Tim Watts wrote
Bill wrote

Also some large companies do not display their number, otherwise the switch
board gets inundated with "someone called me 3 hours ago, no I don't know
who!" OK if they could forward a DDI No, but not sure that many can.

Well, that's just lazy.

Nope.

They could assign a presentation number which is answered by an
automated system (like most big companies have anyway) which announces
the company name[1] and offeres a simple menu system for sales etc.

Likely most would just let it fall thru to a human and tell the human
that someone called them earlier and the operation still has the problem.

That would offer just enough resistance to persisting which offering
a clean record of the comapny - and a number you could stick in your
phone's directory so it displays the company name next time anyone
from the company rings.

Sure, it does have that advantage, but most presumably wouldnt be
called often enough to bother to do that. I know I dont bother myself.

I don't autoblock withheld numbers, but if I'm busy and the phone
rings without displaying the name of someone in my directory - or
at least a number from one of the few area codes that may be of
interest, I'll not bother to pick up.

Mine can actually annouce calls that have a blocked ID so I can
choose to not bother to walk over to the phone to see whose calling.

Problem is that Skype-out calls come with the Caller ID blocked most of
the time and I do have someone who calls me that way calling quite a bit.

The truth of how important a call is is whether they leave an answerphone message...

Nope, because plenty, including me, usually dont leave a message.