How to Ignore a Phone Call
Let the phone ring., Listen to the voicemail., Call back if necessary., Be prepared for them., Setup phone call filtering., Setup your phone system as White List-Only., Setup your phone system as Black List unwanted.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Let the phone ring.
If you press the Ignore button right away, you'll leave a bad impression, which isn't what you're trying to do. -
Step 2: Listen to the voicemail.
If the call had any sort of importance, they probably left a message.
In case it's something urgent, you should listen to it. , It might be easier to return the call than to pretend it never happened. , Suppose you run into them in the city or at school.
You'll want to have a valid excuse for why you couldn't answer, or why you couldn't return the call. , Most phone companies offer "anonymous call rejection".
If the calling party is not displaying caller id information for whatever reason your phone will not ring.
Instead the calling party will be confronted by a phone company system that will do one or more of the following: prompt the caller to release caller id information, prompt the caller to leave a very short voice message which is subsequently played to you giving you a chance to accept or dump the call, instruct the caller to call back revealing caller id information.
This will weed out a great many collections calls.
There are a number of hardware devices that can accomplish this without invoking a monthly fee. , Numbers not on your approved list will not ring your phone.
As collection agencies often employ caller id spoofing, sending fake- or alternate caller id information to trick you into answering.
However, White List-Only home phone setup puts a swift end to this collections terrorism.
White List-Only can be accomplished with a hardware device for as little as $50USD with no monthly fees.
Alternatively once can switch phone service from Land Line (conventional phone system) to VoIP (Voice over IP).
The latter requires an internet connection and performs best on a broadband link; dial-up internet is generally unworkable.
There are a variety of home VoIP providers allowing White List-Only setup for as little as $8USD monthly.
If one is adventurous one can setup a home PBX using Asterisk, an open source software phone system usually requiring a dedicated computer.
PBX in a Flash is one such flavor of Asterisk and is well suited to the above average computer user. , Similar to White List-only, sometimes also called Green List-only, Black List allows all calls except those explicitly blocked.
Land Line phone service typically limits the customer to twenty blocked numbers whereas home VoIP providers or home PBX has no such limit.
Additionally the latter two often allow wildcard blacking.
This allows one to block all calls from toll free numbers: 800*, 866*, 877*, 888*.
As most collection agencies start harassing from toll free numbers one greatly reduces the amount of harassment with a few rules.
One has a wide variety of options how to handle blocked callers, whether in White List- or Black List mode: always busy, infinite ring, fake out of service error, voicemail prompt that does not allow messages to be recorded, and even redirecting callers to another number. -
Step 3: Call back if necessary.
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Step 4: Be prepared for them.
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Step 5: Setup phone call filtering.
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Step 6: Setup your phone system as White List-Only.
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Step 7: Setup your phone system as Black List unwanted.
Detailed Guide
If you press the Ignore button right away, you'll leave a bad impression, which isn't what you're trying to do.
If the call had any sort of importance, they probably left a message.
In case it's something urgent, you should listen to it. , It might be easier to return the call than to pretend it never happened. , Suppose you run into them in the city or at school.
You'll want to have a valid excuse for why you couldn't answer, or why you couldn't return the call. , Most phone companies offer "anonymous call rejection".
If the calling party is not displaying caller id information for whatever reason your phone will not ring.
Instead the calling party will be confronted by a phone company system that will do one or more of the following: prompt the caller to release caller id information, prompt the caller to leave a very short voice message which is subsequently played to you giving you a chance to accept or dump the call, instruct the caller to call back revealing caller id information.
This will weed out a great many collections calls.
There are a number of hardware devices that can accomplish this without invoking a monthly fee. , Numbers not on your approved list will not ring your phone.
As collection agencies often employ caller id spoofing, sending fake- or alternate caller id information to trick you into answering.
However, White List-Only home phone setup puts a swift end to this collections terrorism.
White List-Only can be accomplished with a hardware device for as little as $50USD with no monthly fees.
Alternatively once can switch phone service from Land Line (conventional phone system) to VoIP (Voice over IP).
The latter requires an internet connection and performs best on a broadband link; dial-up internet is generally unworkable.
There are a variety of home VoIP providers allowing White List-Only setup for as little as $8USD monthly.
If one is adventurous one can setup a home PBX using Asterisk, an open source software phone system usually requiring a dedicated computer.
PBX in a Flash is one such flavor of Asterisk and is well suited to the above average computer user. , Similar to White List-only, sometimes also called Green List-only, Black List allows all calls except those explicitly blocked.
Land Line phone service typically limits the customer to twenty blocked numbers whereas home VoIP providers or home PBX has no such limit.
Additionally the latter two often allow wildcard blacking.
This allows one to block all calls from toll free numbers: 800*, 866*, 877*, 888*.
As most collection agencies start harassing from toll free numbers one greatly reduces the amount of harassment with a few rules.
One has a wide variety of options how to handle blocked callers, whether in White List- or Black List mode: always busy, infinite ring, fake out of service error, voicemail prompt that does not allow messages to be recorded, and even redirecting callers to another number.
About the Author
Amanda Scott
Committed to making DIY projects accessible and understandable for everyone.
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