# Answering the phone **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 28, 2024, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261 "2024-12-28T14:17:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/41 "2024-12-29T12:31:17Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > my cell phone has a feature that interrogates unrecognized callers with “this person is using Google phone screening”. Callers who reach that stage hang up 99% of the time. Same, except i go l get very little spam on my cellphone, and at least ⅔ of the calls that i screen launch into an explanation of why they are legit and i pick up as they are talking. Why yes, i _do_ want to talk to the lawyer’s office/cat hospital/plumber… > [@CairoCarol](#): > > Not saying what you are doing is bad - it’s probably good, overall. But do know the impression it can leave with completely legit people who encounter it. I’m sure that’s true. But it’s always someone calling on behalf of a company, and they will succeed in whatever mission they had when they called me. I probably had to navigate a much longer phone tree when I called their company. I got over my annoyance after i finally reached the human i wanted to deal with. I expect they will, too. > [@Alessan](#): > > You know exactly when packages will be arriving? The rare package that needs a signature, they ring my doorbell. I do buy meat from a local company that calls to tell me they’ve just dropped it off. I appreciate that. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/42 "2024-12-29T14:41:06Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > Same, except i go l get very little spam on my cellphone, and at least ⅔ of the calls that i screen launch into an explanation of why they are legit and i pick up as they are talking. Why yes, i _do_ want to talk to the lawyer’s office/cat hospital/plumber… Right, as soon as I see the live transcript I pick up if it’s a call I want. This whole thread reminded me, my college roommate answered the phone “this is the place, talk to my face.” Seemed funny at the time, anyway. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/43 "2024-12-29T15:14:47Z")
I’m in the UK. Amazon and my supermarket both send me e-mails to confirm my orders, which include a ‘track package’ option. Clicking on that shows what day my stuff will arrive and then (during the day) what precise time the delivery will arrive. ---
**Author:** ![Mk\_VII](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Mk\_VII](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mk_VII)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/44 "2024-12-29T15:43:48Z")
“Battersea Dog’s Home”. ---
**Author:** ![Dogginit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogginit/32/16920_2.png) [@Dogginit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dogginit)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/45 "2024-12-29T15:47:21Z")
On the work cell, it’s always “This is /myname/”. I inherited the phone & number from a previous employee, and get calls for him still, especially bill collectors. On the work landline, it’s “Good morning/Afternoon, ZZZ Fabrication” Home phone, it’s generally “Hello” On personal cell, it’s “This is /myname/”, unless I’m in a mood, when it’s “This is the devil speaking, what the hell do you want?” ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/46 "2024-12-29T15:57:24Z")
I almost never answer the phone unless I know who is calling, so I usually say something like “hey, [caller’s name].” ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/47 "2024-12-29T16:19:02Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > I got over my annoyance after i finally reached the human i wanted to deal with. I expect they will, too. Now I remember why I was annoyed by it - I was calling someone to schedule a job interview. I would think that if I were job-hunting, I’d want to make it as easy as possible for potential employers to be in touch. (As I recall, we eventually got in touch with her and she came across as rather entitled in the interview; we didn’t hire her.) ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/48 "2024-12-29T16:30:37Z")
I tend to go with silence and heavy, plodded breathing. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/49 "2024-12-29T22:41:10Z")
I just say hello. Half the time, it is a wrong number and they are expecting to talk to someone speaking French and they just hang up. We get delivery men (including from Amazon) asking to be let in so they can put the package in the mail room. But I don’t get a lot of spam. We once had a visitor from Germany who answered with his last name: Pretzel. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/50 "2024-12-29T22:47:23Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > We once had a visitor from Germany who answered with his last name: Pretzel. Yes, that was the norm in Germany for answering your private phone until caller ID arrived: answering a call with your family name. It was very rare and sounded weird when somebody answered with just “Hallo” at the time. ---
**Author:** ![DavidNRockies](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidnrockies/32/6279_2.png) [@DavidNRockies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DavidNRockies)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/51 "2024-12-29T23:00:05Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > We once had a visitor from Germany who answered with his last name: Pretzel. Forgive me if this reads as needlessly unkind, but that guy was _twisted._ ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/52 "2024-12-29T23:11:56Z")
> [@CairoCarol](#): > > > [@puzzlegal](#): > > > > I got over my annoyance after i finally reached the human i wanted to deal with. I expect they will, too. > > Now I remember why I was annoyed by it - I was calling someone to schedule a job interview. I would think that if I were job-hunting, I’d want to make it as easy as possible for potential employers to be in touch. (As I recall, we eventually got in touch with her and she came across as rather entitled in the interview; we didn’t hire her.) Huh, i don’t see screening calls as making it hard for someone to reach me. It takes an extra 5 seconds for the message, plus the person to say, “Hi, I’m Sue calling you from Acme”, at which point i pick up. It’s not as if you have to play phone tag or anything. I don’t feel like i should have to answer every wrong number that comes through over the three weeks when that employer might plausibly get back to me just so they can avoid that extra 5 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/53 "2024-12-29T23:51:40Z")
> [@puzzlegal](#): > > It takes an extra 5 seconds for the message, plus the person to say, “Hi, I’m Sue calling you from Acme”, at which point i pick up. Ah well, that would be okay. She DIDN’T pick up, and IIRC we had to call her 2-3 times before she deigned to talk with us. So perhaps that, rather than a robo-screening process per se, was what made me recall the whole situation as annoying. (That plus her poor attitude in the job interview.) ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2024, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/54 "2024-12-29T23:53:53Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > Yes, that was the norm in Germany for answering your private phone until caller ID arrived: answering a call with your family name. It was very rare and sounded weird when somebody answered with just “Hallo” at the time. My German MIL still does that even though she’s lived here since the late 60s. (“[last name] hello”) ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/55 "2024-12-30T00:06:30Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > OK, different country, different customs. Most people here don’t even have porches, and lots of packages require signatures. Different country different phone system security. Scrolling through my calls, at least 95% of calls I have received in the last month are spammers/scammers. I hear in the UK that would be more like 5%. Because companies that allow calls from spammers onto the PSTN (public switched telephone network) are held to account. ---
**Author:** ![bengangmo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/50afbb/32.png) [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/56 "2024-12-30T00:15:30Z")
Same for us… spam calls are extraordinarily rare. There could be any number of legitimate reasons for an unknown number to call me however. ---
**Author:** ![peedin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peedin/32/14095_2.png) [@peedin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peedin)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/57 "2024-12-30T00:22:56Z")
I answer the landline with “hello.” I only answer calls from numbers I recognize. I answer my cell with “this is Peedin”. Once again, I only answer numbers I recognize. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/58 "2024-12-30T00:47:53Z")
I’m another who usually answers with “This is [first name].” If I’m feeling really charitable, I might then add “How can I help you?” But if the caller ID shows “spam likely”, I’ll sometimes answer with “Hey, Spam Likely. What’s up?” And I guess I do the same when it’s another name I recognize (e.g. “Hey Joe. What’s up?”) I knew a guy in college who would answer his phone with silence. It was interesting how long it would take for the person who called to say something. Oftentimes there was just dead air for 10-15 seconds. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/59 "2024-12-30T01:25:40Z")
> [@DavidNRockies](#): > > > [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > > > We once had a visitor from Germany who answered with his last name: Pretzel. > > Forgive me if this reads as needlessly unkind, but that guy was _twisted._ Seems like he has a salty personality to boot. ---
**Author:** ![CaptMurdock](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/captmurdock/32/11736_2.png) [@CaptMurdock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CaptMurdock)\ **Post date:** [December 30, 2024, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261/60 "2024-12-30T03:30:54Z")
“Kelly’s Pool Hall, who in the hall do you want?” Half the time, if it’s not a recognized number, I let it go to voicemail and call back (or not) as appropriate. No law says I have to answer every phone call. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/answering-the-phone/1012261.md?page=4)