Private numbers

Mister Vain · 19-04-2021 1:43pm

It's not always possible to answer your phone either. You could be at a meeting or in the shower. If its something important they usually leave a message or they will just have their number showing so you can ring them back. I'm very surprised a hospital would have their number blocked.

Wibbs · 19-04-2021 2:00pm

tjhook wrote: »

Having said that, I can understand the contrary viewpoint. An incoming phone call of any description is an immediate demand on your time. Before mobile phones, you were uncontactable any time you left your home/office. There's a mental freedom in that, especially when there was no alternative to that unavailability, no guilt that we should have brought the mobile phone.

Since the dawn of mobile phones, we (at least those of us with the infernal devices ) are contactable at all times, by anybody. I can see how a person might yearn for more control over their time.

There is that, though back in the 90's when I got my first mobile I noted early on that they could become a timesink, or even a solution to non existent problem. The week after I first got one I went off fishing for the day. Parked, got all set up and the realised I forgot my moby! Ooh god!! What if someone can't reach me etc. :eek: Got back in the car and started to drive back home to get it. A few miles down the road I thought WTF are you doing you mental case and drove back and went fishing. I mean I'd gone fishing the week before I got my phone.

So I keep the phone at arms length. I'm not welded to it. It goes into airplane mode in the evenings, ditto for when I'm in the car, working, with mates, with dates when they were a thing. I don't have email set up on it either.

I do feel for those who are required to have one on 24/7 for work. I'd want serious extra cash to give up that freedom.

It's about personal responsibility!

Ahh jaysus TJ, you can't be writing that without a trigger warning.

buried · 19-04-2021 5:33pm

steinbock123 wrote: »

I’m highly amused at people complaining about private numbers.
I’m old enough to have lived at a time when mobile phones weren’t even thought of, never mind invented, and back then , when the phone rang , you just answered it, obviously as someone was calling you.
Why it’s deemed necessary to know who’s calling in advance before you answer these days is beyond me. I get that it’s a neat feature to see who’s calling, but private number coming up would never stop me answering the phone.

I'm old enough to remember those days too, but today's world is completely different, and today's mobile phones are no longer phones but complete mobile data centers. Data that have stored and collected all your information whether it be banking, accounts or whatever. I'm not having anything close to a 'private' number calling me and then hearing next month from the news how some new scam is going around cold calling numbers and then mining the data from this 'new sophisticated scam'. Sorry state of affairs but that's how it is now in today's world.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 6:36pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The people getting offended are people like you. You’ve just said people who don’t answer are timid and scared. It’s totally normal. I’ve posted two links on that.

Get rid of the blocked numbers.

There are absolutely people who are angered by it, take it personally, and are afraid of it. This topic comes up so often in online discussion, and my own experience of customers looking for a call.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 6:41pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Great example of how society has moved towards autism, paranoia and anxiety being completely normalised.
OH MY GOD MY PHONE IS RINGING AND I DON'T KNOW WHO IT IS! HOW DARE THEY!?

buried · 19-04-2021 6:44pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

There are absolutely people who are angered by it, take it personally, and are afraid of it. This topic comes up so often in online discussion, and my own experience of customers looking for a call.

How do you mean, I mean as in, what is your experience of 'customers looking for a call'?

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 6:46pm

notsoyoungwan wrote: »

I’m laughing at the “this is what’s wrong with the health service” posts. It’s not the 750 approx unfilled consultant posts, not the hundreds of thousands on waiting lists, not the inadequate number of beds, under-staffing in terms of nurses, NCHDs and AHPs, recruitment and retention problems, no, it’s the fact that some hospitals use a private number and some people don’t answer their phone to private numbers.

Unbelievable lack of perspective when it comes to so much.

Lmkrnr wrote: »

Nobody ever ring's to say here's something free for you, or you won this, or would you like that.

Sales callers make offers to existing customers in the hope of keeping them.

19-04-2021 6:46pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

There are absolutely people who are angered by it, take it personally, and are afraid of it. This topic comes up so often in online discussion, and my own experience of customers looking for a call.

They aren't afraid of it, but they don't know who you are. The vast majority of unknown numbers are spam.

19-04-2021 6:48pm

notsoyoungwan wrote: »

I’m laughing at the “this is what’s wrong with the health service” posts. It’s not the 750 approx unfilled consultant posts, not the hundreds of thousands on waiting lists, not the inadequate number of beds, under-staffing in terms of nurses, NCHDs and AHPs, recruitment and retention problems, no, it’s the fact that some hospitals use a private number and some people don’t answer their phone to private numbers.

Thats a false dilemma. Particularly since fixing the private number should be easy.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 6:50pm

buried wrote: »

How do you mean, I mean as in, what is your experience of 'customers looking for a call'?

- Call me back
- Will do
- You never called me back
- Yes we did, check your missed calls
- Oh but I don't answer private numbers

Or

- Can I get a callback?
- Sure. Just to be advised, the call will come from a blocked number.
- But I don't answer blocked numbers
...

What do they want? The phone system rehauled just for their call?

Just being difficult for nothing.

19-04-2021 6:52pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

- Call me back
- Will do
- You never called me back
- Yes we did, check your missed calls
- Oh but I don't answer private numbers

Or

- Can I get a callback?
- Sure. Just to be advised, the call will come from a blocked number.
- But I don't answer blocked numbers
...

What do they want? The phone system rehauled just for their call?

Just being difficult for nothing.

The customer is always wrong. Good strategy.

buried · 19-04-2021 6:52pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

- Call me back
- Will do
- You never called me back
- Yes we did, check your missed calls
- Oh but I don't answer private numbers

Or

- Can I get a callback?
- Sure. Just to be advised, the call will come from a blocked number.
- But I don't answer blocked numbers
...

What do they want? The phone system rehauled just for their call?

Just being difficult for nothing.

Apologies if I'm getting too personal but what sort of company do you work for that deems it reasonable in these times to acquire a 'private number' slot to showcase to existing and potential customers on their phones?

19-04-2021 6:55pm

I wonder if Wallet Inspector could get away with sending email without an address, if he could. I would expect businesses to have numbers that are fully available. Whats the business reason?

EmmetSpiceland · 19-04-2021 6:56pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

- Call me back
- Will do
- You never called me back
- Yes we did, check your missed calls
- Oh but I don't answer private numbers.

- You never called me back.
- Yes we did, check your missed calls
- Oh, a private number, didn’t know that was you. Did you leave a message?
- No.
- Why not?
- Em...because we like being difficult?

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 6:56pm

Deleted User wrote: »

The customer is always wrong. Good strategy.

Not always, but yeah very often. It's perfectly clear how they were being difficult and narcissistic for the craic. No need for the obtuseness.

buried wrote: »

Apologies if I'm getting too personal but what sort of company do you work for that deems it reasonable in these times to acquire a 'private number' slot to showcase to existing and potential customers on their phones?

I've no idea what sort of company. It's just a thing some companies have - I don't read into it, I don't think there's a nefarious reason. I just thought that calls from extension numbers don't always come up, but do from the main switchboard. That was a few years back - maybe they've changed since. Call centre.

Fandymo · 19-04-2021 6:59pm

[Deleted User] wrote: »

The customer is always wrong. Good strategy.

You know “The customer is always right” was just a business slogan, like “Just Do It” or “P-p-pick up a penguin”. It’s has no basis in reality.

buried · 19-04-2021 7:00pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

I've no idea what sort of company. It's just a thing some companies have - I don't read into it, I don't think there's a nefarious reason. I just thought that calls from extension numbers don't always come up, but do from the main switchboard. That was a few years back - maybe they've changed since. Call centre.

You should tell them to wise up in whatever limited way you can. There is good reason the vast majority of people in these times won't answer a 'private number' showcase. The banks and credit card fraud section don't use private number mobile showcasing. With good reason too, because when they call they usually want you to answer, and they want you to answer the call fairly quickly.

19-04-2021 7:02pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

Not always, but yeah very often. It's perfectly clear how they were being difficult and narcissistic for the craic. No need for the obtuseness.

As I said 80% of people don't answer blocked numbers. Nothing narcissistic about it. They are mostly spam, or cold calls, or something like that. I treat private numbers like I treat spam, I ignore it. In fact if I could block private numbers I would.

I've no idea what sort of company. It's just a thing some companies have - I don't read into it, I don't think there's a nefarious reason. I just thought that calls from extension numbers don't always come up, but do from the main switchboard. That was a few years back - maybe they've changed since. Call centre.

Well, here's a thought, fix that and stop blaming customers.

19-04-2021 7:04pm

Fandymo wrote: »

You know “The customer is always right” was just a business slogan, like “Just Do It” or “P-p-pick up a penguin”. It’s has no basis in reality.

It's a bit odd to totally ignore your customer preference never the less, even if that particular statement is trite. Also P-p-pick up a penguin isn't a business slogan, it's an advertising slogan.

The number of people on here defending bad business practice and the idea that we are all at the beck and call of anybody who calls us is weird.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:06pm

Yeah I'll just fix it. I don't work there anymore so I'm speaking in general but I will blame customers for being difficult for the laugh (utter narcissism) - when they have requested a callback as per both scenarios I described. Different story if they didn't request a callback of course.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:09pm

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a bit odd to totally ignore your customer preference never the less, even if that particular statement is trite.

The number of people on here defending bad business practice and the idea that we are all at the beck and call of anybody who calls us is weird.

And I think it's weird how bizarrely angered calling from a blocked number makes people. And it's also weird how not answering a call when expecting one, just because of coming from a blocked number - having requested this call - is deemed nothing other than rude.

I'm not defending or criticising it, I just don't see the big deal. And saying "just fix it" is bizarre. Where is the evidence that I had any control over it?

buried · 19-04-2021 7:12pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

Yeah I'll just fix it. I don't work there anymore so I'm speaking in general but I will blame customers for being difficult for the laugh (utter narcissism) - when they have requested a callback as per both scenarios I described. Different story if they didn't request a callback of course.

Well, a good thing to keep in mind in your next job is that the customer is ultimately there to pay your wages and they also want to know who exactly they are dealing with. The customer is not there merely to exist to be cold called or treated as some sort of 'mark'. Your company or employment won't last long utilising that sort of mindset.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:20pm

buried wrote: »

Well, a good thing to keep in mind in your next job is that the customer is ultimately there to pay your wages and they also want to know who exactly they are dealing with. The customer is not there merely to exist to be cold called or treated as some sort of 'mark'. Your company or employment won't last long utilising that sort of mindset.

Um... where are you getting all that stuff from?

I'm long finished that kind of work. My "next" job? I have a job.

I didn't cold call. I made callbacks if requested to - the opposite to cold calling.

I had no control over the phone system.

And literally zero evidence for you to go on about having a bad attitude towards customers (only ones with a bad attitude themselves, and I'd hardly say it to them). Getting secretly annoyed by one thing doesn't mean you'd be rude/unhelpful to customers otherwise.

buried · 19-04-2021 7:26pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

Um... where are you getting all that stuff from?

I'm long finished that kind of work. My "next" job? I have a job.

I didn't cold call. I made callbacks if requested to - the opposite to cold calling.

I had no control over the phone system.

And literally zero evidence for you to go on about having a bad attitude towards customers (only ones with a bad attitude themselves, and I'd hardly say it to them). Getting secretly annoyed by one thing doesn't mean you'd be rude/unhelpful to customers otherwise.

No need to get so pissy wallet, all I gave to you was the straight story. You literally said you were 'laughing' at them. That's literally having a bad attitude towards them, the customer, And they have every right to have a bad attitude, its not them looking to keep you going or your company going, you are a service there for them, that's how consumerism works, if you as a consumer engage with a bad service, you, the employee ultimately pay the price, such as loosing their custom and your business, and ultimately your job as a employee. Its no good to laugh about it.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:32pm

Are you actually serious? (Did I really say I laugh at them?)

I don't work in that area any more and when I did, I wasn't rude or unhelpful. I have simply posted here about how annoying it was when people looked for a call and then didn't answer despite expecting a call but just because the number was blocked.

If you're being serious, what are you on about?

buried · 19-04-2021 7:34pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

Yeah I'll just fix it. I don't work there anymore so I'm speaking in general but I will blame customers for being difficult for the laugh (utter narcissism) - when they have requested a callback as per both scenarios I described. Different story if they didn't request a callback of course.

Yeah! There's you laughing at them!

What happened that company you worked for anyways?

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:41pm

"Customers who are being difficult for the laugh".

I... left it because I got another job, which constantly happens. The place is still there - that was years ago. I don't think calls from a blocked number is going to shut down a company. Maybe they don't call from blocked numbers anymore.

You're getting a good kick out of this I see.

:D

buried · 19-04-2021 7:48pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

"Customers who are being difficult for the laugh".

I... left it because I got another job, which constantly happens. The place is still there - that was years ago. I don't think calls from a blocked number is going to shut down a company. Maybe they don't call from blocked numbers anymore.

You're getting a good kick out of this I see. :D

I'm getting no kick out of it man, more fool me but I'm trying to show you how its not good practice to blame the customer for your own actions, or your employers actions or how people like yourself are shoddily trained in the inability to deal with how an actual successful consumer business operates.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 7:49pm

You're completely misrepresenting/misinterpreting me.

buried · 19-04-2021 7:51pm

Wallet Inspector wrote: »

You're completely misrepresenting/misinterpreting me.

Call me tomorrow on a private number and we can talk about it

Greyfox · 19-04-2021 8:08pm

Deleted User wrote: »

It's a bit odd to totally ignore your customer preference never the less, even if that particular statement is trite.

If companies want to ignore a preference for there own convenience they are perfectly entitled to do so, they may even have a reason. For example i know KN engineers working for telecom companies always call from a private number as if you miss the call its someone elses job to reschedule.

buried wrote: »

Well, a good thing to keep in mind in your next job is that the customer is ultimately there to pay your wages and they also want to know who exactly they are dealing with.

That doesnt mean they get to dictate the way a businss operates. Grand if your not expecting a call but if your due an important callback from somewhere and then get a private number call its common sense just to answer anyway and hang up if its not a call your expecting

ExMachina1000 · 19-04-2021 8:11pm

https://youtu.be/6Pp154xRvIE

A great guy

Feisar · 19-04-2021 8:12pm

My gran aunt who suffers terribly from notions, has her number private but get this; also doesn't answer private numbers.

buried · 19-04-2021 8:19pm

Greyfox wrote: »

That doesnt mean they get to dictate the way a businss operates. Grand if your not expecting a call but if your due an important callback from somewhere and then get a private number call its common sense just to answer anyway and hang up if its not a call your expecting

Its not common sense though these days is it? Everyone is being bombarded with tales of both online and phone scams, not only bombarded with tales, but actually being cold called by actual scam merchants claiming to be from 'Micrasoft' telling them 'der is prablum with your compeewta machine'. You can hardly blame the consumer for being 'paranoid' about what could happen to them when this dodgy $hit is happening day in and day out and nothing is done to quench it.

As I've said, the banks and the credit card companies fraud divisions do not operate this 'private number' showcase call screen operation.

Its more common sense for the companies to get their $hit together and realise what sort of world their consumers, the actual people these companies rely on to exist, have to operate in, not the other way around.

NewbridgeIR · 19-04-2021 8:23pm

My car broke down at the weekend. Thankfully I have Breakdown Assistance. Both callbacks from them were on private numbers. I wonder what would have happened if I refused to answer them.

EmmetSpiceland · 19-04-2021 8:37pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EKLyac_-Jdg

buried · 19-04-2021 8:44pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

My car broke down at the weekend. Thankfully I have Breakdown Assistance. Both callbacks from them were on private numbers. I wonder what would have happened if I refused to answer them.

Call the local breakdown car mechanic who probably was 5 minutes away? You were hardly going to die out in the wilds of the tiny island of Ireland like

NewbridgeIR · 19-04-2021 8:49pm

buried wrote: »

Call the local breakdown car mechanic who probably was 5 minutes away? You were hardly going to die out in the wilds of the tiny island of Ireland like

It was late and I was returning from A&E with a frail relative.

buried · 19-04-2021 8:52pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

It was late and I was returning from A&E with a frail relative.

We've the best community police service in the world and they'd be out in two seconds to an event like that, along with the local mechanic.

Greyfox · 19-04-2021 9:21pm

buried wrote: »

Its not common sense though these days is it? Everyone is being bombarded with tales of both online and phone scams

The scam calls go away after a few days. By avoiding all private numbers you run the risk of missing something important. A family member could even be calling you and not realising there caller id has been turned off.

buried · 19-04-2021 9:29pm

Greyfox wrote: »

The scam calls go away after a few days. By avoiding all private numbers you run the risk of missing something important. A family member could even be calling you and not realising there caller id has been turned off.

A few days? My parents have been getting these cold calls for the last decade, up and to including the last time I was speaking to them which was last week. And they aren't alone, all of their remaining friends have been getting the same kind of calls. You expect these people who have been on the recieving end of these kind of calls to accept private numbers? Some private numbers that call repeatedly again and again without any voicemail or message? I mean lets get real here, I won't even accept these calls after hearing their stories, would you Greyfox? Are they wrong to be so careful after what they have to put up with? Am I? I don't think so G

19-04-2021 9:36pm

Posy wrote: »

What's the difference between a number showing as "private" or "unknown" or getting a call from 01-41110986 or 087-11677453? It's still not a number you might recognise straight away.
Are people generally more likely to answer the latter?

It depends. Maybe it's slightly different down here in the sticks.

If I get an 067 22--' number I know it's a neighbour, if the number begins with 21 or 27 it's someone from the next village over. If it begins with 3, it's from the town, it begins with 0505, I can make a good guess of who that is also.

A mobile number not in my phone can leave a message, unless I can make a stab at who it is. Maybe cattle have broken out on the road, maybe a relative is calling for a chat — these are things I don't want to know about. if it's important I'll find out eventually.

19-04-2021 10:03pm

Greyfox wrote: »

The scam calls go away after a few days. By avoiding all private numbers you run the risk of missing something important. A family member could even be calling you and not realising there caller id has been turned off.

That’s insane. I mean people are thrashing around looking for reasons now. If your relative has caller id turned off tell them to turn it on. The chances that they went into the deepest part of their settings and turned it off just before an emergency are slim.

19-04-2021 10:06pm

buried wrote: »

Yeah! There's you laughing at them!

What happened that company you worked for anyways?

Went bust because their customers didn’t answer the phone. Nobody knows why. It’s a mystery.

19-04-2021 10:12pm

NewbridgeIR wrote: »

My car broke down at the weekend. Thankfully I have Breakdown Assistance. Both callbacks from them were on private numbers. I wonder what would have happened if I refused to answer them.

Well in that situation you were waiting for a call, so yeh answering it makes sense. I would answer a blocked call if was expecting a call from a company at a certain time, but I’d prefer they in fact had a number and it was in my contacts.

These edge cases are pointless. I don’t answer blocked or unknown numbers unless I am expecting them. I’m not a servant to a phone call and I wasn’t in the pre mobile age either.

Wallet Inspector · 19-04-2021 10:30pm

Deleted User wrote: »

Well in that situation you were waiting for a call, so yeh answering it makes sense. I would answer a blocked call if was expecting a call from a company at a certain time.

Exactly my point. Don't mind buried's obvious winding up and misrepresentation (classy being like that to someone whose frail relative had been in A&E). My objection was to people looking for a callback, expecting a callback, and then not answering because the number was blocked. They were being slaves to their rule.

I don't give a hoot if people don't answer calls from blocked numbers because of the likelihood of these calls being cold calls. They're absolutely right. I just don't get why some get so personally affronted about companies calling them from a blocked number. Or force this view on others.

Lots of us don't see it as a big deal and don't feel offended, or personally slighted, by a company not revealing its number, or think that it signifies something nefarious. Buttonftw hit the nail on the head.

But not picking up because it's highly likely to be a cold call - I don't mean that (although I still always pick up myself, and just say "Can't talk now" if it's a cold call).

I think there are fewer of them now though. More numbers show than they did ten years ago.

Greyfox · 19-04-2021 11:01pm

buried wrote: »

Some private numbers that call repeatedly again and again without any voicemail or message? I mean lets get real here, I won't even accept these calls after hearing their stories, would you Greyfox? Are they wrong to be so careful after what they have to put up with? Am I? I don't think so G

In cases like this of course id expect private calls to be ignored.

Deleted User wrote: »

That’s insane. I mean people are thrashing around looking for reasons now. If your relative has caller id turned off tell them to turn it on. The chances that they went into the deepest part of their settings and turned it off just before an emergency are slim.

Yes and answering there private number call gives me the oppertunity to do this. Another reason for private numbers is companies want people calling customer care rather than calling a direct number to someone who may not be at their desk.

10pennymixup · 09-05-2021 7:44pm

Received a call form a number I didn't recognise yesterday morning at 8:35. Felt like not answering it. but I did,

It was a mobile number that was being used my doctors surgery to call people for a vaccine. I live 7 miles away and in my PJ's. I was there 20 minutes later.

Happy Days.

Private numbers

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