To not answer an unknown number

Haven't RTFT but... 5 pages on whether or not to answer the phone!

Where has all this GP stuff came from? I never said anything about having any GP or hospital appointments nor do I have kids in school?
Every time I've had a teaching interview, i've had an email or a voicemail has been left just saying "hi this is blah de blah school. We are happy to invite you to an interview. Please call us back on whatever number"

I'm not panicking anymore but after last year (well really around 4 months ago) when my ex was showing up at my work, ringing me and then I blocked his number, and then he was using other numbers to ring me, I do have anxiety about answering calls of numbers I don't know.

I don't get why some people blast on about mental health matters yet anxiety is not taken as seriously.

My GP totally understands phone anxiety and apparently it's really common. 3 years ago when i was referred to counselling they had an option of 'phone' or 'email' for those who did not like random phone calls.

If you wanted to know who was calling you, you could have answered the call. You chose not to, so move on. I have two family members who also do not answer calls from unknown numbers, it infuriates me as I have tried calling them from payphones/workphones/friend's phones only for them not to answer.

if you are not on my contacts list my phone doesn't even ring.

I also have a answer machine message telling callers this in a very stern tone, and then say but "do please leave a message if you would like me to call you back" in a much kinder tone :o

Somehow i got onto some blasted list last year and my phone was ringing and getting texts about car loans, insurance claims and the like and it was driving me batty

People who need to DO leave a message. and tough titties if they don't.

I find it really odd that people just don't answer a phone ... there so many examples on here about emergency situations, doctor appointments etc etc. And how can you assume that 'if it's important they will email me'. ? I have elderly parents, someone could easily try to contact me in an emergency and of course they wouldn't have my email address.

Reminds me of years ago when I had a new trainee in our admin department who told me 'she couldn't possibly answer the phone'. She didn't last long.

Vinoelle
I'm not a gp hater, but some of them really do let your side down!
Ours tried repeatedly to phone ds. During school hours... even though he had asked for no phone calls. They could see he was 13 from his notes. And they know that most kids are in school at 11:00 during the week.
Recently, they have written to dd. To miss myname

Dear sir/madam
Please give us your mobile number

Dd has written back... dear doctors. I am 6. I dont have a mobile.

On the whole, I think you are a great bunch.
Generally caring, considerate and useful.
But the ones we have been forced to change to, due to a house move... useless would be an upgrade from them!

I can't imagine living in a world where it made more sense not to answer the phone, than to take the call and just cut them off if it is a scam / sales call.

Some people have anxieties around answering the phone, for example, so would avoid answering an unknown number. Some people have unstable ex partners or family members who will block their numbers/use a friends phone in order to try and get hold of them. Some people may have mental health issues or other problems which mean they don't like speaking to strangers too.

Of course some people don't answer because they can't be bothered or don't want to deal with the potential hassle, but I do think there are people with genuine reasons to ignore unknown numbers too.

Yes - our surgery sends out a text that says “expect a call from a blocked number at X time” or if booked via reception they will verbally tell them. Sorry but if you’ve been told that then I see no reason to not answer the phone, at the agreed time. But I forgot all of MN hates GPs and we are always in the wrong.

I really don't understand the mentality of not answering the phone to unknown numbers, it only seems to exist on MN.
If I were actively looking for a job and sending out applications I'd answer all calls.
They may have so many CV's on their desk they aren't going to arse about, you've potentially missed out.
Phones have a disconnect button, you can just hang up you know.

this

Yes, YABU to not answer your phone, when it bothers you , not knowing who it is.

If you genuinely didn't care - do whatever you want, but clearly you do care enough, not only to start this thread, but, from your opening post, to take time out to start googling the number who called you

All sorts of big organisations under normal circumstances have withheld numbers, and no, they can't leave a message as they don't know it is the message service of the person they need to speak to and a) might be breaking confidentiality and b) might well be some bad news that nobody is going to leave an answerphone mesage over.
During the 'work from home' time, thousands of people are now making calls from numbers they can't release to the public, so even more calls are going to be made with 141 in front of the number. Obviously, in that case, you can't say "Oh it's so and so - please call us back on......"

Then there's all the times I've taken calls from other people, when my dc have been out and about - when ds got hit by a car..... when dd was taken to hospital after a sports injury..... when dd2 was in town late at night and her phone battery ran out....... etc etc where people I didn't know, were kind enough to ring me when they couldn't.

I can't imagine living in a world where it made more sense not to answer the phone, than to take the call and just cut them off if it is a scam / sales call.

99% of the unknown calls I get are spam. I've set my phone so it doesn't ring if an unknown number calls me anyway - if it's important they'll leave me a voicemail and I can ring back.

We bought new landline phones not realising they had an ‘announced calls’ feature.
Everyone ringing has to say who they are and we can choose whether to accept.
Since getting the phones about three months ago we have not had a single cold caller. Presumably the need to declare their identity is a deterrent. We used to be plagued by time wasting calls, this screening is a godsend.

People are so precious about this. I always answer in case it's my dcs school or a call to do with my dcs health/sn from a hospital or clinic. If its a sales call, I just hang up.

I never answer unknown numbers. My voicemail message on my mobile asks for the caller to send me a text and the landline asks the caller to leave a message. If the caller doesn't do this I immediately block the number.

I don't answer any unknown numbers. If they were known to me, they would be in my address book on my mobile. If they were seriously trying to get in touch with me, they would leave a message.

I block all unknown numbers after 2 attempts. If they cannot be bothered to leave a message, I cannot be bothered to be disturbed.

Police/NHS/Council are often unknown numbers.

I don't generally answer unknown calls and I don't have my voicemail on either. My thinking is that anyone who doesn't know me can email me.

However, if I was looking for a job or expecting a delivery, I would make an exception.

I give up. Its a simple question. Why get annoyed at women or assume they'd know if you don't tell them?

A teacher and a hospital have phoned me this week from witheld or unknown numbers. I think it's weird not to answer.

What did those dirty phone calls used to be called? I don't think they exist any more. If it's a cold caller just block their number, simples. Better than wringing your hands on here after letting it ring out.

All doctor's and hospital numbers are withheld. Specifically BECAUSE people (especially women abused by their partners/teenaged girls) need to know they have full confidentiality.

The number is withheld, are your patients expecting that? Do you tell them?

I have been hit, stalked and abused. I still think that not answering a phone call that you're expecting at a given time from a doctor's surgery and wasting everyone's time is ridiculous. It's completely different to a random phone call.

My husband doesn’t answer unknown numbers and then comes to me if it’s a London number like because I have family there I should automatically know who it is

I also don’t understand why you don’t answer. Answer, if it’s a cold call, hang up and block. That’s what I do.

If you’re being or have been stalked then you can expect to miss calls if you don’t feel safe answering.

The posters going on about not understanding answering unknown numbers, you would understand if you had been abused, stalked, hit or worse.

Do they know your number is withheld?
Surely a GP practice can come up with a better system than this, instead of being baffled by women who are cautious? do you not ever have to deal with patients who are DV victims, or being stalked?