topic Re: Landline Phone calls in Electronics

Landline Phone calls

VolvoGirl — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 03:56:09 GMT

This group is so helpful. I've been getting a lot of calls on my land line and when I pick up and say hello it is just dead, no dial tone, nothing. I say hello a couple times and wait to see if a recording will come on but nothing. Like everyday. Today it happened like 4 times. Should I call the phone company? Don't want to be paranoid but is someone casing my house?

Re: Landline Phone calls

gazelle77 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 04:00:43 GMT

I have a land lie and get calls like that....I would not worry about it being someone casing you.

Re: Landline Phone calls

ritasNo1Fan — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 04:01:43 GMT

Of course! Do it now. I notice when I get those pesky robo calls, there is a dead delay after I answer & before the caller speaks.. I can always tell that it is one of those annoying people. But check it out.

Re: Landline Phone calls

StylishLady — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 04:40:56 GMT

I have caller ID. If I see it is an 800 number or from a totally odd area code, I lift up and put it down. If not, I let it go and the answering service picks up on it. If the number keeps showing up, I put it on my call rejection list. I'd get rid of the land line, but our computer DSL comes with it.

Re: Landline Phone calls

Sister Golden Hair — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 05:11:55 GMT

Are you on the No-Call list?

Re: Landline Phone calls

ennui1 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 05:16:56 GMT

Robo calls. I get an occasional call that after a period of dead air, the computer says "Good bye."

Re: Landline Phone calls

moto — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 05:19:44 GMT

I get these often, also. I suspect they are robot calls - other than a minor annoyance, I just don't worry about them.

Re: Landline Phone calls

sunshine45 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 05:27:49 GMT

the only time i answer my landline now is when i know the caller......all other calls will be picked up by my voicemail. if they leave a message, great......if they dont, even better!

Re: Landline Phone calls

kahootz — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 05:38:49 GMT

On 7/25/2014 sunshine45 said:
the only time i answer my landline now is when i know the caller......all other calls will be picked up by my voicemail. if they leave a message, great......if they dont, even better!

That's my motto as well. Anyone close to me knows my cell phone if they really need to get in touch. The only reason we still have a land line is because my husband's parents are getting up there in age and will usually call the house phone.

Re: Landline Phone calls

adoreqvc — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 07:02:17 GMT

My land line phone with ans. machine announces to us who is calling as well as telling us and displaying the telephone #.

If we do not answer the ans. machine will pick up but if the caller is silent or just hangs up the ans. machine shuts off.

Another feature I just used is if a call comes in and there is no phone number listed I programmed the phone to disconnect the call and not sound the 1 ring.

Since the item just arrived 2 days ago we are still learning the new features and must say so far this telephone system is a real keeper.

We already transferred all of our 2 cell phone contact #'s to the phone system and it was done with a couple of clicks. Actually now all our contacts are all added into the system.

In the past we noticed a lot of calls to the cell phones which also included robo calls.....very irritating, but now since we can bluetooth pair the 2 cell phones to also ring on the land phone line when a cell phone call comes in I believe those irritating calls will now no longer get through. Also we each pick a different ring tone so we know who the call is for coming in from the cell phone to the land line phone with ans. machine.

This system also has a battery back up and you do not even need a land line to use it provided you have blue tooth paired your cell phone to the phone system.

Should the electric go off the handset remains active using the battery back up to allow us to make emergency calls to others.

Now with this newest telecommunications technology it makes it much easier to appreciate not being irritated by unwanted callers.

We are on the do not call list, but that still needs to be perfected.

Re: Landline Phone calls

Big Sister — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 07:35:10 GMT

I have been on the "do not call" list for years and it doesn't really help. I get several of those calls every day, exactly like yours. I just ignore them. Most of them are automated calls and don't even leave a message.

Re: Landline Phone calls

klajfakj — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 08:10:01 GMT

We recently had to get a new phone for our home. We got a system with a main phone with answer machine w/3 extension phones. This system has a function for call blocker. Whenever you see an 800 or unknown come in, program that number to call blocker. When they call again, the phone will ring once then disconnect the call. FANTASTIC!! Now I don't have to come home to all kinds of odd messages on my answer machine. When call blocker fails you, this function will work wonders!! I had one survey group that was calling every evening several times for approx 1 month. The phone now rings, caller ID shows who the call is from and then "call blocked" comes up and the call is disconnected. A must have feature on the new phone systems.

Re: Landline Phone calls

dooBdoo — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 09:42:51 GMT

VolvoGirl, If you're worried by all means call your phone company to put your mind at ease. I've pretty much eliminated all the nuisance calls, but it took research and work (long story I won't detail here).

Most important: It's best not to answer calls at all if you don't recognize the caller ID.

If you pick up the phone, they know they've found a "live" number and you'll likely get more calls as a result (your number goes on a list and sometimes it's shared or even sold to other unscrupulous callers).

Remember, many robocalls don't know your number at first -- it's a computer that auto-dials and scrolls through phone numbers chronologically, hoping to find someone who will answer.

There's a great company called Nomorobo that answered and won the FCC's challenge last year. They automatically block most of the calls for you.

Their service is free, and you can find a number of articles about them. They don't offer it everywhere just yet, but their coverage is growing. On their website you can fill in your provider and location and see if you can sign up:

Nomorobo

(link goes to: https://www.nomorobo.com/)

Here's just one article explaining the problem and some solutions:

Screen unwanted calls without one-at-a-time blocking

The free Nomorobo service and AT&T's Privacy Manager help reduce the number of nuisance calls that aren't blocked by the Do Not Call registry. Cnet.com, 4/17/14:

(link: http://www.cnet.com/how-to/screen-unwanted-calls-without-one-at-a-time-blocking/)

Re: Landline Phone calls

dooBdoo — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 09:49:29 GMT

A little more info: If you want to research the irritating calls, do an internet search for the phone number or name displayed in the caller ID. There are a couple of great websites with reports on the numbers, info on who's behind some of them, suggestions for fixes to the problem.

Just put the phone number or name into the search bar, or go to these two safe, reliable websites:

http://800notes.com/ (doesn't have to be an 800 number to look it up) and http://www.whocalledme.com/.

(Warning, a few of the folks who comment on those websites are a wee bit hot under the collar… not that I can blame them.)

Don’t forget, if you've signed up with a company, website, promotion, contest, etc., or if you've been a customer of a company, they do have the right to call unless you opt out. There's usually fine print that says they can contact you via phone, postal mail, or email unless you notify them otherwise.

hth

Re: Landline Phone calls

ID2 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 11:52:56 GMT

Geez this is simple. Get rid of your landline phone....problem solved. Why go through life with this causing you anguish? When my landline phone got to the point that the only calls I received were from peddlers I dumped it and never turned back. I've had only my cell for several years now and its the best thing I've ever done. Life is too short for aggravations that you can easily eliminate.

Re: Landline Phone calls

VaBelle35 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 12:59:22 GMT

These are computer calls. Usually the person on the other end has gone on a break or is talking to their friend and doesn't hear that you have picked up. You can certainly report it to the phone company but I doubt they will do much for you.

As someone already posted, you might want to invest in a new phone set. I bought the Panasonic ones at Costco (I bought the 5 pack). It has call block on it. The neat part about that is, if there's a "live" person on the other end, they will record your number as disconnected or not in service and they will stop calling you. The caller gets a fast busy signal on their end. That is how I got rid of Verizon If it's a computer on the other end, they don't hear the fast busy so they will keep calling for all eternity.

Re: Landline Phone calls

Krimpette — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 14:21:09 GMT

I absolutely adore caller ID! It saves me tons of grief. And my main TV displays the caller ID info and my answering machine also announces the calls. I either ignore the calls or I pickup the phone and hang it right back up again.

Re: Landline Phone calls

MomCat — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 14:32:38 GMT

On 7/26/2014 bigsister said:
I have been on the "do not call" list for years and it doesn't really help. I get several of those calls every day, exactly like yours. I just ignore them. Most of them are automated calls and don't even leave a message.

Same here. Don't let these scam calls make you paranoid or you let the creeps win. The problem has gotten so bad now no one knows how to stop it. We can't even trust the number that comes across on caller ID. So annoying that people don't have better things to do than bug the rest of us.

Re: Landline Phone calls

ennui1 — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 14:40:24 GMT

On 7/26/2014 ID2 said:
Geez this is simple. Get rid of your landline phone....problem solved. Why go through life with this causing you anguish? When my landline phone got to the point that the only calls I received were from peddlers I dumped it and never turned back. I've had only my cell for several years now and its the best thing I've ever done. Life is too short for aggravations that you can easily eliminate.

I like having a landline for reverse 911, the emergency notices and public safety communications.

Re: Landline Phone calls

Sweetbay magnolia — Sat, 26 Jul 2014 15:00:59 GMT

EMTs I know advise me to keep the landline, for 911 purposes. The phone man said the same thing - in case of a power outage, there is a window of generator produced power that enables the phone to be operational for a significant period of time. I guess with the chargers now available, and the fact that your car can be a backup power source for the cell, that may not seem important. I find reception to be clearer in some cases on the "home" phone, especially if the caller is one the move, on a cell. I like having a back up in case my cell battery fails, or if I lose my cell phone. Can happen. In an emergency, redundancy could make a difference. And yes, we are still in "the book".

I just hang up if the caller doesn't respond immediately, and I quit answering for awhile if I seem to get a lot of those calls. I like keeping my long-standing "home" number. In these parts, it tells that you've been around awhile. The core of local contractors that know the area and do great work, usually call on that line. An anachronism of culture, I guess.

Hackers seem to enjoy a "hunt". I choose to be open, thus providing less of a challenge. Who knows.

(O/T) oh for g%$# sake the "let it go" Disney thing is still going on. Turning off!