If you don't answer the phone when you don't recognize the number . . .

[Ephany]

This is why I have caller ID, to screen calls. If it's the school leaving a message, I pick up right away.

This. I can hear them leaving the message so I just ignore it unless it's someone I want to talk to. The only time I dislike the school calling is when they use an outbound only line and don't leave a message. This happened last year; I'd much rather have a message saying to disregard the call then spend the afternoon emailing the teacher and hoping that nothing's wrong until I can get a hold of someone after a missed call.

 

[Maridw]

I don't usually answer if I don't know the number, but I do check the vm after!

I do this too. The other day I answered the phone because I thought it was someone else calling and then it was someone calling for a candidate in the upcoming FL election. I tried to say I didn't know who I was going to vote for and they proceeded to try and tell me why I should vote for their candidate. I interrupted them and told them I was still looking at the different candidates and to put my number on their do not call list, then hung up.

 

[C.Ann]

I don't have a cell phone.. I have an answering machine on my land line and if an issue is an emergency, I would hope that the caller would have enough common sense to (a) identify themselves - because I often screen my incoming calls - and (b) leave a message..

When I am living with my DD for the winter, they have an answering machine - she and her DH have cell phones - her IL's have a land line with an answering machine - as well as cell phones - and they all have their cell phones set up to go to voice mail if they can't pick up immediately.. With all of those options available, I can't see how an important call could ever be missed.. They may not "pick up" for numbers they don't recognize, but they will check the answering machines and voice mails right after the call ends..

 

[minkydog]

Do you make exceptions when your kids aren't with you, and aren't with someone whose phone number you'd recognize? Generally when we call from our school, it's from a teacher or administrator's cell phone so it won't be a familiar # unless you've gotten a call before. Even if it comes from the school's landline, the outgoing number is different from the number you call so you might not recognize it.

I just can't figure out getting call after call and not thinking "I wonder what's up, let me check."

I guess it's more logical than when you have parents who won't answer if they know it's school. I've had some where we need to run around until we find someone whose cell we've never used, because as soon as they get one call from that # they block it.

UGH. I've had it both ways. I'm a school nurse. I find it unconcionable that in the last 4 days since school started I have had at least 5 childen who needed to go home and none had working phone numbers. C'mon, parents! These are little kids. None of them know how to reach their parents during the day.

So... to all my parents out there: Make sure your phone numbers are up-to-date at all times. Make sure your children have them written down in their notebook somewhere. Don't make your children have to wait around at school sick or hurt for an hour or more. It's not fair to them. And I don't want to have to escalate the situation if I don't have to.

 

[webprinter]

I don't usually answer if I don't know the number, but I do check the vm after!

This is what I do too. If they don't leave a message, I figure it is not important enough to answer.

 

[Jennasis]

I have to answer the phone, even if I don't recognize the number. Our home line is also our business line and it could be a potential new customer!

 

[laurie31]

Our school comes up on caller ID, even though it's not programmed into the phone. My caller ID displays the name of most businesses. I would never not answer the school.

I generally don't answer numbers I don't recognize, especially if there is no name given, but if it's someone local, or if it comes up "cell phone," I will answer, because I figure it's a legitimate call. Telemarketers usually come up as toll free numbers or just "unknown." I *never* answer "unknown" calls.

I do check the machine; telemarketers usually just hang up.

 

[FireDancer]

Even if it comes from the school's landline, the outgoing number is different from the number you call so you might not recognize it.

OT:

Every location we have sends our published number for the caller ID regardless of what the actual number is. This is pretty easy to set in your PBX or, if you don't have a PBX, through your phone company. Maybe you can let whomever is in charge of your phones know this. It is most likely an over site on their part because it is pretty standard to force the published number through the line. That might help you and people in your position get through more because at least it is a number they might recognize even if it is just the number and not the name of the business. That part is often outside of the control of the business since not all Telcos send names.

 

[scrapquitler]

Can someone explain this to me? Especially in the context of a parent whose children are not with them (e.g. are at school). I work in a school. We've had several incidents where we've had an emergency and needed to get in contact with a parent. We've called and called and left messages and tried emergency contact. The other day two staff members ended up leaving school midday in order to drive to a student's grandmother's house. When they got there she picked up the phone, and called her daughter who immediately answered -- her excuse "I don't answer the phone when I don't recognize the number".

I don't always answer the phone if I'm at work, but everyone who works with my kid has my work number too. Furthermore, if I saw that I was getting lots of calls I'd probably figure out something was up and check the voice mail.

My Mother in Law always says "I won't answer the phone unless I recognize the number" And then one day I said to her "So if I am broken down on the side of the highway, my cell phone is dead and I borrow a good Samaritan's phone and have to call YOU, you won't be of any help...that's nice" And it was like a light bulb went on in her head and she said "Oh, maybe I need to rethink that". Duh.

 

[MushyMushy]

I live in a small town, so we only have one area code and two 3-digit local numbers (what are those called? Like XXX-123-XXXX... the 123), so I pick up for either of those numbers. I also know most of the local cell phone numbers, so I pick up for those. Anything else doesn't get answered, but I do check the voicemail right away.

 

[mickaholic4077]

All important people in my mothers and my life know we screen calls,and if the phone that they are calling on comes up as Unknown-or variations thereof-we will be by the phone to listen when they leave a message and we will pick up.

 

[tvguy]

Everyone I know has their number blocked. Why would I pay extra to have access to caller ID when most of the calls come up "RESTRICTED".
Made it impossible for a while for us to call my father in law in Texas because the caller ID system there would not put the call through if the name was blocked. He wondered why all his family in friends in California stopped calling...they hadn't, they just couldn't get through, even in an emergency. He quickly had that removed from his phone line.
Another problem is the caller ID displayed from major businesses is often the switchboard number, not the direct dial number the call is actually calling from. Drives our PBX operator nuts because people INSIST she just called them because the PBX number shows in the ID, then she has to play 20 questions trying to find out who, about the 100 employees there, could have been calling.

I do screen my calls on my answering machine, and of course in an emergency I would call right back or pick up the call immediately.
And my kids schools all have my work and cell phone numbers.

 

[PattnFmly]

Another one here who doesn't answer the phone if I don't know the number. Too many times it's a wrong number and the person on the other end doesn't even speak English. My number must be close to someone else's number who speaks that language! The school number is programmed into my cell and must be the same outgoing/incoming because it always tells me it's the school. Otherwise I just listen for a message, if none, I don't worry about it.

 

[FireDancer]

I live in a small town, so we only have one area code and two 3-digit local numbers (what are those called? Like XXX-123-XXXX... the 123), so I pick up for either of those numbers. I also know most of the local cell phone numbers, so I pick up for those. Anything else doesn't get answered, but I do check the voicemail right away.

The 123 is your exchange.

In a standard phone number:

aaa-bbb-cccc the break out is:

aaa = Numbering Plan Area Code
bbb = Exchange Code
cccc = Subscriber number

While the exchange code used to be based on city it really isn't any more. For example, the number I have is from a city 40 miles west of me.

 

[Sparx]

I answer if the area code is where I live (or a nearby area code) I will not answer a random phonecall from far out of state.

 

[merryweather20]

I gave my mother a piece of my mind on this issue as well. I'm stunned at the amount of people who think the person "can just" leave a message. If I'm calling from a pay-phone or a good samaritan's phone chances are you can't ring them back. They were in a genuine emergency where they needed a live human bieng full stop.


I can't imagine how you think you're saving time even for those convenient easy little bitsy emergencies where one can leave a message. You have to pick up the phone and go through the whole rigamarole to get to the message press such and such to delete etc. etc. then ring them again, hope they are free to pick up, have a conversation. Heck, my telearketers call back if they don't get a human, again and again.

 

[NotUrsula]

I could be wrong about this, but I think that HIPAA rules prohibit the leaving of really informative messages in a medical emergency. I think that these days you won't get a message from someone saying something like, "Hello, this is nurse Ratched at the County General Emergency room. We have a patient who has been in an car accident and listed the number as his emergency contact. The driver's license he was carrying says his name is John Smith." I suspect what you would get is: "Hello, I'm calling from County General hospital. Please return this call as soon as possible at ###-####."

I don't have long-distance service on my landline phone, and my cell is a prepaid that is .25/minute. For that reason this household uses calling cards for all long-distance social-type calls. You may not realize this, but the calling card will show a number on a caller ID, and it will show the geographic location of the company that issued the card. I use AT&T cards that generally show the number I'm calling from as being in either Denver or Dallas, and the number changes every time I use it. I'm perfectly willing to pay for that phone call, but if you don't answer the phone you'll end up either a) not bothering to return the call since you don't recognize the number, or b) paying for the call because you'll have to call me back on your dime.

Now, I realize that many people have unlimited long distance on cell phones, but not everyone does. Please keep that in mind, and pay attention to the number that is left in the message. I really don't appreciate it when people who have my cell number call it even though it is NOT the number I left in the message. I always leave my landline phone number in the message unless I'm calling about something urgent that needs a response right away when I'm away from home. If I leave you a number, please use the number I leave.

 

[Becky2005]

So... to all my parents out there: Make sure your phone numbers are up-to-date at all times. Make sure your children have them written down in their notebook somewhere. Don't make your children have to wait around at school sick or hurt for an hour or more. It's not fair to them. And I don't want to have to escalate the situation if I don't have to.

We listen to our answering machine but I can guarantee you if it was the school calling, I would be picking up the phone the instant they said their name. My 10 year old has been majorily injuried at the beginning of the school year for the past 2 years (yes, I'm a bit paranoid about school starting this year for him AND he has outdoor ED!! EEP!). Anyway, last year he had 2 of his adult teeth knocked out & because I was able to get him to the dentist within 30 minutes of it happening, they were able to save them without too many issues. Now, I know if someone is at work they may not get that lucky but I can't imagine if I had ignored the phone calls in that situation!! I can't imagine how parents can ignore school nurse phone calls -- ours doesn't call for the fun of it. If you are getting a call from the school nurse, there is a problem of some sort!

Of course, what always gets me is the middle school people ALWAYS seem to call my cell phone first. I don't usually have my cell phone on/pay attention to it when I'm home. So, I have missed calls that way since I'm sitting at home, I figured they would try the home number first THEN cell phone. Nope...they call the cell, leave a message and never bother to call the home number because I'll go to turn on the cell, see the message from HOURS previously & I had been home the entire time without the phone ringing. I figure those must not be emergencies then.

 

[Hannathy]

I'm wondering why you don't just call from a school line? I don't answer calls I don't know either. I think that would make it easier if you always used a school line or let people know at the beginning of the year these are other numbers you may be called from.

 

[diznygirl]

I do this too. The other day I answered the phone because I thought it was someone else calling and then it was someone calling for a candidate in the upcoming FL election. I tried to say I didn't know who I was going to vote for and they proceeded to try and tell me why I should vote for their candidate. I interrupted them and told them I was still looking at the different candidates and to put my number on their do not call list, then hung up.

This happened to me - I was waiting for the doctor to call for a sick child and grabbed it without looking. I told the telemarketer numerous times that this wasn't a good time - I hate to be rude but I hung up on her mid-sentence. I was in the middle of plunging a toilet and comforting a sick child - it REALLY wasn't a good time!