Well, this was awkward, to say the least

[wdfifteen]

I got a call this morning about 9:00."Is Patrick there?"
My attitude has been that everybody I want to talk to knows me and won't ask if I'm there if they hear my voice on the phone.
So I immediately cop my usual attitude. "Who's calling?" in an aggressive, angry voice.
Turns out it was someone I only met once, about 10 years ago. It was my friend Ed's son, calling to tell me Ed passed away last night.
The jerks and the machines making robo calls and endless solicitations are winning. They are turning me into a jerk, too.

[pwd72s]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I got a call this morning about 9:00."Is Patrick there?"
My attitude has been that everybody I want to talk to knows me and won't ask if I'm there if they hear my voice on the phone.
So I immediately cop my usual attitude. "Who's calling?" in an aggressive, angry voice.
Turns out it was someone I only met once, about 10 years ago. It was my friend Ed's son, calling to tell me Ed passed away last night.
The jerks and the machines making robo calls and endless solicitations are winning. They are turning me into a jerk, too.

Don't feel too bad...you're not alone in having done this. I once hung up on Cindy's cousin Ann, who sounded just like the Ann of robocall (in)fame. "Hi, this is Ann"...

[Don Ro]

Sorry to hear of your friend.
.
I always ask, "Who's calling?" Seems only polite to identify yourself when calling someone...
and not wait for them to guess or to ask.

[GH85Carrera]

Since I use my cell phone as my business phone, I answer all calls. If it is a call that is from my area code and same exchange so only the last for digits are different I instantly go into jerk mode. (That is pretty easy to do for me) Usually I just say WHAT! and it is a robo call or sales call.

Most embarrassing is getting a call from a large University and all their phone calls are from the same number even if they call from an totally different department or extension. So all it shows is the name of the University. We deal with one guy there, Chris, regularly and have become friends over the years. I will sometimes answer the call thinking it is him and in a non-professional joking tone. Whoops!, it is a department head or staff of some other department. I have to apologize and explain myself.

[Scott Douglas]

Sorry to hear of the loss of your friend.

We just plain don't answer the phone if we don't recognize the name or number now. Almost makes having a land line not worth it, but when the big one hits I just don't trust the cell tech to be there when we might need it most.

[RKDinOKC]

"Jello Brand Instant Pudding, Jiggle jiggle jiggle."
or
"Murphy's mule barn, pluming, and heating. Can I warm your a55?"
or
"Yeeellow, Red, Blue, or Green?"
-
"Whom may I say is calling."
-
"One moment please."

If it is not someone I know I just hang up at this point.

[Zeke]

Well, that's too bad but a simple comment about all the unwanted calls and then directly to the matter of the call and the son will understand. It's what you say in positive that he will remember.

[fastfredracing]

I'm the same way anymore . 4-8 robo calls a day, now they have the correct area codes, and many of them mimic customer numbers. Its hard not to be on your guard . They waste so much time .
Nothing like dropping everything, running up a flight of stairs, looking for the phone, only to get " sir, your google listing has not yet been verified "
Keel , keel , keeeal

[wayner]

For some reason my service provider does not always display my cel number when I call certain places (come incompatibility between different carriers).

A shop I used to deal with would turn on their fax to screech at me whenever the phone would ring with no call display. I stopped calling and now do business elsewhere.

[greglepore]

My new indy shop here in c'ville uses a screening service that validates the incoming number.

[fastfredracing]

I will have to look into that service. I got 2 more calls since my last post. I sing song camp town ladies to them . a doo dah a doo da .

[Zeke]

A plumber I use has gone back to the old days and has an answering service. If the call is legit they let him know right away and he calls back in minutes. They only forward real service calls, the rest that actually pass wait for his attention when he's not working a job. And the junk calls he doesn't even know about. IDK about random number dialing, they must get to him now and then but he never picks up unless they have called the number at the service. I bet he has his sound off with only the service as a 'favorite' which will ring.

[vash]

i did this yesterday!!

my good friend's wife texted me..i didnt recognize the number. she asked, "hey, i am driving thru, do you mind if i slept over for a night?"

i answer, "wtf, and who the hell is this?' (i am so glad i didnt take it any further than that)

she told me, "its me _____! and sent me a pic of herself and her daughter

OPPS! i took them both out to dinner and i broke out the good sheets and towels for them. big opps. the SPAMMERS put my trigger on "hair".

[cabmandone]

Originally Posted by vash

i did this yesterday!!

my good friend's wife texted me..i didnt recognize the number. she asked, "hey, i am driving thru, do you mind if i slept over for a night?"

i answer, "wtf, and who the hell is this?' (i am so glad i didnt take it any further than that)

she told me, "its me _____! and sent me a pic of herself and her daughter

OPPS! i took them both out to dinner and i broke out the good sheets and towels for them. big opps. the SPAMMERS put my trigger on "hair".

Awe come on man! You missed a chance to have some fun!.
Reply: Are you male or female? If male yes I mind... If female, are you really good looking? If yes, let me see if my wife is okay with it.

[fred cook]

I used to be relatively polite and politically correct when answering all calls. No more! If I don't recognize the number, I answer with a stern "Hello", wait for "the click" and it goes down hill from there! I get lots of calls from people wanting donations to which I reply that I simply don't do ANY donations to people or groups unknown to me, especially over the phone. If the robo cuts into a recorded spiel, I simply lay the phone down and wait for the person to finally come on and say "hello, hello" then I light into them. Sometimes, using a fingernail or the end of a pen make loud tapping noises on the phone speaker, etc. No more Mr. nice guy!

[wayner]

I simply say and repeat the magic words: "please take me off your list."
After that,it is illegal for them not to in my country.

Any other phrase simply means "call me back or try again later."

(although one time I think I actually gave up a legitimate trip to the caribbean when I forgot that I actually had entered the contest and not realized it until later...)

[Don Ro]

I used to get (no more, don't answer) tons of calls about cracked/broken windshield services.
Also, selling extended warranty on my Abarth.
.
I get 4 - 5 per day. I ignore them.
.
Then there are the left messages from the "IRS".

[GH85Carrera]

Only when the people all start contacting their congressman and senators will this change. Right now the telemarketer lobby just donates money to their reelection campaign and they keep voting they way the telemarketers want. Only the very few honest representatives actually follow the wishes of the people and try to stop it.

Step one, they (the phone companies) need to eliminate the possibility of spoofing numbers. Only 100% real phone numbers can make a call.

If someone puts a number on the do not call list, that should be followed, ESPECIALLY by the politicians themselves. Around election time I get over a dozen call per day from the politicians. Of course they exempted themselves from the do not call list. Change that!

And this is all true of all the political parties.

[Don Ro]

Yeah, politicians changed it all. Was a time when cell phones were off limits.