Home and Auto Answering The Home Phone In 2015 - How do you do it? - Page 10

GloryDayz · 02-16-2015, 12:50 PM

We all know most of us have at least one cell phone (perhaps two), and we increasingly communicate via SMS and MMS texts, and email. With that in mind the percentage of legit calls to your house from friends and family is WAAAAAY down compared to stupid calls from vendors so, in the day-and-age of all this technology and caller ID (that can be faked) how do you answer calls on the home line (if you still have one)?

Do you ever answer?

Do you pick up and hang up without saying "hello" (because the robots on the other end know the word "hello" (and some say it's an invite to talk in some legal sense of the word)?

Do you pick up and tell whomever to "**** off and fist their mother" then hang up?

Do you give the phone to your 3-year-old to talk to them for as long as they'd like, or place the phone in front of the family parrot or TV (tuned to an infomercial)?

Do you let the answering machine pick up?

What do you do?

oldman · 09-17-2015, 07:06 AM

I'm sort of in the same boat as Dane. Poor cell reception plus no cable, so VoIP isn't an option. So I amuse myself when I see a number I don't recognize (or do and don't want to talk to them). My college French is still pretty good, so I'll sometimes answer "Oui, quoi" and speak only in French. We also had those scam calls, so after I got the numbers, I'd answer "Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office". Another fun one I've used is "Law office, Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe".

**ChiTown** · 09-17-2015, 07:14 AM

My wife won't let me get rid of the home phone. It's been YEARS since anyone that I have wanted to talk to has called me on my home phone. YEARS. The ****ing thing is reserved primarily for telemarketers and general scammers. I hate it, and I hate paying the ****ing bill!

GloryDayz · 09-17-2015, 02:25 PM

Meh, the price argument didn't mean much to me. I spent $129 for the hardware, and not it's $3.50 a month (for taxes) unless I want some features and a second line.

It was close between Ooma and MagicJack, but in the end Ooma won. I'd be lying if I said it was a slam-dunk.

Hell, I'm more pissed at the yet-to-have Google Fiber goons for not offering a hard phone. If you telework and you use a cell phone, everybody hates you... I know my staff had better not! If they do (a lot, or when not on travel), they get to drive into the office and see if a landline is too inconvenient. And for my peeps in places like Dallas and Houston, that's a one-time suggestion before they get a hard phone in their home office!. And when you spend as much time on the phone as I do, it's a speaker phone of the loony bin... And I have every headset known to mankind, and they rock, but I still prefer a speaker phone.

eDave · 09-17-2015, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dave Lane

Magic Jack rules. Its like $40 for 5 years. I use it to fax on on those rare occasions I have to and to call my cellphone when I can't find it.

Worth it.

**bevischief** · 09-17-2015, 04:54 PM

Haven't had one for years.

GloryDayz · 09-17-2015, 07:07 PM

Who teleworks (from home) more than 10 days a month, is on calls for a LOT of the day, and doesn't have some form of home phone/land line/hard phone?

I just had one of my Telecom guys run a CDR on my main "at work" line (from before I started teleworking A LOT last year), and I averaged 4800 minutes a month. So that ain't happening in a cell phone!

02-16-2015, 12:50 PM
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3615380	Answering The Home Phone In 2015 - How do you do it? We all know most of us have at least one cell phone (perhaps two), and we increasingly communicate via SMS and MMS texts, and email. With that in mind the percentage of legit calls to your house from friends and family is WAAAAAY down compared to stupid calls from vendors so, in the day-and-age of all this technology and caller ID (that can be faked) how do you answer calls on the home line (if you still have one)? Do you ever answer? Do you pick up and hang up without saying "hello" (because the robots on the other end know the word "hello" (and some say it's an invite to talk in some legal sense of the word)? Do you pick up and tell whomever to "**** off and fist their mother" then hang up? Do you give the phone to your 3-year-old to talk to them for as long as they'd like, or place the phone in front of the family parrot or TV (tuned to an infomercial)? Do you let the answering machine pick up? What do you do?
Posts: 115,325

09-17-2015, 07:06 AM	#136
oldman Curmudgeon Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: North by Northwest Casino cash: $5836784	I'm sort of in the same boat as Dane. Poor cell reception plus no cable, so VoIP isn't an option. So I amuse myself when I see a number I don't recognize (or do and don't want to talk to them). My college French is still pretty good, so I'll sometimes answer "Oui, quoi" and speak only in French. We also had those scam calls, so after I got the numbers, I'd answer "Leavenworth County Sheriff's Office". Another fun one I've used is "Law office, Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe".
Posts: 5,319

09-17-2015, 07:14 AM	#137
ChiTown Stroking to the SB Champs! Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Flatlands of Kansas Casino cash: $3383962	My wife won't let me get rid of the home phone. It's been YEARS since anyone that I have wanted to talk to has called me on my home phone. YEARS. The **ing thing is reserved primarily for telemarketers and general scammers. I hate it, and I hate paying the **ing bill! __________________
Posts: 39,316

09-17-2015, 02:25 PM	#138
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3615380	Meh, the price argument didn't mean much to me. I spent $129 for the hardware, and not it's $3.50 a month (for taxes) unless I want some features and a second line. It was close between Ooma and MagicJack, but in the end Ooma won. I'd be lying if I said it was a slam-dunk. Hell, I'm more pissed at the yet-to-have Google Fiber goons for not offering a hard phone. If you telework and you use a cell phone, everybody hates you... I know my staff had better not! If they do (a lot, or when not on travel), they get to drive into the office and see if a landline is too inconvenient. And for my peeps in places like Dallas and Houston, that's a one-time suggestion before they get a hard phone in their home office!. And when you spend as much time on the phone as I do, it's a speaker phone of the loony bin... And I have every headset known to mankind, and they rock, but I still prefer a speaker phone.
Posts: 115,325

09-17-2015, 04:54 PM	#140
bevischief .... Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somewhere Kansas Casino cash: $8659352 VARSITY	Haven't had one for years.
Posts: 27,731

09-17-2015, 07:07 PM	#141
GloryDayz (Sir/Yes Sir/Aye Aye Sir) Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Diving Casino cash: $3615380	Who teleworks (from home) more than 10 days a month, is on calls for a LOT of the day, and doesn't have some form of home phone/land line/hard phone? I just had one of my Telecom guys run a CDR on my main "at work" line (from before I started teleworking A LOT last year), and I averaged 4800 minutes a month. So that ain't happening in a cell phone!
Posts: 115,325