>From Brenda:
> Have you thought about adding Caller ID? With this you'd know the
> phone number of who's calling without having to resort to an
> answering machine. You can also set the box up to not ring for
> numbers which are unavailable or anonymous in addition to setting
> up certain phone numbers so you won't receive the call at all. Then
> you can keep the answering machine running for the times when
> you really aren't there because you know darn well the
> telemarketers aren't going to leave a message <G>
>
> Just a suggestion...
>
> --Brenda
Actually, I would much rather have caller ID than screen calls. It was my
parents' idea to buy an answering machine after receiving these kinds of
calls. Unfortunately, the phone system that my university uses does not let
you use caller ID. I think this is a big mistake, because I know I'm not the
only student who gets prank calls. However, if anyone knows of a way that I
can convince the school (University of Massachusetts in Dartmouth) that
caller ID is a good idea, then I would like to hear it.
>From Alan S. Harrell:
> I vote that you just leave it the way it is. However, I did do some
> research on the web just now and I obtained a listing of proper and
> appropriate answering machine messages you could substitute should you
> find one to your liking:
Alan, I can't seem to tell whether you're being sarcastic or you really are
serious. I do think those messages are funny, but I was looking for a
serious message.
>From Laura Germano:
> http://www.answeringmachine.co.uk/answer/home.htm
>
> There are lots of pre-recorded messages to choose from on this site!~! Or,
> you can get Roy D. Mercer's latest CD...he's got a great one there.
>
> Good luck~
> Laura
As I said with Alan, these aren't the kinds of messages I'm looking for.
Even the messages labeled as "Serious" weren't very serious.
>From Vicki:
> Don't count on telemarketers not leaving messages on your machine! I
receive
> messages-- long ones--- from realtors. They are pre-recorded tapes, so one
> machine is talking to another. Now, I'm a realtor, but I don't do that
sort of
> thing.
I should note that I don't mind telemarketers leaving messages. In fact, I
actually want them to, because occassionally, they do have something
important to say. Also, if I don't like what I'm hearing, I just won't
answer the phone.
I appreciate all of your help, but I think that I need the help of an
etiquette expert. I'm wondering if I should ask Ann Landers instead.
Andrew
