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How Anonymous Call Rejection works:

The following is some basic information about how Anonymous Call Rejection works, how it may impact upon your privacy rights, and what options you have if you wish to continue to protect them.

If you're calling someone who has Anonymous Call Rejection service, and you block your number from being shown, your call will be diverted to a recorded message telling you that the called party does not accept blocked calls and to unblock before calling or the call won't go through.* [*People who use ACR usually want to see who is calling them, and don't want to take anonymous calls. However, ACR subscribers can de-activate the ACR feature by dialing *87 (1187 on rotary phones), and re-activate it by dialing *77 (1177 on rotary phones).]

While this may not happen to you very often, when it does you will have to decide how important it is that your call go through. You will also need to know what you can do if you still don't want your name and number to be transmitted. In order to understand your options when calling customers who subscribe to ACR, you first need to know which blocking option has been assigned to your telephone number: Complete Blocking prevents your name and number from being transmitted to the person you are calling on all calls from your telephone number (except when calling 800 and 900 numbers, 9-1-1, and the operator). Unless you unblock a particular call, your name and number will not be revealed. Selective Blocking permits you to prevent your name and number from being transmitted on particular calls made from your telephone number. However, this information will normally be transmitted on each call you make, unless you block it. [You have the right to choose a Blocking option. If you did not choose a blocking option when you first signed up for telephone service, the default option which your local phone company assigned to your phone number is Selective Blocking. If you don't know or don't remember which kind of blocking you have, call 1-800-386-0000. (NOTE: You must call from the line you wish to check.)]

If you have Selective Blocking, and you call someone who subscribes to ACR, there is nothing you need to do, since your name and number will be transmitted automatically to the party you are calling. If you have Complete Blocking, and you call someone who subscribes to ACR, your call will be rejected, unless the person you are calling has the ACR feature turned off . If you want your call to go through, and you don't mind revealing your name and phone number to the party you are calling, you can unblock your line for that call only by pressing *82 (1182 on rotary phones) before placing the call. There may be occasions when you may not want to transmit your name and number. (See ORA Consumer Advisory on Caller ID for "Reasons Why You May Not Want To Transmit Your Name and Number.") In that case, you have three options:

1. Use a payphone. A payphone will show the name of the company that owns that phone - such as Pacific Bell - and the number associated with that payphone.
   
   
2. Use the "O" operator to make the call for you. (There is an extra charge for operator assistance.) If you're using a Pacific Bell "O" operator, the call will go through and will be marked "Out of Area," whether or not you block it. The name and number won't be shown. (NOTE: If you're using another company's "O" operator, the name and number may be shown. If you're not sure, ask the operator.)
   
   
3. You may decide not to complete the call, to complete it from someone else's unblocked line, or to contact that party by other means.

If the person you call refuses your blocked call using Pacific Bell Anonymous Call Rejection, you won't be charged for that call in California, since no connection occurred. Whether you're charged for such calls to other states may vary. Today, some phones are also equipped with the ability to reject blocked calls. Pacific Bell is planning to charge customers for calls to such phones, whether within California or out-of-state, since technically the call will have been completed. (However, unless you are familiar with the telephone equipment of the party you are calling, there is no way of knowing this before you place the call.) The recordings on these phones vary in tone and wording, depending on the equipment being used. Remember, you do not have to have Selective Blocking in order to permit your name and number to be transmitted on particular calls. Customers with Complete Blocking who choose to transmit this information on a call initially blocked by ACR can do so by pressing *82 (1182 on rotary phones) before placing the call.

Reprint from California Public Utilities Commission (http://ora.ca.gov/consumer/alerts/telecom/cons_consancallreject.htm)