The Phone Rings And...

I make a point to answer the phone. If unable to answer, will wait for the voice message and if no message, then no return call. Robo calls and spammers are diligent and take up so much time!

Robo calls here are rampant. Some days there are 5 - an hour. Many of them now are from my local area code, and I was shocked one day to see that two of them were from ME. A few other times I answered because the call appeared to be from a local business or person I knew. Nope. Those were spam/scam calls too.

I do see your point - some people who are "real" won't leave a message. But - when it rings as often as it does here, if let every call interrupt my work I'd never get anything written!

Yes, your business is different. Very few of my clients call on the phone. We communicate by email most of the time.

It is something that is part of the phone I have...Motorola G6. I'm not aware of anyone else having it. My husband and I both have it (we both have the G6) but we have different service providers so I know it's something to do with the phone not the service.

Whenever we get an incoming call, it provides three choices:

If you choose "screen call" it lets the caller know you are screening and it shows you what they are being told and prints out anything they say in reply. 

You then have the option to connect to the call or report it as spam.

Usually the callers just hang up.

It does identify itself as a Google service. It's not an app we added, it's just came as part of the phone.

Just found this on Google:

https://www.lifewire.com/what-is-google-call-screening-4685687

Congrats on Kathy featuring your post this week!  I can see why she did!

I have the same option as Sharon Tara with my google phone, it offers to screen the call, and often they hang up without leaving a message. Handy, when they do telly uo why they are calling when you don't recognize the number.

So glad I read the feed of comments on your post, Margaret Rome, Baltimore Maryland ... as Sharon Tara's comment/info is wonderful.  Definitely going to check this feature out as it sounds like a winner.  I'm guilty of checking out the numbers closely prior to answering a call.  With so many of these calls now coming in (just read an article that said there were 4 times more calls of this nature in 2019 than 2018) it's hard not to have this reflex action ...

Gene

Hi Margaret Rome, Baltimore Maryland - I get to know the numbers that are spam.  I even get my home phone calling itself!  

Margaret - I so understand, but receiving a half a dozen robo calls a day has worn me thin.  A new capability arose on my cell phone to not answer those calls that aren't in my database.  I clicked yes and so far haven't had any problems this year with it, not missing calls.  A referral will be announced by a current client.  If they refer someone I immediately ask for their number and include it in my phone.  Works pretty well!