I’m looking into ways I can give people I do not want to talk to a phone number that would always go straight to voice mail.
The best idea I’ve had so far was to get a cheap phone and never answer it. I’m just wondering if anyone knows of a way to do this where I don’t have to pay for a second phone line?
Get a service like Vonage. Use one line (assuming you want a landline) and if you install a phone on the other, turn off the ringer. Voicemail will reach you by email with a WAV file and a good TTS conversion, and you can retrieve and manage it via web. The only reason I suggest you have an active phone on the VM line is to return calls with that caller ID.
Get a Google voice number and set it to “Do Not Disturb.”
I second Google Voice. It will even attempt to transcribe the voicemail and email you the results. That can sometime be useful, sometimes not, but occasionally hilarious.
Thirded on Google Voice. It is a great service.
Fourthed on GV. And if you decide someday down the road that you want to use it as a land line for free US/Canada calls, just add an Obi adapter. (Previously it was believed that Obis would stop working with GV sometime after May 15, 2014, but apparently they’ve worked that out.)
Another option that I use involves personalized ringtones. Anyone I don’t wanna talk to I give a silent ringtone. They go to voicemail.
I’ve an LG TracFone that does that. It was a gift set up that way. All I know.