If someone knocks on my door and I haven't invited them over I don't even consider answering it. It doesn't matter to me what sort of uniform they are wearing. The same goes phone calls. I don't understand the obligation people feel to engage in unsolicited meetings and conversations.
> I don't understand the obligation people feel to engage in unsolicited meetings and conversations.
If they get you on the line, you're going to fight against a professional liar on an uphill territory made of cultural norms and basic politeness. Turns out disengaging from a conversation isn't easy. But how do they get you on the line in the first place?
Like anyone, you probably have frequent periods of time when you have a lot of errands in progress. Maybe you've ordered a bunch of things on-line, booked a trip, just sent documents to your accountant, and posted your car for sale. Any of these can face roadblocks that generate a phone call. In such periods of time, you'll be more likely to pick up that unknown number calling in, because maybe it's one of the vendors calling with an issue that can either be resolved in 30 seconds on the phone, or 2 days via e-mail.
For the bad actors (marketers), it's a numbers game. Personally, I also don't take calls from numbers I don't know... except whenever I run any kind of errand remotely, which is when they usually manage to catch me (only for me to wait until they tell me what they want, at which point I hang up).
I do this to some extent. Usually if they get me on the line, I have them wait, then come back after a few minutes, then have them wait, pretend I can't hear them well, pretend I don't understand their questions, etc. It's a bit of a burden, but kind of fun. But really my reasoning is that if they weren't on the phone with me, someone who won't fall for their scam, they would be on the phone with someone more likely to fall for their scam, so better me waste some of my time and have a little fun than the next person losing a bunch of money to a scam.
If you answer the call at all you will be put on the "Answers calls" list and sold to the next company. It's a way of cleaning calling lists from dead numbers.
>. In such periods of time, you'll be more likely to pick up that unknown number calling in, because maybe it's one of the vendors calling with an issue that can either be resolved in 30 seconds on the phone, or 2 days via e-mail.
I haven't picked up an unsolicited phone call or answered the door in 25 years and I never had a problem with it.
I second this. If I’m not expecting it then I don’t bother. If something is important then they'll call a second time and leave a voicemail or come knocking again but that has rarely happened.
I get what you're saying, but I get irate at people who don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Spam or soliciting? Hang up and block caller. It doesn't take more than 5 seconds.
I've been in situations when I don't have access to my cell phone and I need help from friends, so I call from a stranger's cellphone. I never get an answer. I have to text them from the stranger's phone (and see their text messages), wait for them to see the message, then accept the call. It's incredibly frustrating.
One problem here is that by answering at all, you're confirming your phone number as one with a real live person on the end. They track this and will keep calling. Anecdotally I noticed after I stopped picking up, the number of calls I was getting decreased.
I like to pick up and immediately hit mute. If they say something, maybe I reply, but typically the spam callers just hang up after a few seconds. I read somewhere that picking up but not saying anything can take you off the rotation or something
I've done the same for a span of a couple months--immediate mute, no interaction. It didn't seem to make a difference one way or other other though with regard to call frequency.
It's just a machine calling. If you pick up and make a sound, you will be immediatelly connected to a person. If no person is available it will just drop the call and call again later. Only way is to not answer.
> ... I get irate at people who don't answer calls from unknown numbers. Spam or soliciting? Hang up and block caller. It doesn't take more than 5 seconds.
I'd like for you to spend a day at my grandmother's house.
She's had the same landline number for probably 50 years and gets - no kidding -- probably 20 of these calls a day. It may not "take more than 5 seconds" but it gets real f'in' annoying real f'in' quick.
She now only answers calls from numbers she recognizes. She will pick up if you yell at her on the answering machine, though!
Also, as of iOS 13 (or whenever it was they introduced the feature), I am -- thankfully -- no longer even aware of calls or text messages from numbers that aren't in my contacts until I pick up my phone and look. My phone doesn't beep, ring, or ding if I receive a call or text from an "unknown number" -- and I could not be happier about that!
Doesn't Google have an automatic call screening thing? Maybe it was related to Voice and/or a pilot program they cancelled. But I'd expect people around here to know about it.
Because a world in which people are unwilling to answer their doors is depressing, and answering the door is only going to cost you like 30 seconds of your time.
