I’m weird about the phone. If a conversation lasts more than two minutes or contains anything other than essential information, I’d rather not participate in it. If I don’t know who’s calling, I don’t pick up. And, I prefer to write a 100-word-long text message rather than calling my wife to ask her how her day is going.

That’s why I find it irksome how much my phone rings from service companies lately. Granted, some messages are helpful and appreciated. For instance, my dentist’s office called to remind me that I have an appointment in a few weeks. If they hadn’t, I probably would have forgot to show up. Good communication is essential to good service — that’s why “responsiveness” is one of the five criteria for a company’s grade on Angie’s List. But it seems to me that some companies go for overkill.

The call from the vet who I haven’t frequented in more than four years, reminding me to come in for my pooch’s annual shots? Unnecessary. What about the car dealership where I purchased my vehicle two months ago calling me with an automated message about how it’s time to come in for an unreasonably expensive oil change? No thanks. I already use a trusted, well-priced shop.

There are two things I can do. No. 1: Pick up the phone when they call and politely ask them to not call me anymore. And, No. 2: If I didn’t give a company my number, I can sign up for the Do Not Call list with my state’s attorney general. There’s also a national registry you can sign up for.

But for the time being, I’ll more than likely just ignore their calls and try to do business with companies that don’t bother me with aggressive communication. Who wants to spend money with companies that annoy them?