4 ms·

I haven't answered a single phone call from a number I don't recognize for years now. As far as I know, I haven't missed anything important.

by httpz 3y ago

quatrefoil 3y ago
But we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty...
ct0 3y ago
sir, ive been trying to reach you about your ...
mchannon 3y ago
Being forced to interact with city government, state benefits, hospital systems, courts, police, and especially probation officers, all of whom are known to block or obfuscate their number even though missing their call could cause you no end of trouble, would help disabuse you of your smug solipsism.
- charlieyu1 3y ago
  And most services including utilities if you want to reach a human. It fucking sucks because English is my second language, I can read and type fine but if I have to talk on the phone I’m screwed, maybe both of us could understand 70% what the other party says
- SirMaster 3y ago
  Do they not leave a message?
  - mchannon 3y ago
    No, they don't. When the doctor's office can't get a hold of you, now you're looking at 6 months longer until you get to see the specialist you've been waiting for. When probation can't get a hold of you, now you're looking at an unannounced visit, violation, and/or arrest warrant. This happened DAILY when ankle monitors suddenly malfunctioned and communicated that they'd been cut off or that I was violating home confinement by leaving unannounced.
    - SirMaster 3y ago
      I've never experienced a doctor or dentist office not leaving me a message. But that's just my experience I guess.
      - colinsane 3y ago
        i'll corroborate GP. it's happened when i tried enrolling in WA's Apple Health and then 3 days in a row got a call from the same number who left no message; finally i made sure to be near my phone the fourth day and got to it before the voicemail. related, i found out within the last month via mail, after-the-fact, that Progressive had canceled my car insurance due to a billing change, and so i couldn't legally drive that week. you'd think an insurance billing department of all places would leave a message if they can't get hold of you immediately, but nope. not their policy. i guess the spammers have ruined things so much that if Progressive did leave a message most people (myself included) would mistake it for a phishing attempt anyway.
al_borland 3y ago
I’ve submitted several ideas to Apple over the years. One of them actually made its way into iOS, which is the silence unknown callers option. I’m very happy about that. Before they added it, I tried to implement it with the existing feature set by setting my default ring to silent, then adding a custom ring to all my contacts. It was a pain, but it technically worked. One thing I really noticed was the dramatic drop in call volume once I stopped answering calls. Once I stopped answering, they stopped trying to call. People are basically being trained not to answer the phone.
- chankstein38 3y ago
  That's one of the reasons I've not been huge on the recent (within the last several years) increase in "scam baiters" and stuff. As much as it does waste the time of the scammer and as helpful as some of the big ones are, normal people who do it are having little effect and ultimately just putting themselves on more and more lists.
  - notfed 3y ago
    Scam baiters spread awareness and education of modern scams. That's a huge plus. Agreed, though, "don't try this at home" should be emphasized more.

I haven't answered a single phone call from a number I don't recognize for years now. As far as I know, I haven't missed anything important.

by httpz 3y ago

I haven't answered a single phone call from a number I don't recognize for years now. As far as I know, I haven't missed anything important.

quatrefoil 3y ago

But we've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty...

ct0 3y ago

sir, ive been trying to reach you about your ...

mchannon 3y ago

Being forced to interact with city government, state benefits, hospital systems, courts, police, and especially probation officers, all of whom are known to block or obfuscate their number even though missing their call could cause you no end of trouble, would help disabuse you of your smug solipsism.

charlieyu1 3y ago
And most services including utilities if you want to reach a human. It fucking sucks because English is my second language, I can read and type fine but if I have to talk on the phone I’m screwed, maybe both of us could understand 70% what the other party says
SirMaster 3y ago
Do they not leave a message?
- mchannon 3y ago
  No, they don't. When the doctor's office can't get a hold of you, now you're looking at 6 months longer until you get to see the specialist you've been waiting for. When probation can't get a hold of you, now you're looking at an unannounced visit, violation, and/or arrest warrant. This happened DAILY when ankle monitors suddenly malfunctioned and communicated that they'd been cut off or that I was violating home confinement by leaving unannounced.
  - SirMaster 3y ago
    I've never experienced a doctor or dentist office not leaving me a message. But that's just my experience I guess.
    - colinsane 3y ago
      i'll corroborate GP. it's happened when i tried enrolling in WA's Apple Health and then 3 days in a row got a call from the same number who left no message; finally i made sure to be near my phone the fourth day and got to it before the voicemail. related, i found out within the last month via mail, after-the-fact, that Progressive had canceled my car insurance due to a billing change, and so i couldn't legally drive that week. you'd think an insurance billing department of all places would leave a message if they can't get hold of you immediately, but nope. not their policy. i guess the spammers have ruined things so much that if Progressive did leave a message most people (myself included) would mistake it for a phishing attempt anyway.

al_borland 3y ago

I’ve submitted several ideas to Apple over the years. One of them actually made its way into iOS, which is the silence unknown callers option. I’m very happy about that. Before they added it, I tried to implement it with the existing feature set by setting my default ring to silent, then adding a custom ring to all my contacts. It was a pain, but it technically worked. One thing I really noticed was the dramatic drop in call volume once I stopped answering calls. Once I stopped answering, they stopped trying to call. People are basically being trained not to answer the phone.

chankstein38 3y ago
That's one of the reasons I've not been huge on the recent (within the last several years) increase in "scam baiters" and stuff. As much as it does waste the time of the scammer and as helpful as some of the big ones are, normal people who do it are having little effect and ultimately just putting themselves on more and more lists.
- notfed 3y ago
  Scam baiters spread awareness and education of modern scams. That's a huge plus. Agreed, though, "don't try this at home" should be emphasized more.