Over the weekend a Vendor/client was trying to reach me on my mobile phone. i make it a habit of not answering calls that have their phone number blocked.I just let it go to voice mail.i do the same thing at home because most ID block and "out of area" are phone solicitors.
The vendor/client and i got in a heated disscussion aboutit and he told me he lost a sale because i did not return his call.he did not leave any voice mail either.

Do you guys make it a habit of taking every call on your mobile???

Your comments are welcome

"Caller Unknown" or some such won't get answered in my home.  SOMETIMES we'll listen if they leave a message to see if it's a familiar voice.  Hello...DonR...we gotta HEAR 'YA!

If its blocked, I don't answer it. No exceptions. The guy shouldn't have his business # blocked anyway. What an idiot.

I don't have cller ID, but then again I use my answering machine to screen calls.

In your situation tho', it's a businees phone so I would be more ready to answer it without caller's being id'ed.

On the other hand if he doesn't leave a message how does he expect a call back?

Not all phone systems are capable of receiving unblocked caller ID’s. Business PBX trunk lines may not send the id and it just shows up as "out of area".  

He should have left you an urgent VM. Did he expect you to monitor the phone 24/7 or be in an area to receive your call?

I don't answer 'em, nor anyone else I don't recognize, even if caller ID info came through.  They go to the answering machine at home, or voice mail on the cell phone. Life is too short to fool with a dozen sales calls a day.

Here in Orlando we have a neat little feature that screens our calls for us. If a number is blocked for Caller ID or if the number is "out of area" etc. the phone doesn't ring. The system answers the call and a recorded message comes on telling the caller that this number doesn't take unrecongnised calls. The system then lets the caller ID themselves with a voice recording. Then and only then will the phone ring with a distinct ring. We then pick up and then the system tells us who is on the call. We hit 1 to pick up 2 to hang up or 3 to give them the "Take out name off your list you wankers" messge.
If no one records a message or the auto dialer most of these pests use hangs up, the phone won't ring.
Ahhhhhh blessed peace!!!

yeah......same thing here in Miami. i use it too.  it's called "Privacy Director"

one time 19.95 programming fee.....
then it's $0.01 per month for service

has made a giant improvement in filtering calls.

and this is coming from a guy who HATES HELLSOUTH!!!

I have a simple solution - everyone that tries to get hold of me either 1) uses email or 2) KNOWS that I don't answer the damn phone and leaves a message.  Besides, that's WHY I bought that digital answering machine in the first place...  I also like being able to review the message to make sure I don't miss anything before I call back - but email leaves me a transcript of everything until whatever situation is resolved.

I don't understand HOW we got caught in the trap of instant gratificaiton that CMT represents.  I mean, what is it going to hurt if it takes me a bit to answer - if it's a disaster I'll know about it anyway, and I LIKE being able to fall off the face of the plaet for a week or so every now and then...

FFZ

I let everything go to the phone answering machine. I never answer anything on my phone because I get a whole $hit load of phone solicitors.

A friend had anonymous call rejection or whatever it's called, and no voicemail, or at least you couldn't get to it if you didn't unblock the caller ID.

Guess what?  On my portable phone, you evidently can't DO unblocking on an individual call.  Consequently I couldn't call her.
But guess what?  Her Mother has a phone. Problem solved.

You guys complain about telemarketers doing all this anonymous calling.  Well there are various ways to get your number, and caller ID is one of them (I'm NOT talking about toll-free calls and ANI).

I'm basically against the caller ID technology. Period.

1.Phone company creates problem (ooh, you don't know [bfd] who's calling until you answer!!)

2.Phone company makes you pay for solution (Caller ID)

3.In creating this solution, phone company creates create another problem for you (every company you call can capture your phone #), which they may sell you or be required to offer. (Caller ID blockeing)

4. Phone company then sells you another solution (anonymous call rejection).


I think this is what you call a vicious cycle.

Telemarketers are not that big a problem for me, maybe because I block ID on regular calls.

I have yet to get a single telemarketer call me on my cell phone.  Maybe that's because I seldom use it to call 800 numbers - why waste my valuable airtime when there area payphones, most of which still let you call toll-free numbers.  

The ones I do get at home, I've only had one that was truly a problem, & that was an outfit that was an 'affiliate' of Montgomery Wards.

They basically ignored all my requests to take me off their call list.  And I guess they're gone now, anyway.

Usually let them roll to VM. If I don't have you in my cell-phone's memory, then odds are that the call can wait a minute or ten for a response.

While I do not have the technology I am about to describe, a very close friend of mine has her cell phone service set up so that it does not ring unless the number is in her phone book. Absolutely NO unwanted calls. It rolls these calls to her VM, and she will call back if she wants. No extra charges, no unwanted callers, and I am in her phone book, so it doesn't bother me one bit.

I see Radio Shack is advertising a Gizmo that sends a signal to all call's answered.
the electronic signal is supposed to communicate with the calling computer and wipe your name of it's calling list automatically....  Pretty cool if it works !!!  

The jackass should have left a voicemail. That should have also been the extent of your arguement with him.

"You should have left a voicemail, jackass!"

I noticed that little gadget thet says it will erase you from telemarketers computers- a local TV station bought one and tried it.  It did help block some calls but did not remove your number from the computer.  Think about it, do you think a telemarketing company would let someone have access to their phone numbers and allow them to delete themselves!  not frigging likley!

I check all calls on my caller ID. All of my phones have it built in, so I can check who is calling on any phone.

I don't like the blocking idea. I do get calls from friends/family that are listed as "Out of Area". I don't want to block them.

Usually I just let everything go to the answering machine.

Av.

I've never had a problem with unwanted calls on my cell, but my home phone was a different story.
Until I got "privacy manager" there was an average of about 20 telemarketer calls a day.

I have a strong hunch that, truth be known, many of the so-called higher ups at places like Bellsouth and AT&T (in particular) have less than 2% of the moral scruples of an Enron higher up.  The shit AT&T gets away with in Atlanta borders on criminal.

I can't stand people who call and refuse to leave a message on an answering machine or voicemail.  If it was important enough to make me get up and answer the phone, then it's important enough that you can leave a message.

I agree that if this guy was hot to get in touch with you, he should've left voicemail.

Regarding being removed from auto-dialers, I read someplace that you could record the tones that get played when you dial an invalid number (the message that plays three tones then says "The number you have reached has been disconnected or is no longer in service") and then put then at the beginning of your answering machine greeting.  The auto-dialers would hear these tones and automatically remove your "invalid" number.  Haven't tried this out as my wife's mom would get totally confused (hmmm....)  :)

I always let the "Call ID Blocked" ones go to VM.

ID Block and 'Out of Area' can be very different things.  ID block is an active attempt to avoid the caller ID system.  When my kids call using a calling card or prepaid card, it says 'out of area' as it does for other friends.  Also, in this area there isn't any trolling/soliciting on cell phone numbers to my knowledge, certainly not on my #.  YMMV

Check alt.cellular on Google sometime, I seem to remember that it is illegal to "cold call" (ie. phone-bother) at numbers where the called party has to pay for the call.

I know some people have objected to the idea of Caller ID in general but I don't answer my door without finding out who's on the other side -- why should I answer my phone without knowing who's calling? Yes, I know at the door, somebody could do me bodily harm which is not possible on the phone. But someone on the phone could waste my time. And I'd rather avoid that if I could.

If it's Blocked, my phone doesn't even ring. The phone company gives callers an automated message giving callers an option to unblock their ID for that particular call. In my opinion, blocking your ID is akin to knocking on somebody's door and sticking your finger over the peephole.

If it's "Out of area," my answering machine answers it and then I have the option to answer it immediately or return the call at my leisure. It's my time. I like having at least some control over how I spend it.

My .02 worth.

Same here.

On my home phone, I don't have caller ID... but I screen on that one anyway, because just about EVERY freaking call is either not for me, or solicitation.  My cellphone number hasn't gotten out, as I never use it on any accounts or anything.  I'll answer that one if it says out of area or no info.

M@

Edited to add:
I usually say something on my message like this "if you don't leave me a message, I won't know you called me"  Puts the burden in their hands.  :)

We got an old FAX machine from where I work, then when an "UNAVAILABLE" or similar came up on ID, they got the FAX machine beeps/squeals. Slowed down the calls, need to dig up another, calls starting to get out of hand, we use answering machine also.

Your state may vary.....

nope, i don't feel the need to answer a phone every time it rings, caller id or not.
besides, with teenagers, people seldom get through or it only gets half a ring before they grab it.

Another gripe:  last month AT&T had the local phone company add an extra $1.50 to my bill.....for.....preparing....my...bill....

I ain't paying!

Don't have caller ID.  Don't need it.  I don't sweat the phone.  If it rings and I'm in the middle of something, the answering machine gets it.  If a solicitor calls, I tell them I'm not interested.  It they persist, I tell them to F'k off and hang up.  15 seconds tops.  No problem.

I agree.  If it was that important he should have left voice mail.  You are not always in an area where you can receive a phone call let alone screen those coming in.