Are you answering your phone to unknown number now?

my attitude is that if they are genuine/ worth my interest, they will leave a message, if i have not picked up after they announce themselves. call guardian.

I had just such a call today. I picked the phone up, didn't recognise the number and held on in silence for a few seconds. I was just about to put the phond down when a tentative voice asked if Mr M was there. It was the audiologist, ringing up to check how DH is getting on with his new hearing aid.

This is why I usually pick the phone up.

I Never answer phone numbers I dont know. Some cold callers are so persistent, once I answer, they keep on ringing. So irritating.

Chelseababy
Thankyou very much, I hope it is of use to some of our GN s too!

No problem answering the phone here - with DH’s health problems - it could be important. The Hospital and GP don’t show a caller number and SIL and my BF are Police and their incoming calls show as ‘private number’.
I’ve had a cold call today asking for Anne, when I said I thought he had the wrong number, as I’m not Anne - he replied that I would do anyway and tried to sell me life insurance!

Test and trace calls come from
0300 0135 000

I answer the landline as it has sometimes been the hospital, doctor or dentist. I get quite a few nuisance calls from time to time despite having a call blocker and I press the 'block' button to prevent another call from the same number.

I never call back but if I miss one I look up the number on 'Who Called Me' which is helpful.

I almost missed my op when I was offered a cancellation and didn't check my messages until 3 days later!

Thankyou for all your replies, if there was a specific track and trace number we all were aware of it would perhaps help prevent unanswered calls.
Stay safe.

I just leave my answerphone on a lot.

Confusing isn’t it... Twice last month an unknown number was a consultant calling my husband for a phone appointment we knew nothing about, I nearly cut him off ! Another time an unknown ‘abroad ‘ number was a relation in NZ and again nearly put the phone down??

MaizieD Mon 26-Oct-20 08:57:31
You must be using the internet to post on here from your computer, surely?

You've probably hit the nail on the head MaizieD. For a long time I just looked in here and read the posts. To participate I needed an email address. After three attempts to set up an email I gave up. I took the view that what I've never had I wouldn't miss.

Fast forward a few years and my employer wants to send me my payslip by email, so I called in someone to set it up. What I couldn't do when I tried was to have an icon to click on to retrieve emails. I now have that icon.

There's not much point pursuing internet connection on the phone, the signal is, at best, pathetic. And as for asking a younger member of the family, that's where you hit the nail. We don't have any.

But Gransnet are an informative lot and I am learning day by day how to search for various things, so when I read things like tablet and I-pod, although I'm ignorant of what's what, it's easy enough to search for the information.

I'm obliged to you for your advice, much appreciated.

As far as I know, any medical messages aren't supposed to be left on an answer machine or voicemail , due to data protection.
Before I can go any further, I always have to provide my DOB.

We have an answerphone so if there is a call and no message is left we don’t pursue it. Anyone who matters leaves a message. We had one yesterday, from Matlock. We don’t know anyone in Matlock and haven’t been there for years so ignored it.

@Spangler

You must be using the internet to post on here from your computer, surely?

Are you able to find 'settings' on your phone? If you can, does it have a WiFi setting? If it does, just make sure it's switched 'on' then connect to your internet just like you did on your computer. (If you can't do it I'm sure you have a young relative who could ?. )

Spangler, you do need the internet and Bluetooth on your phone for Track and Trace to work.
If you are interested, perhaps your friend could assist you.

I read a thread on mumsnet some time ago (a couple of years at least) on the topic of answering calls from unknown numbers and the general consensus was that they wouldn't. It did surprise me a bit as it made me wonder how many 'innocent' calls they were missing (and saddened me that we're becoming so mistrustfull of our fellow beings). But I suspected that that is a reason for unanswered track and trace calls. I think the posts on here have confirmed it..

Lollin : So, no need to answer unknown numbers.
Unfortunately some of us do. Those of us who are undergoing medical treatment, cannot afford to ignore unknown numbers.

Marydoll Mon 26-Oct-20 08:17:13
Spangler, A mobile application, also referred to as a mobile app or simply an app, is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device like a phone or tablet.
Much appreciated Marydoll, I won't pretend to understand it and I'm guessing that if the phone's not hooked up to the internet, it's not much use, but you have given me enough to look up the details. Thanks again.

Answering calls from an unknown number is helping the "baddies" to sell your number on so you can end up in a spiral of unknown numbers calling you.

I told trace I could only be notified by text as I do not pick up unknown numbers. I'm assuming the call from track and trace would identify themselves in the same way that legitimate companies do. So, no need to answer unknown numbers.

I always answer my mobile as it’s linked to our business but if there’s any funny business I cut the call and block it. With the house phone it has BT call blocker so caller has to announce who they are before you take the call. You can block then or after taking the call.

I try not to return unknown unanswered calls as these can be linked to premium services that cost a fortune. What I do is to go online to “who called me”, put in the number and it will tell you if it is dodgy or not.

My step daughter works for Deloitte. If she doesn't give her number out, that's good enough for me ?

We are presently waiting to have some work done in our house involving a number of "trades" so I have various workmen calling us to arrange their days for working and I don't want to miss any calls.

On the other hand, if the caller is asking " our records show that you have been involved in an accident that wasn't your fault" or similar nonsense I swiftly put on the drama and pretend to be rather hard of hearing ( no disrespect intended to anyone genuinely HOH ) or I say " which accident was it? I'm always having accidents, I really must stop drinking gin for breakfast " !

My OH just sits there rolling with laughter, it does brighten the day though ??

Spangler, A mobile application, also referred to as a mobile app or simply an app, is a computer program or software application designed to run on a mobile device like a phone or tablet.

Thanks Marydoll & Urmstongran, should I be embarrassed? My wife and I have smart phones but neither of us have ever worked out how you connect them to the internet. We have only had them for ten years, which is quite old by today's standards, all we ever do is text each other.

Dare I say it, I haven't yet figured out what an app is, but anything that helps reduce the risk of the virus has got to be worth it. But for life of me, I can't figure out how it works.