Letter: Please leave your name after the bleep

Sir: Until the advent of caller identification (Letters, 19, 21, 22 and 23 December), I have adopted a simple solution. We leave our answering machine turned on permanently.

The outgoing message says this is the case and that the caller should identify him or herself after the bleep. Then, if we are at home, we may answer.

We can now answer only when we want to, otherwise the caller may leave a message.

The outcome: barely any calls.

Bliss.

Yours faithfully,

JOHN SMITH

Minchinhampton,

Gloucestershire

23 December