you could say that in your recorded message on your answering machine so they are aware of the situation.

I have had it since it was offered and my direct tv actually shows it up on the tv which is nice. Helps to know if I should bother answering.

Another polite thing gone by the wayside. I was taught to always identify myself, then ask for the party I was calling, which I still do. So many who call just assume I can recognize his/her voice.

Also, people making a business or pleasure call with the TV going in the background is always an annoyance.

Off my soapbox nowâ¦â¦..

People will assume you have it because most people have it.

I didn't know there was an extra charge for the service, I guess I've had it so long (like the previous commenter) that I pay no attention to the bill. It's also on cell phones too, I think all of them? I wouldn't want to be without it, it's a simple convenience that's so useful.

As you describe the situation, you'll just have to deal with this inconvenience because you've chosen to not have Caller ID service. You have two options, one or the other.

I like Caller ID, but since you don't, try following Raven's suggestion to mention in your outgoing message that you'd appreciate people leaving their names.

As for calls that you answer, I think if you say, "Who's this?" often enough, your friends will get the message. :-)

I don't have caller ID service. If it is a telemarketer I just hang up; if it is someone I don't want to have a long conversation with, such as my youngest sister, I say I am on my way out the door or that my doorbell has rung so I have to go.

To assume that one has call display does not excuse bad manners. Even when I'm calling my mom or my sisters, never mind friends, I always give my name. It's the polite thing to do. Why should I pay for call display just because others can't be bothered to introduce themselves when THEY are calling ME.

I've never paid to have Caller ID, just call waiting because I used to talk to my mother on the phone for an hour at a time and DH got sick of the busy signal. We only have cell phones now and if someone calls that isn't in my contact list, it comes up as either just an unknown number or a blocked number, all of which I answer because blocked or unknown doesn't always mean something bad. It could be the police dept or an ER or who the heck knows.

I, too, get annoyed when someone calls and doesn't identify themselves, especially when it's someone who only calls once a year or something. DH's brother does that when he calls every few years and he always sounds shocked that I don't recognize his voice. (OK, little secret, I do recognize his voice, but I make him ID himself just to annoy him. LOL)

I get on DH all the time, telling him to not assume that people will recognize his voice, especially his older friends that maybe don't hear as well as they used to, plus cell phone calls aren't always as clear as they could be. It just seems like the polite thing to do, to say who you are.

I went to caller ID, because if I am not home, if someone calls, and they don't leave a message, the number shows up on my phone. I try to identify myself each time I call anyone, because voices sometimes sound different over the phone vs in person. Mine does. Also having been involved in many activities over the years, I try to start out with ID--that is, my name, who I represent, and my phone number. Causes less problems and I usually get the person I need to talk to without delays.I get very little telemarketer calls, not sure why, do get survey calls, sometimes I give information, sometimes don't.

Like wantoretire_did, I always identify myself when calling anyone.

My peeve is people who call and ask for my name...what? I always reply, who did you think you were calling?

We are still debating having a land line. Right now the cable/internet and land line are a package--so the actual phone costs little. The caller ID was a feature that came with the bundle. There was a list of several we were to chose two or three--who remembers. So yes, I agree we live in a world of phones that give ID's as a rule. I would venture to say, since even I have it, you are very much an minority not having caller ID. That may not be fact--but I can see how it is assumed.
If anyone called my house and asked "who is this" they would get hung up on--but I avoid that by never answering the phone unless I know who is calling me.

Here is my pet peeve I am hard of hearing and people leave leave messages in their normal voice ...h i ....t h i s i s M a be l...but when they leave their number it's a blitz so fast you can't hear it if you have some kind of deciphering machine attached to your phone...*********************.

ruthie, there are phone providers that offer a feature to take recorded voicemail messages, automatically transcribe them, and then send them to you in the form of an email in text form. Maybe you should consider changing phone providers if this is an ongoing issue for you.

Vonage is one, I believe there are others.

My pet peeve is when someone leaves a message on my machine, Hi, its me. Call me when you get this.

ok, its me, how about a name or your number.......and I would call you back.

I only recently added caller ID because I was having a problem with a particular telemarketer and needed to block those numbers. I had an old, old plan with my cable company and they were able to change my plan to include caller ID for only $1 per month...well worth the extra cost.

I agree with other posters about the need for callers to identify themselves. It's the polite thing to do. I often do not recognize a voice and if they call from their work, the caller ID might not be helpful.