Caller id?

[JOhnH]

How many of you answer the phone if caller id is blocked or disabled?

It is amazing how many calls I get on my landline during the day where caller id displays:

Blocked,
Private caller,
Out of area,
Cell phone caller,
Not in use,
Name not found,
Toll free caller,
Wireless caller,

I even had a call one time that displayed MY NAME & NUMBER, which is impossible unless someone is spoofing me. Which means they are probably calling my neighbors who might answer because they think it is me.

Almost none of these people leave a message.

I'd get rid of the landline completely but my wife is resisting that. During the last hurricane, ( 10 years ago) the landline was our only working number.

So I just let these numbers ring and only answer if I am expecting a call or if it is from someone I know. And I hope it is not a spoof.

 

[Rigged4Flight]

Never. It's the perfect mark of a telemarketer or salesman.

 

[Gerhardt]

I pestered my wife for years to get rid of the landline. But nooo, what if it's important? pfft. Several years ago I just pulled the plug and said that's how it is. We don't miss it one bit.

As for my cell, I'll answer if the number is blocked. It's never been a telemarketer because I don't give my number out to anyone. If a website or someone else requires a phone number...I give my old landline number.

 

[flyersfan31]

Never.

I have noticed lately that some have cottoned on to that, and now are allowing their phone number to display. You see some number and maybe think, 'heck that could be legit, I mean after all, it's not a blocked number…' pick it up and get that robospiel.

If I don't recognize the area code, I don't pick up. 9x out of 10 there is never a voice mail.

 

[frfly172]

Got rid of the land line years ago. If I don't recognize the area code on my cell phone ,I don't answer the call.

 

[Everskyward]

I don't have caller ID on my landline. There is (was) only one person who used it and he wondered why I always sounded annoyed when I answered that number. I finally trained him to use my Google Voice number.

 

[Norman]

"So I just let these numbers ring and only answer if I am expecting a call or if it is from someone I know."

That. Too damn many telemarketers and scammers out there. I'm not wasting my minutes by answering them.

 

[N747JB]

We dumped our home phone about 5 years ago, but for some reason my wife insisted on keeping a phone in our condo. Finally about 3 years ago, she got tired of having an answering machine full of junk calls and ditched it too! For the OP, I normally answer my cellphone for just about any call, since my office number automatically forwards to my cell. For some reason in the last 3 or 4 weeks I have been getting "vacation" calls, you know, I've won a trip or some other great offer. I just hang up and block the number, but it is still annoying.

 

[Chip Sylverne]

Depends on how ornery I'm feeling. Sometime I enjoy telling the Microsoft support scammers what liars and cheats they are, how they should be ashamed of what they're doing, etc, etc, etc. Other times, I'll say how glad I am they called, and ask if they have accepted Jesus into their lives as their personal savior. That really gets the Pakistani's going...cheap entertainment. Or I'll tell them to hold on, I'll be right back. If they are going to waste my time, I'll waste theirs.

But most of the time after four rings it goes away.