Never answer the phone unless you know who it is. Far simpler.
Tougher for a phone used in business.
My usual M.O.
I’ve gone even further this week. Simply unplugged the power to the adapter to the VOIP line I use as a home phone. If anyone leaves a message, I get it in my email almost immediately anyway and I can call back—while living in peace otherwise.
No use wasting your time with call-back games.
Sometime about a year ago I got a call from a telemarketer who had a very pronounced Indian accent. After his short pitch I told him this: “Because of your choice to have a job where you call people and try to mislead them and cheat them, in your next life you will be reborn as a cow.”
Brief pause
“motherf***er, motherf***er!!” he replied.
I have customers, friends, people who want to reach me that I do want to speak with and so on.
I am sick of not answering my phone and it seems like $50.00 a month is a pretty expensive answering machine.
No longer possible to not take calls
Dittoes.
Another trick. For iPhones. Might work on them other phones too...
Do Not Disturb.
No calls will ring through. Unless they are in your Contacts. Not someone you know or in your Contracts list?
It goes straight to voicemail. If it is someone you want to talk to, they will leave a message for you to return the call.
Next, I’m looking for a gimmick that calls cannot go to voicemail unless you press a number (like 1).
I’ve been told Robocalls do not go through the extra step of pressing 1 to leave a message, so they don’t.
Anyone know what I’m talking about? Is there an app to get this done?
I know there are ways to disable all voicemails. Not sure I want to go to that extreme a measure though.
That's a really great idea... for people who don't operate a business where phone calls = money.
I understand that threatening to kill the unwanted caller sometimes gets their attention! I did it only once and the caller said that they were going to take me to court. I told him that I’d really like for him to do that so that the court could also fully understand what he was doing making repeated calls to me. FWIW, He never called back.