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Private or No Caller ID?

post #1 of 19
4/5/08 at 7:46am
Thread Starter 
I don't understand the philosophy behind allowing someone to call me and hide their phone number and identify. Someone is allowed to call me and hide who they are until I answer. If someone comes to my door, at least I can look out the window and see them before opening the door.

If they don't want to give up their phone number (though obviously they have mine) then their name should be revealed on my caller id. Why should the caller be allowed to intrude on my privacy without first identifying themselves?
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post #2 of 19
4/5/08 at 7:56am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

I will give you one example. My wife is a Physician and is on call the majority of the time she is not in the office. When she returns calls to patients from home she does not want her patients having her home phone number or her cell phone number.

The vast majority of her patients would respect her privacy at home. The few that would not or the drug seekers do not need our number. That is the purpose of her answering service.

It would be great if the system could allow the name to show, but not the phone number.

It is like most things in this world - there are a few out there who screw it up for the rest of us. As with everything it is the 1% or 2% who do not understand simple courtesy or do not act with general kindness to others who screw it up for the rest of us...
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post #3 of 19
4/5/08 at 8:49am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Another example is when people are calling from someone else's phone they may not want that person's or business's name and number to be displayed.
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post #4 of 19
4/5/08 at 9:33am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

When caller ID came around, I remember one of the justifications for blocking it was for calls placed from domestic violence shelters. That doesn't seem unreasonable to me, but it is certainly a very limited situation.
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post #5 of 19
4/5/08 at 11:23am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Someone is allowed to call me and hide who they are until I answer.

But you don't have to answer. If I receive a call with a private/blocked number, I don't answer. Let it go to the answering machine.
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post #6 of 19
4/5/08 at 12:08pm

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
I don't understand the philosophy behind allowing someone to call me and hide their phone number and identify. Someone is allowed to call me and hide who they are until I answer. If someone comes to my door, at least I can look out the window and see them before opening the door.

If they don't want to give up their phone number (though obviously they have mine) then their name should be revealed on my caller id. Why should the caller be allowed to intrude on my privacy without first identifying themselves?
Not long ago, you didn't see anyone's phone numbers when they called (before caller ID). How did you get by then?

As Bryan notes, no one forces you to answer the phone.
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post #7 of 19
4/5/08 at 12:38pm

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

> Why should the caller be allowed to intrude on my privacy without first identifying themselves?

Exactly how does calling you intrude on your privacy?

Tapping your phone or giving out your info would affect your privacy, but just calling you?

As already stated, the first 100 years or so that phones existed, you didn't know who was calling until you answered.
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post #8 of 19
4/5/08 at 1:45pm

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Johnny Angell
Why should the caller be allowed to intrude on my privacy without first identifying themselves?
I really think you are over reacting to the situation.

Check with your phone provider since many provide a feature that blocks incoming calls from private callers. The caller gets a message that the number doesn't accept private calls and instructions on how to unblock the number if they want to call again.

Oh and here is a tip for everyone, when you call a toll free number the private function does not work. The reasoning is that since the toll free number owner is paying for the call they have a right to know who is calling.
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post #9 of 19
4/5/08 at 2:07pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick_S
I really think you are over reacting to the situation.
Well, first of all, I was just grousing over the situation and not loudly shouting. I admit the level of reaction is sometimes difficult to guage in a thread.

There have been good reasons given for having private calls, and I don't disagree with those given. I can accept those, but I don't accept the "it was that way before caller id" reason. As technology changes so do expectations.
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post #10 of 19
4/6/08 at 8:40am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

You say "If someone comes to my door, at least I can look out the window and see them before opening the door." Well what if you look out the window and you see someone you've never seen before? Same difference with the caller ID.
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post #11 of 19
4/6/08 at 8:52am
Thread Starter 

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff Gatie
You say "If someone comes to my door, at least I can look out the window and see them before opening the door." Well what if you look out the window and you see someone you've never seen before? Same difference with the caller ID.
I do concede there is some need for private numbers. I don't think your analogy applies. If I can look out the window and see someone I don't know, I usually get some information. It's usually obvious if the person wants to sell me something or is taking a survey or something like that. There is some information. On a blocked phone number there is none.

I concede that the needs of the few (or the many), outweigh the needs of a crotchety old man
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post #12 of 19
4/6/08 at 10:14am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

It comes down to many people feel the need to answer the phone when it rings. If it's a private/blocked number, don't answer. If it's important, they'll leave a message.
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post #13 of 19
4/6/08 at 3:21pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan X
It comes down to many people feel the need to answer the phone when it rings.
Yes, I am guilty of that.
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post #14 of 19
4/6/08 at 5:52pm

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

I'm guilty a lot of times too, although I'm getting better. For example, I have finally gotten to the point if I'm busy, I just don't pick up.
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post #15 of 19
4/6/08 at 6:41pm

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

If I see the Prompt "Unknown Caller", "Out of Area Call", Private Caller" "Toll-Free Number" or an Area Code that I do not recognise as being one where I know someone I do what I call "The Two-Fingered Salute". I pick up the receiver, then press, in rapid succession "Talk" & "End"!

I have better thing to do than listen to a Telemarketer's Pitch.

In the days before the Florida Primary I received so many calls from Politicion's "Robo=Calls" I took my phone off the hook so I could have PEACE AND QUIET! I will probably do the same this Autumn!
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post #16 of 19
4/9/08 at 9:38am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

I never answer the phone in my house - I leave that to the "trunk monkeys" aka my kids to handle. I tend to agree with Johhny's initial point but do see that there are reasonable circumstances for this. I just think that the occurence of the unreasonable ones far outweighs the reasonable cases......which puts me in the "crotchety old man" club!
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post #17 of 19
4/10/08 at 6:36am
Thread Starter 

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by ChristopherG
which puts me in the "crotchety old man" club!
Welcome to the club...except I'd never be a member of a club that'd have me for a member With apologies to Groucho.
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post #18 of 19
4/10/08 at 7:07am

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

We get our TV, Internet & phone through the same company. One of the cool features is the caller id shows up in the upper right corner of the TV. This way when watching a show and the phone rings, we can tell who it is and decide if it is worth answering.
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post #19 of 19
4/10/08 at 7:11pm
Thread Starter 

Re: Private or No Caller ID?

Quote:
Originally Posted by drobbins
We get our TV, Internet & phone through the same company. One of the cool features is the caller id shows up in the upper right corner of the TV. This way when watching a show and the phone rings, we can tell who it is and decide if it is worth answering.
I'm not getting our services that way, but my DTV HR20 does the same thing and displays the caller id on our tv.
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