I make no bones about it. I pay for call display, voicemail and all the other telephone bells and whistles because I really only want to talk to the people I want to talk to when I want to talk to them. Why the heck would I bother paying for the services? If the caller id says “unavailable” or “blocked” happy days! I’m not answering. If you have to block your number then I’m not wasting my time answering. If you have something to hide, please don’t bother calling me, i'm so not interested. Call some other poor unsuspecting sap who actually wants to answer the phone. I have often thought about changing my voicemail message to say something to the effect of:
“Hi, I am just plain old not answering my phone and I most likely won’t be answering in the near future. If you want to leave a message feel free. If you are someone I actually want to talk to I will see that your number has come up on my fancy call display and don’t bother leaving a message. Unless some dumb ass erases the call display I will see that you have called and call you back. Seriously. If you have a blocked number, don't call back. Ever."
I already have friends who it is clearly understood between us that we may or may not answer our phones and just our respective phone numbers showing up on the call display is the queue to call back. Although this seriously backfires when your neighbour is calling you and they can see you walking around in your house and you don’t answer. I suppose (if it’s a good neighbour) that just might border on rude. Again, in this situation I have been known to call a couple of my neighbours and leave a message stating “I know you are home! I can see you!”
Just an aside – I have a few friends who are a little bitchy about my lazy phone etiquette – they will phone and leave nasty messages assuming I am home. There is nothing funnier than getting a voicemail message from a friend that says: "I know your effen home. Pick up. Where the hell else would you be? You there? No? Um, then call me."
