# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/21 "2016-04-29T17:20:18Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I ignore all calls I don’t recognize. Same here. If it’s someone I know but don’t know their number, or it’s important (i.e. my bank) they’ll leave a message and I’ll get back to them. 1-800 numbers are almost always ignored. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/22 "2016-04-29T20:12:07Z")
I don’t pick up calls unless they are from someone i know, and those are still dependent on mood. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/23 "2016-04-29T20:43:40Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I ignore all calls I don’t recognize. Generally true for me, too. I can easily check voicemail and see if it was something important. ---
**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, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/24 "2016-04-29T20:48:14Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > 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. And how, exactly, would 52 of those a year have cumulatively harmed them in any demonstrable way, compared to the benefit realized by answering the call? I’m still waiting for a poster here to explain how his life has been negatively affected in any measurable way by unsolicited phone calls. Aside from those who have incrementally ramped up their anger issues toward a dangerous tipping point. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/25 "2016-04-29T21:11:52Z")
I always answer, but in my case I guess that’s professional courtesy. Calling people who you don’t know sucks no matter why you are calling, so I try to be a bright spot in their day. Part of my job entails calling people who responded to an ad my company placed to set up appointments to meet with them. I have literally hundreds of people to call on any given day. I never leave a message because I don’t have time to waste leaving messages. If they want to talk to me they will answer the phone, if not I will call back later when I have time. Sometimes that’s later that day, sometimes it’s not for a month or two. The easiest way to get me to stop calling you though is to just take a minute to let me identify myself (if you hang up on me before I tell you who I am I am calling you RIGHT back.) and then say you don’t want to talk to me after all. I don’t want to spend more than 90 seconds on the phone with any single person, so I am not going to fight you and I will stop calling because it’s wasting my time. This won’t work for every caller, but maybe it will help you to with some if you understand how people who make these kind of phone calls think. ---
**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, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/26 "2016-04-29T21:18:02Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > And how, exactly, would 52 of those a year have cumulatively harmed them in any demonstrable way, compared to the benefit realized by answering the call? You only get calls from unknown numbers once a week? Every day, I get two or three of them, based on the number of missed calls displayed on my phone. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/27 "2016-04-29T21:20:18Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > 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). When my credit card company calls, their name shows up, and so I answer. They also leave a message. We easily get 6 - 8 junk calls a day, and we have a phone which announces the voice on speaker phone, so we don’t even have to go to the phone. Even if I pick up 90% of them are robo-dialers which don’t even answer. And it is not just 800 numbers - more and more spoof real numbers, like the IRS scam ones do. ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/28 "2016-04-29T21:21:54Z")
Yes, because I can’t stand listening to the phone ring and not answering it; the ringing bothers me a lot more than junk phone calls do. ---
**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, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/29 "2016-04-29T22:11:35Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > You only get calls from unknown numbers once a week? Every day, I get two or three of them, based on the number of missed calls displayed on my phone. I have no answering machine, but I’m home pretty much all day and I answer my phone if it rings. I’d say once a week is a good average for the number of unwanted calls I get, but sometimes they come in a flurry of three or four in as many days. Other times, maybe a couple of weeks with no calls. I get calls sometimes from acquaintances/friends that I don’t really want to talk to, because they have unlimited calling time and go on and on. It is often a relief to hear a robocall, and just hang up and go on with my day. ---
**Author:** ![Sunny\_Daze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunny_daze/32/438_2.png) [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2016, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/30 "2016-04-29T22:48:41Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > And how, exactly, would 52 of those a year have cumulatively harmed them in any demonstrable way, compared to the benefit realized by answering the call? > > I’m still waiting for a poster here to explain how his life has been negatively affected in any measurable way by unsolicited phone calls. Aside from those who have incrementally ramped up their anger issues toward a dangerous tipping point. > [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > You only get calls from unknown numbers once a week? Every day, I get two or three of them, based on the number of missed calls displayed on my phone. Yep. Some days, I get 8 or more. I don’t answer them because I usually have more important things to do than talk to yahoos about things I don’t want to buy. Second, the phone is a convenience. It is not a guarantee to anyone that I will be instantly available at the whims of the universe. I don’t feel the need to answer the phone during dinner. I don’t call people (or answer) while I’m checking out at the store. I certainly don’t put a premium on some sales call over my time. Why would I answer every call as if I were enslaved to my device? ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/31 "2016-04-30T09:07:22Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > 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. I can get up to 3 or 4 per day, on a bad day. At least one a day on average. I don’t have unlimited daytime minutes, so I don’t waste them on spam calls. Why should I pay for someone to sell at me? > [@](#): > > 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. The judgment is simple – is it a number I know? If not, is it a local area code where it might be a job or client? Every other call gets voicemail. I have no anxiety – if it IS important, they’ll leave a message, and often an email too. If they don’t, it couldn’t have been that important. (Sometimes the robots will leave a message too. That’s annoying.) ---
**Author:** ![Kaio](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c68b51/32.png) [@Kaio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaio)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/32 "2016-04-30T09:18:59Z")
> [@ddsun](#): > > Second, the phone is a convenience. It is not a guarantee to anyone that I will be instantly available at the whims of the universe. I don’t feel the need to answer the phone during dinner. I don’t call people (or answer) while I’m checking out at the store. I certainly don’t put a premium on some sales call over my time. > > Why would I answer every call as if I were enslaved to my device? Yep. Sometimes (aka often) during the day I’m in the middle of a project, which I can’t and won’t just drop because the phone rings. If they leave a message I’ll call back when I’m done. You wouldn’t want to talk to me after you’ve interrupted my work, anyway. If your interruption makes me lose my place, I will be PISSED. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/33 "2016-04-30T13:08:56Z")
People who are getting 4-6 calls a day should look into some form of call blocking. Chances are, you’re not getting 40 unique numbers calling you per week but rather 6-8 people who keep calling. If you have phone through your cable company, you can add the numbers to a list to block them, I think AT&T has a service to block specific numbers or get a land line phone that has its own “Block Call” list so it won’t ring and bother you if Rachel from Card Services comes calling. You should be able to winnow out a lot of those spam calls over time. I rarely get calls trying to sell me anything but rather charities, political groups and polls. I don’t mind the polls and, depending on the day and caller, I might be good for a few bucks so I’m usually okay with answering. My mother had a stint as a cold caller way back in the day and said she preferred it when people just cut her off with a “No thank you” and hung up so that’s how I handle the calls I don’t want. And, if I just reject the call from the Epilepsy Foundation they will keep calling every night anyway trying to get through until I just spend ten seconds saying “no”. ---
**Author:** ![DorkVader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@DorkVader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DorkVader)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/34 "2016-04-30T17:16:46Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > I always answer, but in my case I guess that’s professional courtesy. Calling people who you don’t know sucks no matter why you are calling, so I try to be a bright spot in their day. > > Part of my job entails calling people who responded to an ad my company placed to set up appointments to meet with them. I have literally hundreds of people to call on any given day. I never leave a message because I don’t have time to waste leaving messages. If they want to talk to me they will answer the phone, if not I will call back later when I have time. Sometimes that’s later that day, **sometimes it’s not for a month or two.** The easiest way to get me to stop calling you though is to just take a minute to let me identify myself (if you hang up on me before I tell you who I am I am calling you RIGHT back.) and then say you don’t want to talk to me after all. I don’t want to spend more than 90 seconds on the phone with any single person, so I am not going to fight you and I will stop calling because it’s wasting my time. > > This won’t work for every caller, but maybe it will help you to with some if you understand how people who make these kind of phone calls think. bolding is mine do you have a system that keeps track of how many times you’ve called a number with no answer and/or how frequently over a period of time? is there a number where you say it not worth it and drop a phone number from your list? I ask because there is a number that I get calls from that follows the pattern you described. (I noticed this looking through my call records one time) ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/35 "2016-04-30T18:34:08Z")
> [@guestchaz](#): > > bolding is mine > > do you have a system that keeps track of how many times you’ve called a number with no answer and/or how frequently over a period of time? is there a number where you say it not worth it and drop a phone number from your list? I ask because there is a number that I get calls from that follows the pattern you described. (I noticed this looking through my call records one time) Yes, I have a database system that I use that logs calls and let’s me input notes on the calls I make. Usually if I haven’t contacted you after a month or so I will stop calling and, occasionally, mail you something saying you need to call me if you are still interested. But if I have other appointments in your area and a gap in my schedule I might try calling you again even if it’s a few months later. It sort of depends. But it has more to do with where you are located and where I am going to be working than anything else. The longer it has been since I first tried to contact you the further down my list you are going to fall though. Unless you mail another card in. Then you go back up to the top. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/36 "2016-04-30T18:47:32Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > Yes, I have a database system that I use that logs calls and let’s me input notes on the calls I make. Usually if I haven’t contacted you after a month or so I will stop calling and, occasionally, mail you something saying you need to call me if you are still interested. But if I have other appointments in your area and a gap in my schedule I might try calling you again even if it’s a few months later. It sort of depends. But it has more to do with where you are located and where I am going to be working than anything else. The longer it has been since I first tried to contact you the further down my list you are going to fall though. > > Unless you mail another card in. Then you go back up to the top. How is the call you make tagged? Do you use your company name, or something like Toll Free Call (which our phone pronounces as Joel Free Call) or Unknown Caller? I’m a lot more likely to answer a call from someone with a tag, and of course in your case they for some reason want to talk to you. I’m on the list of a consumer survey company. Their name is on their calls, and I always answer it. But 99% of the calls I get are scams or useless to me marketing calls . I suspect that is true for most people. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/37 "2016-04-30T19:01:44Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > How is the call you make tagged? Do you use your company name, or something like Toll Free Call (which our phone pronounces as Joel Free Call) or Unknown Caller? I’m a lot more likely to answer a call from someone with a tag, and of course in your case they for some reason want to talk to you. I’m on the list of a consumer survey company. Their name is on their calls, and I always answer it. > But 99% of the calls I get are scams or useless to me marketing calls . I suspect that is true for most people. My cell phone number shows up on the caller ID even though I make my calls via Skype. I have that set up so in case someone calls me back they can get me. It doesn’t show my name or company name though. If I knew how to fix that I would add it. ---
**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:** [April 30, 2016, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/38 "2016-04-30T20:40:16Z")
I guess I am old-fashioned, but if my phone rings I answer it. I suppose if I got several calls a day, I might get caller-id, but I don’t. I doubt if my phone rings as often as once a day. I can see that some of you would never be able to contact one another. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/39 "2016-04-30T21:19:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > 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. I have a landline too and had it for years and have caller ID right on my phones . I got my first cell phone , I wasn’t sure if I would be able to hear on one. I don’t pick up 1 800 calls and I guess in Nov. there will be a lot of political calls ! ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2016, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397/40 "2016-04-30T23:26:42Z")
I have no landline. Any “telemarketing” calls I receive on my cell generally fall into two categories: scammy-type calls “You’ve been selected for a free cruise, etc” that usually show up on call display as local cell numbers, and “established business relationship” sales calls which are usually either my bank or my cable provider trying to upsell me. These generally show up as 800 numbers. In my experience if I ignore them they keep calling every couple days until I answer. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-pick-up-calls-from-a-1-800-number/753397.md?page=3)