How to make a phonecall correctly

I'm sure if we could hear your voice, we would hang up too.

I would rather have that then the usual: "A charge has been made to your Amazon account that is unusual. Please press 1 to talk to somebody to confirm or cancel it", which is what is usually left on my answering machine, intending me to give them all my bank details.

Block spammers, very easy with a mobile. They can't leave a message, it doesn't ring, I never know they called. Withheld numbers aren't allowed either.

While your attempt at humour had good intentions, it was badly thought out, you see if you'd been paying attention at the back, you would have realised I didn't speak.

Weak arms?

And why are you so pathetically incompetant at operating a newsreader? You missed out a group. I've corrected it for you.

Just a reminder of how easy it is to create a filter in ThunderBird:

Click on "From Commander Kinsey snipped-for-privacy@spam.com" at the top of one of his posts, and select 'Create Filter From'.

Give it a suitable Filter Name, and click 'OK'.

I have the bastard blocked but it's all the other dumb gimps who insist on replying to him despite him being a well known troll that really need dealing with.

Its worse than that, if you don't pounce on the call in three rings they hang up with either a spurious or with held number, indicating to me they are a scammer or a cold caller trying to flog me something I never knew I needed, like a toilet bowl light that only comes on when the seat is raised. People are also still foxed by call screeners which ask you who you are and leave a gap, then say OK I'm going to connect you or if you are on the black list and your call will be terminated. Very few actually say they name they attempt to leave a message. My phone will not ring till they complete this step unless they are on my white list, so they are never going to get me. Its hardly rocket science. Brian

Then you're not doing the job properly and deleting the subthread with your filter. I suggest you have another look at filters.

The "Can you hear me" thing is a very well known scam where they ask a simple yes/no question, you quickly answer yes out of habit, they record your response and then use it as authorization at other sites to do things on your behalf.

I don't answer most spam calls but if I happen to get a call where they start by asking me a yes/no question, I always answer No and they immediately disconnect.

Thanks for that warning.

If neither my 'phone nor I recognise the CLI, then I let it go to the answering machine. If I wish, I can pick up after a few seconds, if not, then the caller needs to leave a message. I run the local Oil Syndicate, so I can often get calls from unknown numbers, but if no message is left, then I don't/can't call back.

But they've recorded your no and can use that aswell surely?

I don't have to, any fool calling me without a number is blocked from ringing or leaving a message. After all, would you answer the door to someone in a balaclava? There is absolutely no excuse for anonymous calling.

My phone recognises all numbers. It's either withheld (ignored), on a spam list (it gets several from the internet) (ignored), on my contact list (displays the name), it finds all companies by looking them up (displays the name), or an unknown mobile number, which I answer if I've just advertised something on Gumtree or Freecycle.

What on earth is an "Oil Syndicate"?

I refuse to use those stupid automated who are you things. If you want to filter me, do it by number. If I phoned you I'd just give up, or probably call myself "f*ck off" to annoy you. So you make all your friends and relatives go through a bloody fort Knox system to speak to you? Not very polite.

It would appear both of you have no clue how to filter someone. A filter should filter replies also, don't expect everyone to filter the same people. Also, don't filter on email address, how ridiculous.

A system where people in a village or similar area pool their heating oil requirements and then negotiate a lower than normal price due to the greater than normal volume. Instead of say 700 litres, the order can be for several thousand, which is much more interesting for suppliers.

By the way, a simple internet search would find you this:

Occasionally the replies to that idiot have something worth reading.

Andy

Ding! Ding! Ding! We have a winner :-)

"There is a plane about to crash into you. Would you like for it to be diverted?"