Missed Calls and Caller ID

For those of you with caller ID. When you get a call from a number you don't know and the caller doesn't leave a message do you call the number?

I've had people I don't know call me back at 3AM because I misdialed and called them by mistake earlier in the day.

Today I got a call in my office from somebody whose cellphone had been called. I told him it wasn't me and hung up. He called me back insisting I called since the number showed up on his caller ID. I told him that someone else might have called him from my phone but it wasn't me. He wanted to know where I was and I didn't want to get into that. I said, "the person didn't leave a message and he had no reason to think the person wanted his call returned."

He hung you for that?!

Damn.
Harsh.
ETA: awww, no fair.. you edited. :)

ick. i hate that.

working front desk reception in a building with over 100 people working in it, and it all shows up as the same number on caller ID.

people would call up demanding that i help them find the person who called them, but wouldn't even know which office MIGHT have called. :p

HATE.

Yeah, often that would be the fault of the rep where I worked, tho....

They'd call, leave a message with only their first name, and say "please call me back at 1-800-xxx-xxxx" which was our main customer service line.

So the person would get one of THREE call centers, in THREE different states.... and even if they got the right one, there'd probably be about 20 different "susan"s.

*shakes head*

Personally, I just don't answer if I don't know the number.
If they don't leave a message, I assume it was either a wrong number, a telemarketer, or not very important.

What if it was a friend or family member that was calling from someone else's phone?

then one would hope they would leave a message so that you could call them back.

Exactly.

Not if it is an emergency or they won't be at that phone for long. Perhaps they'll leave a message but it will be too late to do anything about it when you listen.

Well, they'd likely leave a message saying what's wrong... and then turn on their cell phone if they weren't already calling from it.

And if they're calling from a land line, they'd probably stay by it if they want a call back.

I can't think of any situation where it would be a problem....

See - this is the trouble you get into when you have family and friends...

my sister (brace yourself).... doesn't have a cell phone. but she'll travel to the u.s. by bus all the time. she calls me from her friends phones & the occasional payphone. it's really lousy to make someone call twice if they're lost & calling you from a pay phone.

True.

By my "can't think of any situation" statement, I was speaking of my own life.
I should have clarified.

Even both of my parents now have and use cell phones.

I get missed calls occasionally from area codes like 201. I don't even know where that is.

Usually when I don't know the number I answer and it's actually someone trying to get in contact with me for a legitimate reason, but I don't understand why I should be getting calls from random area codes I don't recognise.

201 is New Jersey.

When a area code is all low digits that means it was in one of the larger population area at the time the system started. With a rotary phone the smaller the digits the shorter the time it took to dial. All the original area codes had a 0 or a 1 in the middle. So the three fastest to dial were
212 = New York City
312 = Chicago
213 = Los Angelos

The three largest cities at the time.

I read an article on Wikipedia about the area code system once...it's pretty interesting (then again, I'm a geek that way). ;)

In my experience, if the displayed number is from an area code I don't recognize, it's usually a phone bot.

Also, I never return a call if I don't know who I'm calling.� As Nate said, if it's important - or even relevant - the person would leave a message.� I tend to find a lot of 905 numbers (Greater Toronto Area) in my "missed calls" list and I only know one or two 905ers, who would leave a message if they actually wanted to speak with me.

*nods* I forgot to mention I don't answer the random area code calls.

I used to get the occasional random 905 call but not recently.

The advantage of having a cell phone with Caller ID -- if I don't recognize the number, I send it to voicemail. If it's really important, they'll leave a message or call back.

-- Pauley

If I don't recognize the number or name, and you don't leave a message, then you will NEVER talk to me. I asssume telemarketers et al find that annoying. Good. :)

Hee hee...I like that idea. :)