Has the time come to cut the cord?
My home phone is the cheapest basic service I can get. No caller ID, no long distance service, metered service - only XX number of outgoing calls per month, no three way line, no call waiting. I have a few phones in the house with one plugged into an answering machine.
I use my cell phone 99.9% of the time. I never make outgoing calls from my land line. My family and friends do not call my land line.
For the sake of not feeling obligated to list my cell number on business documents, and for the basic comfort of knowing if the power goes out my land line should still work, I've kept it.
The last few months aside, my home phone basically rings to the machine and I rarely receive a message. Occasionally a doctor's office will call and remind me of an appointment or I find a message from a wrong number.
I have been getting robo-dialed like crazy. My wife left the phone off the hook for several days because of it. I actually noticed because it had become so frequent and pervasive that phone not ringing for an entire evening surprised me.
Occasionally I'll answer the home phone and the one out of six calls that is not an immediate click ends up being someone from a boiler room who mispronounces my name and starts rambling.
Now, I personally enjoy this. I'm not delinquent on my obligations. So- I'm not getting true debt collector calls. I have however, received calls claiming that I'm four months behind on credit card XYZ. It's different sometimes and almost never a card I actually have. They name a brand or a company that rings a bell- such as I've seen their commercial to get a credit card. Sometimes it's an honest survey or Am Vets calling to see if I have anything to put out for pick up.
The ones that are obviously phishing calls are my favorite. I'll keep them on the line for as long as possible. I'll ramble on about a documentary I saw on Netflix and ask them if they like shows like that. "Do you have Netflix?" hahaha. Sometimes I'll turn the table and ask them about their family and how the weather is wherever they happen to be calling from.
One guy I kept on the line for a solid hour. I told him that he sounded ambitious and had a solid grasp of the English language. Eventually I even offered him a job. "How would you like to come out and work for me here!?" Always in a loud enthusiastic tone. I told him I'd set him up with a job calling and selling things legitimately and that I was very excited that he had called.
Maybe it's cruel. For the number of potentially fraudulent calls I actually receive, I don't feel bad about fooling around with someone once in a while. The alternative could be horror. I imagine that someone actually falls into the phony call and actually gives out personal information or credit card or check numbers over the phone. I see my little ramblings as personally amusing and as providing a service to others. While I have these crooks tied up on the line they're not calling little old ladies and intimidating them into doing anything harmful.
I had a woman call recently and tell me, very seriously, that I would be arrested if I didn't make a payment on the XYZ account. I had no such account. I started making disconnected statements and comments. She said, "you need to take care of this today because we've called the police about your delinquent account. Get your check book and let us make a payment over the phone." To which I replied. "You know, Frankenstein never scared me. Marsupials do. 'Cause they're fast... Actually my headlights are starting to go out. I need to get them refilled. Later today, I'm going dancing. The truth is though, I don't like to wear shoes. It's crazy. I'm so glad you called because I thought my line went down in the last wind storm. I have two dogs. Listen to them bark when I knock on the wall... Did you hear that. They think someone's at the door. Wait, I need to give them water." Then I run water really load by the receiver. Meanwhile she's trying to break in and interrupt. NO- I continue, "guess what my favorite color is!........" Priceless..... " can't decide can you... ok I'l guess your favorite color- blue... red.... green... chartreuse..." which I continue as long as possible until I can't think of names of other colors...
Once I did it on speaker phone, and it was my phone company trying to sell me high speed internet. My wife is in the room listening because naturally I pause the TV for these kinds of calls. "Why is your internets better?" I asked. The reply is canned and I immediately interrupt. "So I ca get the WiFi too? and connect my toaster and laptop and cell phone and tablet and TV?" uhhhh yes sir WiFi. laptop, yes. "What about the toaster though? I really want that thing online you know." uhhmm I guess so sir. If you have a internet toaster. "Are you mocking me! I'm trying to evaluate what you're offering here." no sir. no. "Who installs this WiFi?" We can do it for a fee. "Who would come out? Have you done a background check on them?" Oh yes sir we only send qualified technician. "because the last guy asked to use the toilet and I don't think he washed his hands." on and on random and relentless. Finally, they ask when they could sign me up. "I'm not going to sign up." Do you mind if I ask why sir? "Well, alright, but DON'T TELL ANYONE. promise?" ok I won't tell anyone. "PROMISE!" I promise sir. "I'm not going to pay for internets, the neighbor pays and I connect to his signal just fine. But DON'T TELL HIM because I don't want him coming over and asking to borrow sugar or anything thinking I owe him one." By then my wife is crying and insists I hang up.
It's all just fooling around. I don't leech my neighbor's internet either.
I don't generally as a rule play this kind of game with people who are just working. The phone company had called hundreds of times prior and refused to accept, "no thank you" as an answer. If someone calls and isn't a fraud or trying to get me to sign up for something silly like, "an amazing business opportunity" or "debt consolidation" then I treat them courteously and politely. No long stories or rambling nonsense.
In the end though, how many of you have cut the land line and how long ago?
What may be the pros and cons of doing so? Wouldn't I have to give out my cell phone number then when doing business or for filling out forms? I don't want to pass out my cell number to the bank, the doctor's office, the insurance company, etc.... Will I start getting the crank calls and robo dial weirdos on my cell phone if I cut the home line?
Ahhh,, I can't wait until the phone rings again..
.
My home phone is the cheapest basic service I can get. No caller ID, no long distance service, metered service - only XX number of outgoing calls per month, no three way line, no call waiting. I have a few phones in the house with one plugged into an answering machine.
I use my cell phone 99.9% of the time. I never make outgoing calls from my land line. My family and friends do not call my land line.
For the sake of not feeling obligated to list my cell number on business documents, and for the basic comfort of knowing if the power goes out my land line should still work, I've kept it.
The last few months aside, my home phone basically rings to the machine and I rarely receive a message. Occasionally a doctor's office will call and remind me of an appointment or I find a message from a wrong number.
I have been getting robo-dialed like crazy. My wife left the phone off the hook for several days because of it. I actually noticed because it had become so frequent and pervasive that phone not ringing for an entire evening surprised me.
Occasionally I'll answer the home phone and the one out of six calls that is not an immediate click ends up being someone from a boiler room who mispronounces my name and starts rambling.
Now, I personally enjoy this. I'm not delinquent on my obligations. So- I'm not getting true debt collector calls. I have however, received calls claiming that I'm four months behind on credit card XYZ. It's different sometimes and almost never a card I actually have. They name a brand or a company that rings a bell- such as I've seen their commercial to get a credit card. Sometimes it's an honest survey or Am Vets calling to see if I have anything to put out for pick up.
The ones that are obviously phishing calls are my favorite. I'll keep them on the line for as long as possible. I'll ramble on about a documentary I saw on Netflix and ask them if they like shows like that. "Do you have Netflix?" hahaha. Sometimes I'll turn the table and ask them about their family and how the weather is wherever they happen to be calling from.
One guy I kept on the line for a solid hour. I told him that he sounded ambitious and had a solid grasp of the English language. Eventually I even offered him a job. "How would you like to come out and work for me here!?" Always in a loud enthusiastic tone. I told him I'd set him up with a job calling and selling things legitimately and that I was very excited that he had called.
Maybe it's cruel. For the number of potentially fraudulent calls I actually receive, I don't feel bad about fooling around with someone once in a while. The alternative could be horror. I imagine that someone actually falls into the phony call and actually gives out personal information or credit card or check numbers over the phone. I see my little ramblings as personally amusing and as providing a service to others. While I have these crooks tied up on the line they're not calling little old ladies and intimidating them into doing anything harmful.
I had a woman call recently and tell me, very seriously, that I would be arrested if I didn't make a payment on the XYZ account. I had no such account. I started making disconnected statements and comments. She said, "you need to take care of this today because we've called the police about your delinquent account. Get your check book and let us make a payment over the phone." To which I replied. "You know, Frankenstein never scared me. Marsupials do. 'Cause they're fast... Actually my headlights are starting to go out. I need to get them refilled. Later today, I'm going dancing. The truth is though, I don't like to wear shoes. It's crazy. I'm so glad you called because I thought my line went down in the last wind storm. I have two dogs. Listen to them bark when I knock on the wall... Did you hear that. They think someone's at the door. Wait, I need to give them water." Then I run water really load by the receiver. Meanwhile she's trying to break in and interrupt. NO- I continue, "guess what my favorite color is!........" Priceless..... " can't decide can you... ok I'l guess your favorite color- blue... red.... green... chartreuse..." which I continue as long as possible until I can't think of names of other colors...
Once I did it on speaker phone, and it was my phone company trying to sell me high speed internet. My wife is in the room listening because naturally I pause the TV for these kinds of calls. "Why is your internets better?" I asked. The reply is canned and I immediately interrupt. "So I ca get the WiFi too? and connect my toaster and laptop and cell phone and tablet and TV?" uhhhh yes sir WiFi. laptop, yes. "What about the toaster though? I really want that thing online you know." uhhmm I guess so sir. If you have a internet toaster. "Are you mocking me! I'm trying to evaluate what you're offering here." no sir. no. "Who installs this WiFi?" We can do it for a fee. "Who would come out? Have you done a background check on them?" Oh yes sir we only send qualified technician. "because the last guy asked to use the toilet and I don't think he washed his hands." on and on random and relentless. Finally, they ask when they could sign me up. "I'm not going to sign up." Do you mind if I ask why sir? "Well, alright, but DON'T TELL ANYONE. promise?" ok I won't tell anyone. "PROMISE!" I promise sir. "I'm not going to pay for internets, the neighbor pays and I connect to his signal just fine. But DON'T TELL HIM because I don't want him coming over and asking to borrow sugar or anything thinking I owe him one." By then my wife is crying and insists I hang up.
It's all just fooling around. I don't leech my neighbor's internet either.
I don't generally as a rule play this kind of game with people who are just working. The phone company had called hundreds of times prior and refused to accept, "no thank you" as an answer. If someone calls and isn't a fraud or trying to get me to sign up for something silly like, "an amazing business opportunity" or "debt consolidation" then I treat them courteously and politely. No long stories or rambling nonsense.
In the end though, how many of you have cut the land line and how long ago?
What may be the pros and cons of doing so? Wouldn't I have to give out my cell phone number then when doing business or for filling out forms? I don't want to pass out my cell number to the bank, the doctor's office, the insurance company, etc.... Will I start getting the crank calls and robo dial weirdos on my cell phone if I cut the home line?
Ahhh,, I can't wait until the phone rings again..
.
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Seriously, I've had both my home and office phones with Vonage for about 6 years and now that I'm semi-retired, may go to cell only for my business. Will probably keep Vonage at the house as the wife is constantly on the phone.
