Refresh my memory.
Here.
I don’t think I will be able to find it, but I think it was last January and he semi-jokingly called a mod a C*nt in the pit and got banned for a short time period.
My fellow NFL fans and I were especially upset with his banning just before the playoffs. You will see from his post that he did not actually mean it and was using dramatic exaggeration.
I found the offending thread.
Here is a thread concerning his plight, his suspension and his return.
Jim
Sure I go off a do the research and Q.E.D. still beats be by 3 minutes.
In my experience from having worked with insurance, the (typically) kind of people who use the phone system that fisha talked about are dodging collection agencies. I believe it prevents them from being ‘suckered’ into taking what they think is a real call, only to have it turn out that someone is admonishing them for lack of or slow payment. This way, if they’re there, they don’t even have to consider what to do or who to mess with… this service does it all for them. No tricks possible because it makes you identify yourself to even possibly talk to a real person, versus the ones who leave just a number to call back (from another that’s blocked).
So, as I mentioned before, they’re fuckweasels.
You guys who don’t answer the phone unless they recognise the id come across to me as a little paranoid. In my work I call students all the time and they are unlikely to know who it is, although I don’t have block on caller id. I’m calling to help them, not to sell them anything.
What the hell did you do before this technology?? Then again, maybe you have a greater number of unsolicited calls than we do here.
Before the Do Not Call list, I was getting 5 or 8 calls a days. I got calls after 9pm, during every dinner and even the Super bowl. It was annoying and aggravating and extremely unwelcome.
All of my friends have phone numbers that identify at least the number. If I am near one of my caller IDs and I see the number is blocked from displaying, I don’t bother answering. I have found these calls to be fake charities and fake surveys. The real charities identify as such. For instance the Humane Society and Clearwater both called in the last week. The numbers identify. My Credit card Company called me, there number identified. I did not want to talk to them and politely asked them not to call me back for sales calls. The last 3 no numbers I answered was a fake Police Fraternal organization and two fake survey companies. So if there is no number on my caller ID, I don’t waste my time answering.
Jim
Well, if you want to put it that way. 
Just trying to supply a bit more background to the profile. I’ll back away from the caller ID now. 
Oh to live in a truely free market economy…
I usually don’t answer calls from blocked numbers, but sometimes I’m in a pissy mood and need to take it out on someone. Phone solicitors are the lowest form of life anyway, so there is no harm it letting them have an earful when I feel like it. Very cathartic.
Sorry, can you please elaborate on that post? I have missed your meaning.
Speaking of avoiding debt collectors, we’re avoiding the multiple agencies that are calling for my sister-in-law in hopes of getting us to cough up a location, since she was oh-so-kind as to list us as a reference. The thing is, we only have an E-mail for her at the moment since she moved and didn’t give us the new address or number. We’ve seen her, but she’s been evasive about where she’s living (we think it’s with her insane ex-boyfriend which is why she doesn’t want anyone going to her new place or calling there). So if I pick up at some random/unknown call, I get some asshole who’s saying, “what do you mean, you don’t know how to contact her?” Furthermore, she owes us around $2500 so you can bet that we want our money first!
If that isn’t bad enough, sometimes we get similar phone calls for her ex-boyfriend - the one before the last one - who was a sleazy enough businessman that we’re not surprised about this.
Actually, I think my husband has her cell phone number now, but at this point I’m torn between “these assholes didn’t believe us before so why should I help them (plus I want our money)” and “screw it, she did this to us.” Can I cite “Do Not Call” on them? Or maybe the Fair Debt Collection Act - but they never reveal that they’re debt collectors, they just “have business” with her and need to talk to her, but geez, who else can they be?
You know, paranoia, or financial irresponsibility are not the only reasons a person might not wish to talk on the phone.
I don’t like talking on the phone. I don’t like talking with my family, or friends on the phone. I make an exception for them, though, because I like them a whole lot. My phone rings, I pick up, if it isn’t inconvenient at that moment, and say “Hello.” If I already know you, and like you at least a little bit, I will probably continue the conversation. If I don’t know you, you have a very few seconds during which you might, conceivably convince me to continue talking with you. Probably not, but it could happen. Most likely, if you are polite, and entirely forthcoming about who you are, and why you called, I will just say, “No, thanks, I don’t do business over the phone. Please put this number on your do not call list.” I also don’t wait for responses from people I don’t wish to talk to.
If you are even the tiniest bit rude, or disingenuous, I just hang up. If you call back immediately, I will explain the law on harassing phone calls in very simple language, and hang up again.
It isn’t paranoia, nor even outrage. I am not mad about it, just don’t want to talk on the phone, except in certain very specific circumstances, and you ain’t one of them. The Phone company found it odd that I won’t do business over the phone with them, either. But, they did stop calling. I don’t open mail from people I don’t know either. Not hiding from anyone, just not interested in mail from people I don’t know. Time is life itself. You can’t have any of my life, unless I think you are worth it, and you can’t prove that to me over the phone, or by mail.
Tris
“You can’t always get what you want.” ~ M. Jagger/K. Richards ~
Likewise, it’s nothing to do with being anti-social, paranoid or irresponsible.
Like I said above and will say again, the Telephone is a tool that exists for my convenience. I feel no overwhelming compulsion to inconvenience myself by answering it. My family, friends and intelligent work-mates all know that they need to leave a message and that I’ll pick up if I’m available. No, I won’t go jumping out of bed, off the toilet or out of the shower to answer the phone. That’s part of the reason for having the machine. Leave a message to let me know that you called and how important it is, and I’ll get back to you at a more convenient time.
I have no sympathy for people who do not leave messages. Oh sure, if you call 57 times in a week looking for me…well, you’re a fucking nuisance and I’m going to be pissed, so NO, I don’t want you to leave 57 messages. Just call once, maybe twice to make sure if it goes a couple of days and leave messages each time. Maybe I got the message and forgot, maybe I’m out of town, maybe you left the first message on someone elses phone by mistake.
My sister used to be inundated with calls from solicitors, something like What Exit? with more than a half of dozen a day, mostly in the evening and a lot during dinner. She switched to a service which requires people to show their numbers or identify themselves.
Since my number doesn’t show up, she got a service which allows a code to bypass the message. She sees the code and then picks it up. Not a big price to pay for my sister’s convenience.
So you left it as if you were trying to say something and then got cut off, then you are surprised when she tries to call you?
We aren’t playing head games, are we?
Well, good; I’m glad it pisses you off. I have this feature enabled for anyone who blocks their identity. If you don’t like it, either give me your phone number so I can put it in my VIP list that won’t be blocked, unblock your phone, or stop calling me. Otherwise, I hope that pulsing vein in your forehead bursts and you have a stroke.
Actually **Fisha ** said her number does display. In these long pit threads, you often have to read on before you post.
Otherwise, I agree with your sentiment.
Jim
You can add me to the list of people who don’t answer my phone.
Cell: I have TracFone, so I pay for every minute. It’s definitely there for MY convenience and I never answer if I don’t recognize the number. The minute or two that I spend talking to you and reassuring you you have the wrong number is a minute or two gone from my total.
Home: I just don’t like talking on the phone.
The main reason I am posting is we always get into this discussion and a line is drawn how all the people who screen all their calls are paranoid, crazy people who don’t even have the common courtesy to answer calls, and all the people who do answer the phones live or die by the phone and have no life and are desperate for people to call them.
Can’t we just break this down to a difference in priorities? I feel the telephone is there for my convenience; so do they. I just find it less convenient than they do.
I also hate unnanounced visitors; should we fight about that?
Yes I quite like that one.
Spunksponge however has a certain charm