Auto phone calls, when the utilities have issue?

[Bob Eager]

I don't. They select that option each time they call. They can 'key ahead' so after the first time, it just takes one quick press of a button.

[Clive George]

Every time they do it. Once last year I think, and maybe once a few years before.

[Tim+]

For a planned shut off I would bet that they're legally required to contact all affected householders, which at a minimum means posting cards through letterboxes I would have thought. It's what happens here.

What happens if you're out when they call? Do they delay cutting of the service?

Tim

[alan_m]

What would happen if they phoned and you were out and you don't have an answerphone? You would not be informed at all.

Even with an answerphone and an incoming automated message the time taken for the answerphone to send the outgoing message and the time taken to issue the 'beep' may be long enough for the automated message to finish before any recording started.

[Tim+]

My point seems to have escaped you. Being able to accept messages from utilities over the phone is NOT a good reason to not have a call blocker.

Tim

[Clive George]

For the last one, I think we got a letter a few weeks in advance, then a robot caller a couple of times closer to it as a reminder. I think the robot got to talk to an answering machine at least once. I have no proof of what would happen if we were out and didn't have an answering service, but I would strongly suspect they would just carry on.