# Do you pick up calls from a 1-800 number? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 29, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397 "2016-04-29T03:56:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/1 "2016-04-29T03:56:30Z")
The past week, I keep getting a call showing up on call display as a 1-800 number. Same one, calling about four times. I don’t pick up 1-800 numbers. I assume it’s a telemarketer. In the rare case where it might be an organization that uses 1-800 numbers but isn’t a telemarketer, I assume they’ll leave a message. Do others ignore calls from a 1-800 number? ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/2 "2016-04-29T03:59:54Z")
Well, as I’ve said in several other threads re: phones, I ignore ALL calls, so that includes 1-800’s. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/3 "2016-04-29T04:01:10Z")
I ignore all calls I don’t recognize. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/4 "2016-04-29T04:16:09Z")
Oh, i go further than that. I frequently ignore calls I _do_ recognise. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/5 "2016-04-29T04:25:50Z")
Generally, no. I have no idea why anyone would. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/6 "2016-04-29T04:55:06Z")
I have a landline, no caller ID. So I just pick up all calls. I have no long distance carrier, so I never dial LD direct, I use Google Phone for long distance calls. I have no idea what other people see on their caller-id when I call, but they answer. I just tell them to call me back, since everybody else in the world now has unlimited calling. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/7 "2016-04-29T04:56:32Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I ignore all calls I don’t recognize. Same here. ---
**Author:** ![Sahirrnee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sahirrnee/32/13937_2.png) [@Sahirrnee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sahirrnee)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/8 "2016-04-29T13:38:17Z")
Depends on my mood. If I feel like playing with them, yes. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/9 "2016-04-29T14:34:55Z")
I ignore any call where the number displays (instead of a contact’s name). I also ignore most calls from people I know. But people I know _know_ this about me, so they tend to text me, even if the text is something like, “hey we need to talk about Friday, gimme a call”. ---
**Author:** ![UncleRojelio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/unclerojelio/32/3160_2.png) [@UncleRojelio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleRojelio)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/10 "2016-04-29T14:36:14Z")
Every time the phone rings I wonder why I still have a landline. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/11 "2016-04-29T15:23:19Z")
Why do people take things like this so seriously? How many calls a day do you get that that are from suspicious numbers? Do you think ISIS has planted a bomb in your phone, and are trying to detonate it? If you get more robocalls than I do (I get one or two a week), that seems too dispel the myth that answering the call increases the number of robos who have my number in their queue. When my phone rings, I reach over and answer it. When your rings, you get it out and look at the number that is calling and make a judgment about whether to answer it or not, and build up anxiety over whether you are missing something important. I like my plan better. It is no more intrusive in my life, and relieves the anxiety issue. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/12 "2016-04-29T15:27:59Z")
Occaisionally I get a call from “fraud prevention” for one of my credit cards. I’m usually happy I did. Clears things right up. I don’t get more than one call a month on my cell phone from someone random. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/13 "2016-04-29T15:46:16Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > When my phone rings, I reach over and answer it. When your rings, you get it out and look at the number that is calling and make a judgment about whether to answer it or not, and build up anxiety over whether you are missing something important. I like my plan better. It is no more intrusive in my life, and relieves the anxiety issue. No anxiety, because if whoever called didn’t leave a message, it can’t be important. As others said, I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize. Actual people leave messages. Robocallers and live telemarketers/scammers (like the guys claiming to be from Microsoft or the fake police charities) do not. Edited to add, actually one type of scammer does leave messages. That would be the people claiming to be from the IRS. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/14 "2016-04-29T15:51:16Z")
> [@White SIFL](#): > > Same here. Me three. I also have all anonymous callers blocked. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/15 "2016-04-29T16:03:16Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > No anxiety, because if whoever called didn’t leave a message, it can’t be important. As others said, I don’t answer numbers I don’t recognize. Actual people leave messages. This is not categorically true at all. I once was trying to reach an old girlfriend who’d been deported, in order to convey some very important information. I mentioned this to some people who knew her, but that was all I was able to do. Several months later I started to get calls from a strange number, but I didn’t answer because I was busy, and they never left a message. I assumed it was a telemarketer, so I ignored it, but the same number repeatedly called me without leaving a message. Finally one time a got a called and answered it without looking at the number, thinking it was going to be someone in particular. Instead, it was this woman I’d been desperate to reach several months before. She’d been the one calling from that number, but for whatever reason, didn’t feel comfortable in leaving a message. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/16 "2016-04-29T16:12:41Z")
Not a problem in my case. The judge said I should stop bothering her. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/17 "2016-04-29T16:24:36Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > No anxiety, because if whoever called didn’t leave a message, it can’t be important. One time I didn’t get to my phone in time. When I missed the ring limit, I assumed that if it was important they’d leave a message or call back. Turns out it was very important _to me._ Not so much to the caller. It was an agency guy offering me the exact job at the exact company I wanted to do and for. He didn’t get a response so he just went on to the next one. Since then I’ve had a string of shit jobs for the last three years. I only found out what that call had been when the asshole bought it up as a side conversation weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/18 "2016-04-29T16:28:06Z")
I don’t have caller ID on my landline, but a couple of weeks ago, I got an 800 number on my cell. I answered. It was my credit card company warning me of suspicious activity on my account. Because I answered, we were able to nip it in the bud (probably early enough so that the merchant hadn’t shipped the item). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/19 "2016-04-29T16:28:33Z")
Congratulations. **Mr Shine** and **guizot** are able to describe two instances in which a missed call was important. However, I think it’s obvious that such cases are the exception. It’s far more likely that the missed call was a telemarketer/scammer/etc. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/20 "2016-04-29T17:00:04Z")
I have a company that I do business with regularly, and they call me rather than the reverse. Unfortunately, their number shows up as “unavailable”, or sometimes an 800-number. So sometimes I have to answer. I’ve suggested it would behoove them to get a better caller ID name, like the actual name of their business, but I can only assume they don’t want to. So if I blocked all 800-number calls, I’d never hear from them. Unlike some lucky souls in this thread, we get several unavailable or 800 or unfamiliar numbers A DAY. There’s nothing we’ve tried that works in stopping them. We answer, we don’t answer, we lift and hang up, we get snotty with them, we politely tell them to not call, we report to the do not call list. No difference. So we just mostly send them to voice mail. And every once in a while, it is a “real” call from someone who has funky caller ID. Who the heck is Watkins? I dunno, but good people work there and I didn’t know it! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397.md?page=2)