Phone doesn't ring, goes straight to voicemail

[JLRodgers]

I was just wondering, as this has been happening a number of times here lately, but is there some electronic device or something that lets a caller bypass the phone ever ringing and have it go straight to voicemail?

I ask for two reasons...
1) I've had a number of calls send some high-pitched squelching sound over the phone that hurts my ear for some calls (and I'm just going to assume that the company/employee isn't trying to hurt me)
2) I've had a number of calls where the phone doesn't ring, the caller ID doesn't even have new calls -- yet the voicemail goes from no messages to 1.

I can have the phone right beside me not in use and it happens, I've even been on the phone before* and it happens...



*with call waiting -- that when another call goes through it mutes the other person's side of the conversation, click-beeps, then un-mutes them - you notice another call is what I'm saying, I frequently have to stop using the phone until they hang up because trying to talk is almost impossible.

[Evil Queen]

The first one sounds like someone is trying to send a fax to a phone.

Is your ringer turned off or turned down?

[wagegoth]

On some phones, you can set up groups and then set a protocol on how to deal with calls from that group. On my old Nokia, I used to set up groups, then when I was busy, I would set groups, other than family, to go directly to voicemail. It was a great option. I miss my Nokia.

[Evil Queen]

Oh wait, is this a cell phone or a land line?

[JLRodgers]

The first one sounds like someone is trying to send a fax to a phone.

Is your ringer turned off or turned down?

I'd think so... but it's like "no I'm not interested...." then get blasted with the sound right before they hang up --- or a "blast from the computer as I pick up" then I get a person... made me think the computer was trying to do something.

Oh, and the ringer's turned on... One's set to a lower level that I can hear about 3 rooms away -- the other's turned up loud enough it wakes me from a sleep even if it's in the other room. The phone's have a caller ID built in, and they even have "new calls" (whenever someone calls, yet it isn't picked up), and "new messages" when there's new voicemails.

I even checked the caller id, just in case, and there aren't any calls from when the message was left -- like this morning, I haven't received any calls where the phone's rang -- yet ended up getting one voicemail. Caller ID had no calls listed all day.

edit: and a landline... of sorts... VIOP through cable ("cable phone", whatever you want to call it -- it's through the cable company direct)

[JLRodgers]

On some phones, you can set up groups and then set a protocol on how to deal with calls from that group. On my old Nokia, I used to set up groups, then when I was busy, I would set groups, other than family, to go directly to voicemail. It was a great option. I miss my Nokia.

Neat.... my phone just allows custom rings for different people - so I know who is calling (or what type of person at least) just by the ring.

[wagegoth]

edit: and a landline... of sorts... VIOP through cable ("cable phone", whatever you want to call it -- it's through the cable company direct)

Sounds like to might want to post this question in the tech help section.

[Evil Queen]

I'd think so... but it's like "no I'm not interested...." then get blasted with the sound right before they hang up --- or a "blast from the computer as I pick up" then I get a person... made me think the computer was trying to do something.

Oh, I've gotten that before. Usually at work. It's not your phone doing it, it's the automatic dialer that the callers are using. It's a real pain in the patookis.

[JLRodgers]

Oh, I've gotten that before. Usually at work. It's not your phone doing it, it's the automatic dialer that the callers are using. It's a real pain in the patookis.

Oh ok

I'll just assume for now that the straight-to-voicemail thing was a weird glitch for now then

[Kogarashi]

Hubby's and my cell phones will do the second occasionally. One of us will call the other, and even if the other is in an area with perfect signal and everything, the phone won't ring until it notices later that it has a new voicemail. We haven't figured out why it does that sometimes but not other times.

It actually did that to me today in the doctor's office. My sister called from her cell, and the phone never vibrated. I noticed when I checked the time on it later that I had a new voicemail, but no accompanying missed calls, which I should have had since my phone was on and in an area with decent service. I figure sometimes the phone just doesn't get enough of a signal, for some reason.