If its blocked they can leave a voicemail and ill ring them back if I want to lol

Unfortunately yes,I have to answer all calls regardless of private number or not as i have been three years waiting on a call from Beaumont hospital as i am awaiting a kidney transplant.My phone has never been out of sight in all that time as you never know when that call is going to come!Although it feels like its never going to come.both myself and my wife had to resign from work so i could qualify for a medical card so i could have my dialysis three times a week and all the many different madications that i need to stay alive.I often had up to 30 calls a day from banks who did not give a sh1t what my circumstances were.Sorry for the rant and for going off the point somewhat and please folks consider carrying a donor card-you could save many lives

If they want to remain a private number,
Well I’ll remain private too by not answering them and it will all stay private

Imagine you went back twenty years and told someone in twenty years time you’ll be carrying a device that tracks your every movement and not only that but you yourself will tell the world where you are, what you are doing and what you are having for dinner and you’ll pay for the privilege of this. That’s why I go off the grid with the trusty tinfoil hat

Stop ringing me Christine, I know it’s you

I barely even answer calls that have ID turned on! The real question is ‘does anyone answer their front door’?!

My mum blocks her number so I have to :(. No amount of pleading will make her unblock it.

If they don’t want you to know who it is, sure why are they ringing you in the first place ?..

Never, it can only be two people calling. The bank manager or the Devil !!

Most times I’m optimistic and imagine I’ve won a competition or something… However all I’ve managed to win from blocked numbers to date is a reminder or two to pay a bill!

I sometimes answer but then ask them to hang on for a moment then leave them til they get fed up and hang up ….revenge

Never , its always somebody looking for money or wasting your time

I don’t answer them, if someone wants to block their number that’s their tough s**t.

I do but I don’t speak until they do!

Yes because if I don’t answer it i’ll spend the next 2 hours wondering who it might have been and saying to myself that I should have just answered.

Haven’t answered a blocked call since before the millennium…. it was always someone looking for money, or an unpaid bill… or a scam, or whatever… but it was never good news for me. I use a phone because its an advantage for me… I don’t invest in it being advantageous for someone else… that’s not part of my overall plan.

Possible exceptions were agencies who were calling from behind their company phone system… even so they have my email address and landline. But that’s all sorted now anyway, precisely because people wouldn’t answer the phone!

If they really want to get in touch they will email you, text you or whatever… if they don’t its not that important. Certainly not in any way important for you… only for the caller…and to hell with them anyway who cares what they want.

One big movile phone provider block their number when phoning their customers and never leave a message.
How do I know, my grandson answered my phone one day so I spoke to them.
I asked them were my recent 4 blocked number calls from them and they confirmed.
A funny way for a phone company to do business.

I think hiding your number is very rude. Occasionally I will answer but I remark “oh I’m glad I answered as I normally don’t answer blocked numbers” it usually gets the point across to the caller.

Decent folk (or businesses for that matter) don’t need to block their number because other folk generally like talking to them, so I employ the logic that the word “blocked” or “private” on my screen is interchangeable with a host of other words such as a’hole, deviant, scam etc etc. and these types don’t deserve battery time on my phone!

If its important they’ll ring back and maybe take their number off private…if smart enough(not likely)

“NOPE”

No, because nine times out of ten it’s recruitment agencies, and to say I hate recruitment agencies is an understatement.

No,if a call comes up as private it can go to voicemail.
I often get calls from telemarketers ,if I have the time I’m only too happy to assist.

Yep, because my mom and dad’s landline is ex-directory. They’re the only calls I get from blocked numbers too … seems like I’m in the minority there.

Well my aunt had a heart attack and was in hospital the only person they had a number for was her son. He didn’t answer the call as it was a blocked number. I don’t know what the story with voicemail was but he didn’t get any. She was in hospital two days before he found out. I think with stories like that you really need to answer the. Call. You can always hang up. She has since recovered from it :)

Yes. whenever I answer an unknown number, it’s 95% for me – perhaps a friend using a friend’s phone as his battery is dead – and the same goes for blocked numbers. There are plenty of companies using VOIP services which have caller ID glitches.

Too much Sex and the City led to this call screening phenomenon. And we’re not those gals.

Never cos I know it’s my mortgage company looking go get paid :)

I don’t ring on private, but I find it very hard to believe the numbers claiming they wouldn’t answer, really would just ignore the call. For all you know it could be a friend/relative with an emergency, who’s using someone else’s phone.

There are several legitimate reasons the number might be on private, one of which being when it’s coming from a specific phone in a business: often they’re on “Private” or “Unknown”, because the phone they’re calling from can’t be dialled directly from the outside. Mobile networks and banks customer care do this. Which really is a terrible idea, security-wise.

But yes, definitely is extremely annoying and rude when someone calls you, private or otherwise and asks who it is, without first identifying themselves.

I don’t answer blocked numbers or unknown numbers. If I know you well enough then ill have your number. I never check voicemail unless I’m bored. Text me and I’ll save number and ring you back. Simples

Generally, but not due to curiosity. Some agents call from hidden numbers and I like to work, so I can get to pay taxes and save you all from the bond holders.

Jeez lads, how do ye survive at work? Talking to all manner of strangers! Answering the phone to any old person! Moreover, how did ye cope pre-mobile? You know, when you had to answer the landline… “Hello, 46410…”

I answer all my calls unless I’m in the middle of something else. Worst case scenario, I can hang up. It’s fairly simple. Don’t really get the reluctance/fear tbh… *shrug*

my phone number is private and shows up as private and sometimes i forget to put 142 in front of the number i dial and my partner is terrible for not using 142, so when i am at work i will answer a private number on my mobile just in case it is my partner calling but when i am at home i won’t answer withheld numbers. The reason my number is private is so i don’t receive cold calls and if i get one i ask where they got my number and to remove it straight away from their system.

I think anyone who doesn’t answer to private numbers has something to hide and should sort their shit out.

Wow. I would always always answer my phone if i heard it. What’s the worst that could happen? I don’t have a stalker or anything. Do most people?

Nobody calls me… I feel unloved :(

Putting 141 in front of a number you want to ring will shows your number to the person your ringing if its private and it can be used to block your number when ringing someone if its showing.

The Panel have done this, not sure if The Journal have: are they Rice Krispie cakes or buns?

I began a comment, but it was more of an epistle, so I have decided to answer you on my blog http://grannymar.com tomorrow.