Strange Phone Calls

[blas87]

I mean that in any sense you want it to mean.

It's been posted many, many times over at CS, in all the areas.

I think the greater majority of us abide by the "don't answer if I don't recognize the number" mantra. I know I do. However, I do get curious and I google the number as soon as I can get to a computer and find out as much as I can without having to pay. At least to find out if it's a cell phone and where the call came from.

Not long ago, I thought I'd solved a particular problem by changing my voicemail to my own voice (up until last spring my only option was the automated person and me just inserting my name in there), so it says "This is blas, not here right now, leave a message."

But that doesn't stop the few numbers that, from time to time, keep calling my phone. This one in particular is a landline from my parents' town, and it calls me once or twice a month, usually in the afternoon.

Years ago, my number was the number for our tracfone, or disposable phone, before we all had cell phones. My mom unfortunately gave that number out to too many people, I gave it out to too many people, but most importantly, my mom put it in her paperwork for all of her jobs as a backup contact, and only as of her most recent job (that she's had for a few years) stopped using this number. She even had this number in the directory at the church my family las went to, and were very active members of. So, a few years back, I had people calling my phone ALL the time looking for my mom. A lot of these people were older, and didn't quite understand that this was NOT my mom's phone and no, you can't reach her here. I gave those people her number, but they'd keep trying back with my number anyway.

I was able to finally look the number I was just talking about above earlier tonight. It appears to be from a landline of an older couple that live nearby my parents.

I don't know why they keep freaking calling. And never leave a voicemail.

True, two wrongs don't make a right, but I don't feel I need to answer a call from someone I don't know, and if they aren't going to leave a voicemail and state their business, they shouldn't keep calling. Didn't reach me last time, guess what? This month, I'll hit "ignore" again. Leave a voicemail and maybe I'll consider answering next time.

I also hate that no matter how many times I sign up for DNC, telemarketers still call, and squeak by by using the loophole of being politically affiliated, or by being a charity. Fuck you, you have no right to anyone's cell phone number. One reason a lot of people ditched their landlines was because they were sick of telemarketers calling them, and having to pay to have unwanted calls.

Another thing that drives me nuts is, like I said, I changed my voicemail and it clearly states my name.

Back last spring, I got a call twice in one night, two voicemails from some random guy who, after hearing my voicemail, still said "Hey Amanda, this is Mason!....blahlblahblah"

Seriously.....wow.

[jackfaire]

In my case I switched to a cell phone because my phone company went digital and they said, "Now your landline is sixty bucks"

I said fine cancel my service and got a cell phone that cost me 45 bucks.

That being said on my current number I have had my phone for a year and a half and I still get calls for a Barbara.

Twice I have gotten Happy Birthday texts. The first year I politely texted back that this is no longer Barbara's number. Then repeatedly the same person kept texting me finally I responded with "If Barbara hasn't given you her new number it's because she does not like you and neither do I"

[Kaylyn]

I once changed my voicemail to say, "If you're calling this number, please check what you dialed and try again, because anyone that knows me knows to text me as my service at home is too unreliable."

I think I changed it back since I changed carriers and kept the old number, as I get slightly better service now.

[Ginger Tea]

Last I checked my voice mail still says "if you do not wish to leave a message hang up now or else wait for the beep" and a long enough pause to hang up, still get new voice mail alerts of people hanging up.

For a few months every odd day, sometimes more than once a day, I've been getting calls from one of 3 0800 numbers, to call a freephone number on a mobile costs for some bizzare, but I have no idea if it costs to recieve said call, not wishing to find out the hard way.
They've never once left a message and I don't feel like going to a pay phone to call em and find out who they are what they want.

[Gravekeeper]

Try having an ex from China whose family she doesn't want to talk to still only have your number and don't speak English. -.-

[Racket_Man]

I also hate that no matter how many times I sign up for DNC, telemarketers still call, and squeak by by using the loophole of being politically affiliated, or by being a charity. Fuck you, you have no right to anyone's cell phone number. One reason a lot of people ditched their landlines was because they were sick of telemarketers calling them, and having to pay to have unwanted calls.

.

as I said in a thread over on CS, the DNC (both state and Federal) is a totoal joke these days. too many spoofed numbers, scammers, shady collection agancies, and companies misrepresetning themselves. these companies KNOW FULL WELL that, in most cases, the state or Federal AGs will NOT go after them (too much leg work) so they go full bore.

I know for a fact that some companies have tens or hundreds of spoofed numbers (check out 800notes.com or whocallsme.com) to use in their robo-dialers

[Gravekeeper]

I find the DNC in Canada is quite effective. The only things that typically bother me are local charities and political groups. Local ones only. Thank god ( I don't think national ones are permitted to call the DNC here ). I can deal with a call from my local Big Brothers once a month on their clothing donation drives. Though our local mayor's assfuck of a constant robocall strategy single handedly made me not vote for him this month. Just out of spite.

[Cazzi]

Ginger Tea: IF you do a search for "who called me", it'll bring up several UK sites where you can search those numbers and hopefully find out who they are. I've used them with success when I've had those off calls that cut off when you answer them... usually spam calls!

As for odd calls... With my very first phone, every Friday night as I was getting home from my bar job, I used to get a very inebriated call from someone asking for Kate and every Friday night until I got used to the number I had to explain that I wasn't Kate!

With my current number which I've had for years now, I started getting a text every 12 months from someone's Uncle Gino telling them He had a new number. I sent a text back saying you have the wrong number, he'd call to remind whoever who he was then finally be convinced and promise to delete my number.... to go through the same rigmarole the next year.

Haven't heard from him for a while now so I guess he finally realised that I wasn't his relative or his relative gave him the wrong number coz they didn't like him

With an old landline number I went through spells of calls asking me when the next stripping was! Usually from males, those calls got hung up on quickly It wasn't until I got the same question from a female that I asked who she thought she was calling. Turns out I had a number that was almost the same as a furnishing & restoration store who offered chemical stripping for pine items.
Glad I got that one sorted out!

Apart from that, I just had the usual collection calls from previous number owners on changing telecoms, a couple of which I had to go nuclear on as they totally ignored me telling them the person no longer had that number & please stop calling me!

[Ginger Tea]

Ginger Tea: IF you do a search for "who called me", it'll bring up several UK sites where you can search those numbers and hopefully find out who they are. I've used them with success when I've had those off calls that cut off when you answer them... usually spam calls!

I think I did for the first one, but that was ages ago I forget what the outcome was.

Apart from that, I just had the usual collection calls from previous number owners on changing telecoms, a couple of which I had to go nuclear on as they totally ignored me telling them the person no longer had that number & please stop calling me!

It's bad enough recieving mail for people who don't live in my shared house any more, especially those that moved out 3 years ago, but phone calls too.
I know they might be dubious if you say "I'm not them I'm me."

If they don't do it already, I think the governing bodies for telecomunications for each country should hold numbers from reentering the pool for atleast a year with a prerecorded message saying the number is no longer active, this gives all parties concerned ample time to call the number and find its no longer in use, the only downside is if someone gives out their old number long after it has re entered circulation.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

Flat out, if I don't know the number, I do not answer and let it go to voice mail. If it is someone I know or is important, they'll leave me a message.

Like I do not know all the numbers for my doctor's offices. They call, I see a number that I don't know and I ignore it. Then I get the VoiceMail bleep and I listen to the voice mail telling me that this is Dr. So-n-so's office confirming my appointment the next day. Then I'll call back and add the number to my list so it comes up in the list and I can identify it the next time.

Otherwise, no VM...no call back. If they don't like it then they can leave a @#$%ing message like they were instructed to in the outgoing message. If they're too stupid to listen to the instructions...

...Fuck em.

[HYHYBT]

I don't know why they keep freaking calling. And never leave a voicemail.

Wah. If you wanted to know why they were calling, you'd answer the phone. If you were curious about why people who live near your parents kept trying to contact you, you'd give up your little game of "if they won't leave a message," just once, and speak to them. You and everybody else knows that some people, especially old people (which you said you know they are) hate voice mail and won't use it; act on what you know. Of course they *should* leave a message. But they haven't, and the rational responses are limited to "forget it, including wondering about it" and "answer the phone, find out what they want, and *tell* them you will only speak to them in the future if they leave a message." You're talking about this, not just as if it were a nuisance, but as if it were some complicated, unsolvable mystery as well, when the solution would literally come to you in a moment if you'd let it. You already know it's not telemarketers, etc.

[protege]

as I said in a thread over on CS, the DNC (both state and Federal) is a totoal joke these days. too many spoofed numbers, scammers, shady collection agancies, and companies misrepresetning themselves. these companies KNOW FULL WELL that, in most cases, the state or Federal AGs will NOT go after them (too much leg work) so they go full bore.

I've been getting quite a few calls where I'll pick up...and nobody is there. Several are from companies wanting to sell me vacation plans. Others...are from Verizon...wanting me to upgrade to FIOS. Annoying, since I already have FIOS! Nearly all of the 'nobody there' calls come in around 9pm. I usually say something like "State your business. If you're not going to talk, fuck you." Then I hang up. Every night it's like that. I have very little tolerance for telemarketers. They're scum, and deserve what they get.

[jackfaire]

I have very little tolerance for telemarketers. They're scum, and deserve what they get.

Not always.

I worked for 3 days at a place because I couldn't find work I left as soon as I had a job offer from another company.

There was a single mother that had left an abusive situation and had 3 kids who had no choice but to work there until she could find another job that would pay as well.

That's why I always try to be respectful because you never know the reps situation.

[Greenday]

Very rarely with my cell back stateside did I get strange calls. There was one week where some asshole, every day for five days, called me between 4am and 5am. Every time, I told him he had the wrong number. The fourth time, I warned him that thanks to the internet, I knew who he was and where he lived and that one more phone call would result in a call to the cops. I called the cops after the fifth time and then the phone calls stopped.

I get bullshit all the time with my Afghan service. Texts all the time for stupid promotions. Phone calls every now and then for more stupid promotions. Plus they call early morning and I don't wake up until 1pm. Sometimes I get people calling that speak only Pashto or Dari so it's impossible to explain to them that they have the wrong number. God I hate it. But I'm required to have a cell phone so if we get attacked, they can make sure I'm okay and for other work reasons.

[tabbyblack13]

The only major issue I get on my personal phone is the texting advertisements I get on occasion.

My work phone is much more entertaining. Someone had just gotten a new phone number and was giving it out wrong. Because it was my work phone and I was on-call I was forced to answered every call. I love the "Are you sure I have the wrong number?". When I told them that this phone number belonged to the company I work for at least 4 years they believed me.