Ed Pawlowski wrote:

"Erik" wrote in message
...

Now that you mention it, WTF is up with all those places you call that
make you key in your phone # early in the call--and then the first
question the live human bean asks is "what is your telephone number?"?

Don't know for sure, but I suspect it's to reduce the number of
threatening anonymous tirades they have to deal with.

Erik

In addition, you may have your home phone as the number on record, but
be calling from your cell or work phone making caller ID meaningless

That reminded me of something that happened to me about 6 months ago. My
cellphone started acting up. I could boot it up and dial a number but I
could not hear the phone on the other end ring nor could I hear or talk
to the other person. I tried calling the cell co. from my land line but
no matter what number I called the automated system recognized my home
number as a pay as you go customer and took me to a endless self serve
automated hell. Finally I grabbed my kids pay as you go phone and
slipped my SIM card into it (I have a cell phone plan), booted it up and
dialled *611 and finally got a human.