To not answer "withheld" phone calls

[Mistressmiggins]

Why should I answer the phone? I don't know who they are. Or do you all answer out of curiosity?

My parents don't answer number withheld calls so they miss all of my calls as mine comes through as number withheld (phoning from abroad).

I never answer the house phone any more but I answer all calls to my mobile because only important people have that number.

Also I never get any cold calls on my US phone number, but I do have a UK number that rings through to my US number and periodically I get cold calls on that. Usually around 4am. Wonderful. I am registered with TPS.

Oh and by the way when I call from work that gets logged on the time-record which goes towards your bill. Even if I don't get an answer. And if I have to write to you because you won't answer your phone/have blocked numbers withheld you'll get billed for a letter too.

In fact if I do answer them I refuse to confirm who I am until they say who they are.

Thus this conversation last week:

"Can I speak to ilovesooty please?"
"Could I ask who's calling?"
"Is this ilovesooty?"
"Could you tell me who's calling please?"
"Oh never mind!" -disconnect.

What caitlin said. All calls from our office are withheld numbers. If I get a withheld call I answer it as it's usually a colleague. If it's a cold call I ditch the call instantly. I do find that I have to leave a few "Tiger here, please call back" messages with clients, but usually you can leave a message so that's fine.

Did someone ^^ say they had never left a message on an answer phone?

Oh and by the way when I call from work that gets logged on the time-record which goes towards your bill. Even if I don't get an answer. And if I have to write to you because you won't answer your phone/have blocked numbers withheld you'll get billed for a letter too.

Oh dear - sounds like the sort of company I wouldn't like to do business with.
Our business is genuine (recommended by Surrey Trading Standards, Which? Trusted Traders and Checkatrade) and we don't resort to such money-grabbing tactics.
Many people block withheld numbers because they have had nasty trouble with nuisance calls - this should not be exploited by companies. I would imagine there'd be an alternative way of contacting someone (if it was a decent company)??

Just doesn't seem very private Evans that's all.

I can't see why it's silly not to answer your phone, it's not compulsory you know . Answer or don't, I'm sure the OP is perfectly aware of the consequences of either choice.

How on earth can that not be private Sparkling? Email accounts are generally only accessible to the account holder, same for text msgs. No private details are left, just a message asking the person in question to make contact. So if the GP, for instance, were to ring the home phone and someone else answered the phone, how would that msg asking the relevant person to contact the surgery be much different from leaving a private text or email, which is more likely to be more private than leaving a msg with another family member?

Our "withheld" calls are usually NHS or similar. I do answer them because they are invariably important. Could also be DH, as his work number is withheld.

I don't touch "number unavailable" or "international: out of area" though. I have an answer machine if it's somethign important.

I don't answer as its usually a cold caller or worse my ex-directory mil.

Means dh needs to answer them all and I've got a great excuse not to answer when she phones when he's out (she has no reason to be ex-dir, just one of her many strange behaviours)

I'm more likely to answer a withheld number than any other number I don't know. I know as a nurse the difficulties I've had trying to get hold of people because they won't answer a with held number, which a lot of hospitals are, as are police stations I think.

My dd and my dss both have 'Witheld' numbers and my ds and dsd have International numbers. Even though I have the numbers in my house phone they show as witheld on caller id so I always answer them.

I work in a hospital and all of our calls are withheld, so I wouldn't do a blanket ban on withheld numbers.

I was trying to call a guy back about something, but his phone wasn't accepting withheld calls. Couldn't call him back!

YANBU. I assume it's a sales call.

What is the logic behind NHS numbers being withheld?

Police/hospitals etc are withheld as the phone system has numerous ext numbers and there is a switchboard. Its not a decision police/nhs make. Its just how the phone system works.

PinkOcelot - I'm very surprised you didn't have his email address or mobile number. Our GP/dentist/hospital have ours. In fact, they check every time one of us visits that nothing has changed and we have the same contact details.

(Or, of course, a typed letter)!

I answer as its usually school or work.

Patient confidentiality. People might not want other family members to know they're receiving treatment for whatever reason.

I never answer my landline. I only have it for broadband. I don't even have the ringer turned on.

Everyone that needs to contact me knows they can get me on my mobile. Not even my mother has my landline number.

Ilovesooty I can't understand the mentality of people who won't answer withheld numbers in this day and age. It irritates the hell out of me if I call someone and they are too ignorant to pick their phone up.

Our local hospital doesn't withhold it's number. Neither does OT. Nor the GP. Nor the kids' schools. The universities we work at shows up as the number for the switchboard rather than our extensions.

There is no excuse for withholding a number when it's possible to give a general idea of who is calling.

If I ever answer a withheld number, it is always someone trying to sell me something.

I don't answer foreign numbers either. That's always scammers.