How do you use caller id?

[disneysteve]

we used to have a phone downstairs but it stopped working and we never got around to replacing it.

Growing up, at one point, we had 3 phone lines in our home. We had the main house line, my older brother had his own line and I had my own line. In our modest sized 3-bedroom row home in Philadelphia, there were a total of 13 telephones, 4 in the living room alone. We were never more than a few feet away from a telephone.

Today, we only have one line and currently have just 5 phones in the house (1 in the basement, 2 on the 1st floor, 2 on the 2nd floor), but one is a cordless so I'll often carry that with me as I'm doing stuff throughout the house. That is for my convenience so that if I do get a call or need to make a call, I can handle it wherever I happen to be and I'm not stuck on a wired phone. The cordless receiver also has a speakerphone so I don't have to cradle it on my shoulder or risk dropping it in the soup.

[DebbieL]

Here in Canada you cannot get away from the damn telemarketers - so you'd better believe I'm a screener. If I don't know the number, or it says unknown, restricted, etc - they can leave me a message if it's important. Even then, there's a lot of these stupid automatic dialers with a recorded message that goes on and on on your machine. I hate them. Honestly, I often just don't feel like talking to someone (even that I like) at certain times, so I won't answer then either. Those ones I will call back though

I've been on our Canadian Do Not Call list since it came out - and I think it makes ZERO difference. Maybe it's more effective in the US?

[GREENBACK]

I've been on our Canadian Do Not Call list since it came out - and I think it makes ZERO difference. Maybe it's more effective in the US?

It either works very well in the U.S. or they have just written me off as hopeless since I never answered their calls. I get very few T.M. calls since "do not call" came out

[cjscully]

There are lots of reasons to screen calls.

Bill collectors are one reason as has been covered already. Another reason is calls for the previous user of that particular phone number. I've had my cell phone number for about 4 or 5 years now and I still get calls for someone named Miguel. No matter how many times I say it's not his number I still get the calls. It gets really annoying. These calls frequently come from places that block caller ID. I'd rather have them go to voicemail. So I don't answer calls I don't recognize. Less aggravation. Once in a while someone will leave a message for Miguel, so even this isn't perfect.

Sure, I could take the call and then hang up. I just find it less aggravating to not take the calls. It's a matter of personal choice.

Oh and I'm older than DS so it's not an age thing.

[cjscully]

I've been on our Canadian Do Not Call list since it came out - and I think it makes ZERO difference. Maybe it's more effective in the US?

Penalties for violating do not call in the US are very steep. So yes, it's effective.

[disneysteve]

There are lots of reasons to screen calls.

Bill collectors are one reason as has been covered already.

I guess that is just one more reason to take care of your finances. I've never personally experienced this particular reason.

[marvholly]

I do NOT have caller ID on my home landline. It does come free on my cell phone. I do NOT answer strange numbers on my cell phone as only 3 people have that number & I know all their home, work & cell numbers.

I am on the do not call list but I am getting a TON of calls for ‘surveys,’ political stuff and supposed charities. These are exempt. I also just started getting calls for Medicare supplemental insurance which I qualify for in the summer. I did fill out forms requesting WRITTEN info and NEVER give my number but they find it. I inform them I will NOT deal w/any company that cannot follow simple, basic, written directions and add them to my growing list of do not buy from.

[irmanator]

Sorry, I see the phone as an instrument for my convenience--not to be at its beck and call at all times of the day.

Quoted from Like2plan, and I agree with this completely. Especially since I pay the phone bill, not them.

[disneysteve]

Sorry, I see the phone as an instrument for my convenience

I guess this is where I diverge from some of you. I do not consider it an inconvenience to answer the phone. It would bother me a lot more not to.

[scfr]

The Do Not Call Registry has worked great for me.

I sometimes do personal reference check calls on applications. Most of the time people won't answer their phones because they don't recognize the number. I understand that so I always leave a message. There are people who don't check their messages and never call back, so their friend or family member misses out. The people that annoy me are the ones who call back without checking the message and say "who are you and what do you want?" I left a message! Check your messages! Then they expect me to know who they are even tho my call to them may have been 10 messages ago.

I sincerely hope that anyone who is filling out job applications (or any other type of application) is picking up their phone each & every time the phone rings. I hope that they only list as references people that they know will actually check their messages, return calls, and behave in a professional manner. Your demeanor on the phone, and the demeanor of the people you list as references, will reflect on you.

[preciouslove]

Usually when my cell phone screan comes up as "unknown" or "restricted" I won't answer. I just don't like to answer those calls for some reason. I figure if it's legitimate or if it's important, then they will leave a message. Then, I can just call them back.

Yeah I agree - if it's something worthwhile for me to care about, then the person should leave a message. Obviously if they don't and there's no caller ID then it's impossible to call them back, hence care about the call in the first place!

[jpg7n16]

I think our difference is that we see it as a 1/25 or 1/50 chance that there is a legitimate call on the other end.

For those on the ignore side, we say - "it's not worth it to answer 25 times for only 1 legit call - when that 1 legit call can leave a message" so we ignore

And on DS's answer every call side, he says - "well of those 25 calls, 1 may be important, so I'll answer every one and hang up on the 24 times it's not important"


Which maybe his number is way less than 25 so it makes sense, I guess. I still won't do it. I'm not wasting my time answering and getting rid of 24 calls to find the 1 legit caller.

[disneysteve]

I think our difference is that we see it as a 1/25 or 1/50 chance that there is a legitimate call on the other end.

For those on the ignore side, we say - "it's not worth it to answer 25 times for only 1 legit call - when that 1 legit call can leave a message" so we ignore

And on DS's answer every call side, he says - "well of those 25 calls, 1 may be important, so I'll answer every one and hang up on the 24 times it's not important"


Which maybe his number is way less than 25 so it makes sense, I guess. I still won't do it. I'm not wasting my time answering and getting rid of 24 calls to find the 1 legit caller.

If only 1 of every 25 or 1 of every 50 calls was legit, I probably wouldn't answer my phone either. I'd guess that maybe 1 or 2 of every 50 calls I receive at home is garbage. The rest are people I know and want to talk to. On my cell, the number is far lower, maybe 1 in 100 that are garbage. I don't get wrong numbers on my cell or telemarketers or political calls or charities. The ratio of junk calls is probably even less than 1:100 really. As I said, I don't get calls from bill collectors on either phone so that isn't an issue at all.

[jpg7n16]

I'd guess that maybe 1 or 2 of every 50 calls I receive at home is garbage.

Yeah - my experience has been significantly different.

I've gotten roughly 5-10 calls/month about auto warranties, car refinancing (which my car is paid off), credit card consolidation offers (which I don't have any credit cards with balances), and a few spoken in Spanish.

I haven't received a phone call from an unknown non-local number yet (past 3 months ish) that was legit.

[Aleta]

DS: I think that the reason that you want to answer your calls is because of the profession that you are in. I totally understand why you answer your calls but, most of us are not in an emergency situation where it is necessary to answer our calls. I also think that you are sensitive to people's needs. Wish all physicians had your sensitivity.