Back when our only phones were landlines, and before those had any way of screening a call before you picked it up, I would still just hang up on telemarketers without getting into a conversation with them. No abuse, no messing with their heads, just “click”.
Later, when we got answering machines, there was the option of listening them start to leave a message, and then picking up and taking the call if it turned out to be a legitimate caller. That’s an option that would be good to have with mobile phones.
Back when our only phones were landlines, and before those had any way of screening a call before you picked it up, I would still just hang up on telemarketers without getting into a conversation with them. No abuse, no messing with their heads, just “click”.
Later, when we got answering machines, there was the option of listening them start to leave a message, and then picking up and taking the call if it turned out to be a legitimate caller. That’s an option that would be good to have with mobile phones.