10 Collect Phone Calls I Will Accept

With the popularity of mobile phones and the competition among long distance calling plans, collect calls are becoming less common than they used to be. When I was young I would call my folks collect from a payphone about once per month, because I couldn’t afford a phone in my apartment. I don’t think I’ve ever received a collect call from any of my children, since they all have cell phones. There aren’t many folks I’d accept collect calls from, nowadays, but here are 10 that I would accept.

1. Sons. If I were to receive a collect phone call from any of my three sons, I would accept the call. In each case I would have to assume that something negative had happened to cause the call, and I’d have to take the call to find out what was up.
2. Grandchildren. Collect calls from any of my grandchildren would be accepted without question. No reason needed; they’re my grandkids!
3. Mom. As with my kids, a collect call from Mom would be accepted, in part, because I’d be worried about what was wrong that caused her to have to call collect. She is, after all, the person that taught me the most about how to worry and fret effectively.
4. Dad. Sheer curiosity, if nothing else, would cause me to accept the charges on a collect call from Dad. He tends to lean a bit toward, shall we say, frugality? So, though a bit of worry would cross my mind if he called collect, I’d mostly want to find out how he was going to justify asking me to pay for the call.
5. A Friend in Jail. With caller ID on my phone, were I to receive a collect call from a county or city jail, I would assume that a friend was in trouble, and I’d accept the charges. I’d be nervous about what sort of help I’d be asked to offer, but I’d take the call.
6. A Friend in Transit. I have some musician and artist friends that do a lot of travelling around the country. Some travel by car, some by bus, some by air, and some by whatever means of transportation is available at the time that the travel urge strikes them. If any of them called me collect, I’d accept the charges for what would likely be a really interesting conversation, and, of course, in case they were calling for a ride.
7. Minnesota Lottery Headquarters. I’d have no choice but to accept a collect call from these folks, due to the implication that I may have just won such a large amount of money that they couldn’t afford to call and notify me any other way.
8. US Internal Revenue Service. Okay, I’d refrain from making any assumptions about why they were calling collect, but curiosity would also make this an impossible call to turn away. Maybe they’d heard about the Minnesota Lottery call, and needed a short-term loan?
9. The Pulitzer Prize Committee. Yah, I know, I’m dreaming again. But no one said that the calls on this list had to be within the realm of actual possibilities.
10. God. Look, I’ve seen the movie “Oh God” with John Denver and George Burns in it. I’ve read much from the Bible. I’ve experienced some amazing and unexpected gifts in this life. It would surprise me not at all to learn that God had chosen to reach out and touch me by long distance collect call. I’d accept the charges on this one without hesitation.

When I started this article, I wasn’t sure whether or not I could think of 10 collect calls that I would actually accept. It turned out to be easier than I thought it would be. Hmm. Maybe I should start calling collect to find out whom and how many would accept the charges from MY collect calls.

 

Taken From Landline Phone Service