# Listen, when you call me at 1:30 AM.... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 7, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349 "2012-06-07T03:02:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/1 "2012-06-07T03:02:04Z")
You’d better have a damned good reason. Last night’s recorded call about my credit card accounts wasn’t it. I figured someone was either dead or dying but nope, you just wanted to sell me some shit. It may even have been important, though I doubt it, but I won’t know because I hung up before you could even finish your spiel. I only hope this was a one time thing and not something that is going to start happening regularly. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/2 "2012-06-07T03:14:40Z")
I hang up on all robot calls, when ever they come. But yeah, 1.30am is even more well out of line. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/3 "2012-06-07T03:20:36Z")
Well, they figure you’re either home, or out drinking and drunk enough to sign anything. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/4 "2012-06-07T03:26:00Z")
I don’t answer my phone unless I recognize the number. That’s what Voicemail is for. In Ye Olden Days, I had an answering machine\* and screened all calls through it. It answered, I listened, if I heard someone I wanted to talk to, I picked up. Otherwise feel free to leave a message. Kills me that “smart” phones are not smart enough to be able to set up the way I’d like. If the number isn’t in my contacts, DON’T EVEN FUCKING RING. Just go straight to voicemail. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I’ll call them back. - Still have it, it’s in the closet somewhere, I just don’t have a land line anymore. ---
**Author:** ![al27052](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/41988e/32.png) [@al27052](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/al27052)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/5 "2012-06-07T03:36:37Z")
I’m pretty sure you can register a formal complaint with the FCC and actually get paid when this happens. I know of a local lady who got paid about $2500 by asking a company to put her on its do-not-call list, and then registering a formal complaint (I believe with the FCC) every time they called her again. Telemarketers can’t call you after 9 pm local time. Period. Ever. It’s completely illegal. ---
**Author:** ![flatlined](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb9ed0/32.png) [@flatlined](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flatlined)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/6 "2012-06-07T04:05:05Z")
The main reason I don’t have a landline is because I felt I was paying money for telemarketers to call me. Now, if you call me on my cell when you know that I’m asleep and you aren’t dieing or needing to be bailed out of jail, you _will_ be dieing and I’ll be sleeping in jail. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/7 "2012-06-07T04:41:17Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > I don’t answer my phone unless I recognize the number. That’s what Voicemail is for. > > Kills me that “smart” phones are not smart enough to be able to set up the way I’d like. If the number isn’t in my contacts, DON’T EVEN FUCKING RING. Just go straight to voicemail. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I’ll call them back. I never answer the phone unless I recognize the number/person as well. I have my droid set up that the numbers on my contact list that are from the worst of the spammers goes straight to voicemail. I also have youmail and I can set specific numbers to specific greetings. Anybody that starts calling me at wicked nasty late hours for no good reason gets the vm greeting telling them that I am in bed, and I never hear the ring. ---
**Author:** ![thursday\_next](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8797f3/32.png) [@thursday\_next](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thursday_next)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/8 "2012-06-07T04:54:18Z")
> [@flatlined](#): > > Now, if you call me on my cell when you know that I’m asleep and you aren’t dieing or needing to be bailed out of jail, you _will_ be dieing and I’ll be sleeping in jail. At least if you’re sleeping in jail, telemarketers won’t be able to call you and wake you up! 😛 I was recently getting calls and texts from an area code that someone close to me who is having some trouble lives. Said person knows that I never answer calls or open texts when I don’t know the number, so I’d end up calling/texting them to make sure they were ok. The spam/telemarketers were making a hard time even more difficult. Fie on them!! ---
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/9 "2012-06-07T12:53:23Z")
I don’t know if it’s still in operation but there is/was an escort service with a phone number one digit away from my home number, so we’d get some… interesting calls in the wee hours. Depending on how sleepy I was I’d either curse them out or insult them creatively and hang up on them. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/10 "2012-06-07T13:23:21Z")
“Mr. **percy**? Hi, this is Chris from Wells Fargo… I’m in a bad place. I’m really drunk and I think I might do something stupid… sorry but I didn’t know who else to call…” _\_ ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/11 "2012-06-07T13:30:13Z")
> [@Chimera](#): > > Kills me that “smart” phones are not smart enough to be able to set up the way I’d like. If the number isn’t in my contacts, DON’T EVEN FUCKING RING. Just go straight to voicemail. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message and I’ll call them back. I’m too lazy to look right now but I’m like 90% sure you _can_ do this assuming you have an Andriod OS. ---
**Author:** ![elninost0rm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ed655f/32.png) [@elninost0rm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elninost0rm)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/12 "2012-06-07T14:57:44Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m too lazy to look right now but I’m like 90% sure you _can_ do this assuming you have an Andriod OS. You would be correct. It’s an app called “Smart Actions” ---
**Author:** ![JuliaSqueezer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/82dd89/32.png) [@JuliaSqueezer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JuliaSqueezer)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/13 "2012-06-07T14:59:42Z")
A few years ago, I taught at a small college that was pushing the “we’re like a family” theme. Part of this meant adjunct instructors like me, who did not have on-campus offices or phones, were required to list our phone numbers on our syllabi so students could call us. Brilliant idea, right? I couldn’t afford a cell phone, so I used my home number. As expected, a student called me at 2 am to tell me she had cramps and would not be in my class the next day. My father was in the hospital at the time, and I expected that this was one of those bad-news calls. She could have emailed this news, but chose instead to call me at home. Like family. The following semester, I removed the phone number from the syllabus cover page. When I explained my reason to the department chair, he agreed that it was a stupid requirement. The “family” theme was gradually phased out. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/14 "2012-06-07T15:05:37Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > I’m too lazy to look right now but I’m like 90% sure you _can_ do this assuming you have an Andriod OS. For the life of me I can’t understand why one of the ring options on an iPhone is not ‘silent’. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/15 "2012-06-07T15:34:33Z")
> [@ugly ripe tomato](#): > > I don’t know if it’s still in operation but there is/was an escort service with a phone number one digit away from my home number, so we’d get some… interesting calls in the wee hours. > > Depending on how sleepy I was I’d either curse them out or insult them creatively and hang up on them. “All right, sir, we’ll have somebody there in twenty minutes.” ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/16 "2012-06-07T15:46:33Z")
> [@VinylTurnip](#): > > “Mr. **percy**? Hi, this is Chris from Wells Fargo… I’m in a bad place. I’m really drunk and I think I might do something stupid… sorry but I didn’t know who else to call…” _\_ 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/17 "2012-06-07T15:46:29Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > “All right, sir, we’ll have somebody there in twenty minutes.” Or less!! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/18 "2012-06-07T16:14:37Z")
[Here’s](http://esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm) the link to file a complaint with the FCC. It may or may not do any good. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/19 "2012-06-07T16:19:10Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > For the life of me I can’t understand why one of the ring options on an iPhone is not ‘silent’. I’m baffled why they didn’t offer this as a built-in option too, but if you or anyone else is wondering, there is a way to do it by adding a custom silent ringtone. [This site](http://richardkmiller.com/702/iphone-tip-use-a-silent-ringtone-to-screen-calls-in-your-sleep) is one that offers instructions. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349/20 "2012-06-07T16:22:24Z")
Or even better… “Master Hector will be there in 20 minutes.” _hang up_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/listen-when-you-call-me-at-1-30-am/624349.md?page=2)