement (as with any incoming call).
3. Enter # followed by your 2 digit security code during the announcement. The
default security code is 19.
4. Once the security code is received, a double confirmation beep will be given, and
you are in Remote Operation mode. You can then control the Answering Machine
functions using the telephone keypad.
5. The user can also enter the Remote Operation mode during message recording. The
procedure is the same as step 3. The recording will be stopped after entering the
valid security code "s#xx " and the incomplete message will be deleted. If " 0s"
is entered, the Answering System will release the line, but the recorded message
will still be retained.
6. If the user enters a wrong security code, the system will release the line.
Playing Messages Remotely
1. Press " #1 ", " #2 " or " #3 " on the touch tone keypad to play the messages in the
corresponding mailbox.
2. The system will announce "Mailbox X. You have XX new messages and XX old
messages" and the system will playback the new message only. If there are no new
messages, the system will announce "Mailbox X. You have XX old messages. On
the other hand, in the absence of old messages, the system will announce only the
number of new messages.
Repeat Messages During Playback
1. Press "#4" once during message playback to repeat the current message.
2. Press "#4" twice within 2 seconds to skip to the previous message.
Skip Messages During Playback
1. Press "#6" once to skip forward to the next message.
Stop Message Playback
1. Pressing "#5" during message playback will stop playback.
Deleting Messages
1. Press "#9" once during message playback to delete the current message.
Note: Playback will pause if "#" or " " is entered. Answering System will wait for the
command in the following 2 seconds. If no further tone is entered, playback will be resumed.
Memo Recording
1. Press " 8".
2. After selecting the mailbox by entering command "1", "2", "3", You will hear, "Now
recording", followed by a beep.
3. Enter "#5" to stop recording when you have finished.
Change OGM Remotely
1. Enter " 7" to record a new OGM. You will hear, "Now recording", followed by a
beep to signal start of recording.
2. Press "#5" to stop recording. Your new OGM will playback automatically.
Check OGM1 Remotely
Enter "#7" to review OGM. You will hear playback of OGM followed by a beep.
Turning Answering System ON or OFF
Pressing "#0" toggles the Answering System ON/OFF. "Answer machine on", or "Answer
machine off" will be announced, followed by a beep.
Voice Menu for Remote Operation
The system provides two pre-recorded voice menus to help you during remote operation.
Press " 5", and you will hear the simple voice menu.
The simple voice menu is as follows:
• Press "#1" to play mailbox 1.
• Press "#2" to play mailbox 2.
• Press "#3" to play mailbox 3.
• Press "#5" to stop.
• Press "#4" to repeat the message.
• Press "#6" to skip the message.
• Press "#9" to erase the message.
• Press " 5" for other functions.
(To advance voice menu)
The advanced voice menu is as follows:
• Press "#7" to review outgoing message.
• Press " 7" to record outgoing message.
• Press " 8" to record memo.
• Press "#4" twice to repeat previous message.
• Press "#0" to turn the system on or off.
• Press " 5" to return to the simple voice menu.
Pressing any function code will stop the voice menu, and perform the corresponding
functions.
Exiting Remote Operation
1. Enter " 0" on the touch tone keypad to exit remote operation mode. The Answering
System confirms your action with a long beep and then disconnects.
2. The Answering System also automatically disconnects if no key is pressed within 20
seconds during remote operation.

you might try voicemail

you have to set the answering machine to accept remote access. Then anytime when you call home and the message is playing you can enter the machines' remote access number to retrieve your messages.

Here is a link to a similar model: http://www.swbfreedomphone.com/ib/ibansw/fa970.pdf Here is what it says: TONE REMOTE OPERATION Remote Security Code To access answering functions from an outside line, you will need to enter the three digit security code located on the bottom of your unit. Write this number on the Remote Access Card, which you can keep in your wallet. Remote Turn On If you forget to turn on your unit: 1. Call your unit from a touch-tone phone. 2. Wait 12-14 rings until the machine answers. 3. The FA970 will automatically answer by playing your greeting. You may hang up the phone, and subsequent calls will be answered. Remote Message Playback 1. Call your unit from a touch-tone telephone. 2. After your FA970 answers, it plays the outgoing greeting and beeps once. Dial your three digit security code within 20 seconds after the beep, pressing and holding each digit for 1-2 seconds. Allow a 2 seconds interval between each digit. 3. Your FA970 will sound one beep to indicate the code was entered correctly. (If there are no beeps, enter your code again.) 4. You can press the following buttons on your keypad: Option Press Playback Mailbox 1 Messages (1) Playback Mailbox 2 Messages (2) Record Memo Message (3) Record New Greeting (8) Turn Off Answer Mode (9) If you press ?1? or ?2? (to playback messages), you have the follow options: Option Press Erase Current Message (0) Repeat Current Message (4) Repeat Previous Message (4) repeatedly Stop Message Playback (5) Skip to Next Message (6) To SAVE messages, hang up the telephone. Note: Your FA970 will sound a series of beeps if there are no messages. Remote Record New Greeting If you press 8 (to record new greeting): 1. When you hear a beep, begin recording your new greeting (up to 30 seconds). 2. When you have finished recording your new greeting, press (5). The unit will beep, and the new greeting will playback to you. 3. Hang up the telephone. Remote Record Memo If you press 3 (to record memo message): 1. Within three seconds of pressing ?3?, press ?1? or ?2? to select Mailbox 1 or Mailbox 2. Otherwise, the memo will be recorded in Mailbox 1. 2. When you hear a beep, begin recording your memo (up to 60 seconds). 3. When you have finished recording your memo message, press (5). 4. The corresponding Mailbox message count will be increased by one. To Retrieve Messages when Recording Memory is Full 1. When the message capacity is full, the unit will sound 3 beeps after answering the phone. 2. Within 20 seconds after the 3 beeps, dial your 3 digit security code. 3. Your FA970 will sound one beep to indicate the code was entered correctly.