Do you answer your phone

[Poohforyou]

Nope, I don't always answer when I do know who it is.

 

[maxaroni]

Do not answer the phone for the most part. With the advent of caller ID and answering machines, we screened calls years ago. Now, most calls are telemarketers anyway. We do have a landline as we are old school to begin with and just don't want to rely solely on a cell phone. Also, our alarm is through the landline

 

[barkley]

nope. if it's important enough they will leave a message.

we can always tell it's a robo caller right off the bat when my cell rings and then stops 4 rings in (right before it goes to voicemail) then dh's does the same (our cell phone numbers are only a couple digits off from each others)-we look at the missed call indicator and sure enough it will be from the same out of state number. a dead giveaway is also when it shows a local area code but the next 3 digits aren't used in our area for either cells or landlines.

 

[jerseygal]

When I don't answer the front door, they come around the back which sends me bonkers.

That would be UNNERVING not to mention that going around the back on private property might be considered "TRESPASSING" on private property! Also, have read that if someone is "checking out" the neighborhood to see if "who is home", who is on vacation, etc. for a future burglary, if they ring the front first and if no one answers and heads for the rear of the home, that could signal" trouble" for a potential break in into a rear window, door since it is less obvious and seen in the rear of the home.

 

[aprilgail]

My landline goes directly to voice mail- I don't even have it ring! If they leave a message it gets sent to my email and I will listen and call back if its someone I know- but most people just call my cell if they know me because they know I don't answer that landline. It is the number I give out in stores, to colleges etc. I always answer the door- I don't want anyone knocking, thinking we are not home and then breaking in the house! Easier to just go to the window and say "no thanks" to whatever they are selling.

 

[Sleepy425]

We always answer in case it is DCF calling about a placement - the number can be different each time depending on which office is calling, and some workers have their cell numbers blocked.

 

[MrsJackSparrow4Life]

No, with a few rare exceptions.

If I am expecting a call from a company (AAA, repairmen, etc) I will answer right away. Also, the numbers at work all start with either 367 or 302 so if it is one of those I will pick up. Or if my child is out of town for whatever reason (field trip, etc) I will answer just in case.

 

[bigbabyblues]

Nope. I don't give out my cell #except to people I know and want to have it. I use our landline number on everything else, and we only answer it when we know the person calling (usually FIL). Everything else goes to the machine and it is almost always a telemarketer/hang up. We have to keep the landline for our internet because we don't have cable (internet is through the cable company), but we only pay $5/month for it.

 

[jevs]

Those freaks are stalkers.

 

[GaryDis]

My landline? Yes, because I don't have caller ID.

My landline? No, because I don't have caller ID.

My main number is a Google Voice number, which I have forwarded to both the landline and my cell. I'll wait for the caller ID to show up on the cell and then answer the landline.

If it only rings on the landline, I'll usually let it go to the answering machine unless I'm expecting a call. More often than not, there's no message.

 

[jevs]

 

[tvguy]

My landline? No, because I don't have caller ID.

My main number is a Google Voice number, which I have forwarded to both the landline and my cell. I'll wait for the caller ID to show up on the cell and then answer the landline.

If it only rings on the landline, I'll usually let it go to the answering machine unless I'm expecting a call. More often than not, there's no message.

I have worked funny hours for years (about 36) so I have been asleep either during the day, or as is the case now, go to bed by 7 pm, so I need some sort of phone line that non-emergency calls can go to without interrupting my sleep. When I sleep my ringer is off on my landline, and volume down on the answering machine. The cell phone is on so that the only 3 people that have that number...my wife and 2 kids.....can get a hold of me in a true emergency. So having my landline transfer to my cell phone wouldn't work.

 

[GaryDis]

I have worked funny hours for years (about 36) so I have been asleep either during the day, or as is the case now, go to bed by 7 pm, so I need some sort of phone line that non-emergency calls can go to without interrupting my sleep. When I sleep my ringer is off on my landline, and volume down on the answering machine. The cell phone is on so that the only 3 people that have that number...my wife and 2 kids.....can get a hold of me in a true emergency. So having my landline transfer to my cell phone wouldn't work.

Google Voice lets you change the forwarding, though I don't know of any way to schedule that automatically (though it could be done with some custom web client programming). But it sounds like you have a solution that works for you.

 

[karen1987]

If I don't know the number I won't answer and let voicemail pick it up. Shortly after I'll check to see if it's important...or just a sales call!

 

[tvguy]

Google Voice lets you change the forwarding, though I don't know of any way to schedule that automatically (though it could be done with some custom web client programming). But it sounds like you have a solution that works for you.

Yeah, the whole sleep thing is why I got my first cell phone in 1990.

If I don't know the number I won't answer and let voicemail pick it up. Shortly after I'll check to see if it's important...or just a sales call!

I have an old fashioned answering machine, so I can screen my calls and pick up if it is important.

 

[dclpluto]

Yes I figure if I don't answer they will keep calling back

 

[scrapquitler]

if you dont know the number ? Heck no, what ever it is it cant be good

Yes. Always.

--My Mom had one of those medic-alert necklaces and one time she activated it during a medical emergency and the monitoring people had to call me to let me know that they had summoned the ambulance. Their number was in a different state, and if I hadn't answered it, I wouldn't have known right away.

--My kids have been known to have their phone die and then they call me from a friends phone if they need me.

--I've also been in a position where I had to borrow someone else's phone to make an emergency call, and thank goodness the person I was calling picked up that unknown number.

Because of these things I ALWAYS answer even if it is a number I don't recognize. It's easy enough to hang up if it's a telemarketer, but I wouldn't be happy if I missed an important emergency call.

 

[Squirlz]

If we had a business phone number it would be ringing constantly. My Wife spends half her time answering animal care questions via email. If people could call she would never get any work done!

 

[powellrj]

If its on my cell phone, only if I know who it is. I don't give out my cell phone number, so if I don't know who it is, I am not answering it.

With our land-line, only if its a local call or I know who it is.

 

[Albort]

When i applied for my real estate license, i made the mistake of putting my actual cellphone into the registration. This number becomes public when my name is entered into the registry. I was getting around 10-15 calls a day mainly people trying to sell my stuff.

I currently use a phone call reverse look up on my iPhone where it would look up the number. If the number is a known spam number, it doesnt even ring.
I do however one day would like to forward my calls to the jollyroger bot that will answer the phone and waste the telemarker's time... haha