I rant, I rave

My cell phone is supposed to be set up so that calls I make come up with my phone number blocked. So why can big companies like Dell, Amex and Boston Globe see my phone number when I call? I guess this is a rhetorical question since we know the answer. Money. Money. Money. That's the answer. In case you didn't get that the answer is money. They have money and I don't have enough. Sprint tells me my number is blocked but then somehow my number isn't blocked. I can see why police and fire should be able to see my number. If my house is burning and I dial 911 and then collapse in a heap of smoke, I want them to be able to find me via the GPS tracking device that is in all phones. But why does Dell need to know it's me calling? I hung up with them in disgust the other day after not being able to get a simple question about an advertisement they placed without "verifying" my address. Bad enough they have my phone number, they want me to "verify" my address. So give me the address and I'll verify it. No, I have to give them the address. Can't you just answer a question? No, they can't even log into their system unless they start a whole new profile...presumably resulting in twice as much junk mail from them.

After I got transfered to India and back, I finally hung up. Then I immediately get a call back from Dell (just what I wanted to avoid, junk mail and phone calls, right?). The guy asks if I just called Dell. Duh, I think you know I did.

Sprint tells me I have ID blocked. But obviously, I don't. When I call my penniless friends, my number is blocked. When I call Dell, etc., it's not blocked.

False advertising on Sprint's part? Absolutely. Payoffs to Sprint from big business? Probably.

What to do? Call your congressman?