To think no caller id should be illegal

[Pgqio]

I don't get many but because of a difficult situation I'm in just now causing severe anxiety if I get a no id call it puts me through the roof.

Their only purpose is malignant, anyone else think it should be illegal to make them?

If I have to call a driver or a client from my own phone I’d much rather withhold my number. In what way is that malign?

No. I do hearings over the phone and I have to use my personal phone, work won't provide one. I don't want to have people calling me up after the hearing to ask questions or yell at me if they don't agree with my decision. It's not malicious at all.

If you don't want them, just set up a block. Your provider should be able to tell you how to do it.

No, I don't think it should be illegal. I very often make phone calls and hide my number - I don't some people calling me back! If they want my phone number, they can ask for it and I can decide whether I give it to them or not.

If you don't like calls with no caller Id, just ignore them, I do. If its important they will leave a voicemail.

Well no, I get them all the time as well as loads of unknown and numbers I don't know.
I just ignore them, block them if I can and if it's important they will leave me a voicemail. I never answer them.

A lot of hospitals use no caller ID and they are not malicious at all

My GP and DDs school both call from unknown numbers, so it's not always malicious!

Nope. I have to use my own phone to call parents about their child’s behaviour. Before I started hiding my number I had some parents phone me drunk at night to yell at me.

On some phones you can block calls that hide their number. I did it - I figure if you want to talk to me, you need to identify yourself. It can be a bit tricky in that some public services automatically hide their number but I tend to give my mobile number if I know they'll be ringing me.

Fair enough thanks for responses. Surely though if so many people don't answer them and don't have voicemail how do you get the message through?

No, I withhold my number because if I have to ring a company up I don't want them having my number. I don't want people ringing me up so unless I expressly give them my number they can't. If I get a call from a number withheld I just don't answer it. (Usually I'll also ignore the rest too!)

How will the police enforce that? Arrest people?

I'm specifically talking about my mobile. All withheld numbers are blocked on my landline.

Surely though if so many people don't answer them and don't have voicemail how do you get the message through?
Email which is my preferred option and which I will give out or call to mobile which has voicemail (but which sits in the kitchen and so disturbs me even less)

Their only purpose is malignant, anyone else think it should be illegal to make them?

NHS calls come up as number withheld, definitely not malicious.

Not knowing who was ringing used to be part of the fun of answering the phone when I was a child!

When I worked in the nhs there were lots of clients who wouldn’t take calls from withheld numbers. It was very frustrating if trying to get hold of someone urgently. Equally those very same people might complain if a relative saw that they were taking a call from a midwify unit number and still complain.

No pleasing everyone.

I’m still wary though and tend to say “hello” quite abruptly when answering a withheld number.

I would have thought voicemail was standard on most phone plans. For my purposes, if the person chooses to be called for the hearing, it's their responsibility to answer the phone when I call. They get a letter ahead of the hearing letting them know when I'll be calling.

But, genuine question, why wouldn't you have voicemail? I really don't understand people that don't. Surely if you feel anxious about answering a call, voicemail is the perfect solution, you can let all calls go to vm then choose if you want to call back.

I don't know why NHS don't show the number, how can you call back?

Its not always malicious. This is why many people use voicemail, you can choose who to call back.

1572 BT service blocks calls

I don't have voicemail and when i did none of the withheld numbers ever left a message.

If the hospital are calling you there are so so many different departments, it just doesn't work with them all having individual numbers showing on outgoing calls, hence why they have a switchboard.
If you are expecting a call from the hospital you would probably answer an unknown call. If not, get voicemail.

Lots of people suffer anxiety. Or phobias.

We can't outlaw everything that anyone is afraid of.

I have a phobia of caterpillars, for example.

It annoys me too. If you’re a business etc, you can set it up so the main switchboard (or similar) number appears - the fact that my local hospital calls with withheld numbers really annoys me