# Frustration with our "Home" phone **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 18, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659 "2018-04-18T20:26:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/1 "2018-04-18T20:26:39Z")
Just a vent. Like most people for years we only had ONE phone number. Our landline. We always gave that out. However we probably have had cell numbers for the past 10-15 years. Over time we quit giving out our “home” number when signing up and only gave out our cell numbers. However we kept the landline phone to use as a backup and to use as a fax number. However we quit answering it because nearly all the calls are sales or solicitor calls. All “official” or real calls should be to our cells. At least “should” be. Again, we rarely ever answer that phone. However today, on a whim, I decided to answer it and it was our insurance company who had been trying to reach us. Why the heck they still had the old number on their file - I dont know. I’m guessing it was still in their computer as the “home” number. Just a little frustrating. I guess I should start answering that phone again. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/2 "2018-04-18T20:46:27Z")
Did you actually inform the insurance company that you decided to start using the cell number as your main contact number? ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2018, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/3 "2018-04-18T22:01:52Z")
Don’t you have an answering machine? Legit people will usually leave a message. ---
**Author:** ![seal\_cleaner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@seal\_cleaner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/seal_cleaner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/4 "2018-04-19T00:46:23Z")
I try to do most of my personal business by email, and I still have companies using my (8 year old) email. My signature on that account linked to my new email, and I emailed everyone directly about the change. Last time I checked my old account, I still had emails. ---
**Author:** ![Flyer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/flyer/32/7298_2.png) [@Flyer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flyer)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/5 "2018-04-19T02:54:43Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > Don’t you have an answering machine? Legit people will usually leave a message. Unless they’re like me, and have found out through bitter experience that virtually nobody actually **listens** to voicemails anymore. ---
**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 19, 2018, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/6 "2018-04-19T06:19:21Z")
Why are you frustrated with the landline phone? For years you were keeping it, but just ignoring it when it rang, and didn’t have an answering machine? What were you using it for? A door-stop? Then, when you finally decide to answer it, on a whim, it’s something important and—you get frustrated with the phone? Isn’t the phone just doing exactly what it should be doing? Really, it’s the _phone_ that should be frustrated with _you_. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/7 "2018-04-19T06:50:38Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Unless they’re like me, and have found out through bitter experience that virtually nobody actually **listens** to voicemails anymore. Not listening to voicemails is great. I listen to them less than once a month. But I do _read_ my voicemails every day, using Google Voice, which means I can filter out spam calls in under a second. The transcription isn’t great, but it’s easily good enough to get the gist of the call and decide what to do about it. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/8 "2018-04-19T13:03:46Z")
> [@Flyer](#): > > Unless they’re like me, and have found out through bitter experience that virtually nobody actually **listens** to voicemails anymore. I don’t consider an answering machine to be the same thing as voicemail. We get about 1 message every two weeks left on our answering machine and unlike the OP we use our landline as our main phone. So getting a “backlog” of messages is hardly a problem. (Our “landline” is actually VoIP.) ---
**Author:** ![Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f08c70/32.png) [@Shinna\_Minna\_Ma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shinna_Minna_Ma)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/9 "2018-04-19T20:28:43Z")
We have a landline only because it has an American number as well, and my wife uses it for work. None of us answer the landline for local calls. In fact, when I’ve occasionally had to call for internet service, I had to look up our phone number, because I had no clue what it was. ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2018, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/10 "2018-04-19T21:12:58Z")
If you don’t answer it, why not just get rid of it? Lots of people do without a landline phone. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/11 "2018-04-20T00:36:13Z")
> [@seal\_cleaner](#): > > I try to do most of my personal business by email, and I still have companies using my (8 year old) email. My signature on that account linked to my new email, and I emailed everyone directly about the change. Last time I checked my old account, I still had emails. Well, there’s your problem. Nobody reads emails, so they didn’t realize you were changing. You should call them and leave a voicemail.😃 ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/12 "2018-04-20T02:14:49Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > If you don’t answer it, why not just get rid of it? > > Lots of people do without a landline phone. Land lines must always dial out to 911 and usually can be used when the power goes out. At least that was the case in the 20th century, the last time I used a landline. (I’ve had a couple since then, because of bundling, but I never used them.) ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/13 "2018-04-20T16:18:06Z")
How much longer before they stop providing land lines?? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Vorlon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/d07c76/32.png) [@The\_Vorlon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Vorlon)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/14 "2018-04-20T18:20:52Z")
Just got a call from SPAM/FRAUD. Yes I was amused. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/15 "2018-04-20T19:28:15Z")
> [@j666](#): > > Land lines must always dial out to 911 and usually can be used when the power goes out. > > At least that was the case in the 20th century, the last time I used a landline. (I’ve had a couple since then, because of bundling, but I never used them.) I can hook my fax to it. Its a backup in case our cell service is out. When we lose our cell in the house its a way to call the number and find it (yes seriously). ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/16 "2018-04-20T19:33:18Z")
To those of you who do not have a landline, what do you do when you get a new credit card and it says it has to be activated from your home phone? Does your cell phone count as your home phone? Could I tell them to start using my cell phone as my home phone number? ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/17 "2018-04-20T19:34:49Z")
> [@iamthewalrus\_3](#): > > If you don’t answer it, why not just get rid of it? > > Lots of people do without a landline phone. Ya know, I actually tried that, silly me. Haven’t used the landline in years. There’s a short in the wiring, I know exactly where it is and could fix it in under 5 minutes, but I don’t care to. When we called to get rid of it, the phone company said “Fine, but you will pay more for internet only than for internet + landline bundle”. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/18 "2018-04-20T19:36:07Z")
Once again **Urbanredneck** , did you actually inform the insurance company that you did not want them using the landline as your main contact number? They aren’t mind readers. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2018, 10:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/19 "2018-04-20T22:32:58Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > To those of you who do not have a landline, what do you do when you get a new credit card and it says it has to be activated from your home phone? Does your cell phone count as your home phone? Could I tell them to start using my cell phone as my home phone number? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Urbanredneck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ea5d25/32.png) [@Urbanredneck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urbanredneck)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2018, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659/20 "2018-04-23T13:53:31Z")
> [@Kimballkid](#): > > Once again **Urbanredneck** , did you actually inform the insurance company that you did not want them using the landline as your main contact number? They aren’t mind readers. Well we thought so. But thing is a phone number can get in a database and can be hard to get out. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/frustration-with-our-home-phone/812659.md?page=2)