Some land-based telephones lack convenient features offered by cell phones such as call logs, which display the last number dialed. If you receive a call on a landline phone, but do not have an answering machine and would like to find out who called you so that you can return the call, there is an easy way to dial the last number that dialed you.
Step 1
Pick up your telephone receiver and hit the star (or "*") button, followed by the numbers "6" and then "9." A recorded voice will tell you what number just dialed yours.
Step 2
Wait for the phone to begin ringing and then address the person who answers. Let the person know that you believe you just received a call from this number and ask the person if he or she tried calling you. If the person says that he or she did not call you, proceed to step 3.
Step 3
Contact your phone company. Tell a customer service representative the date and time that you received the call in question. The phone company has a record of all calls placed to and from your phone number. Ask the phone company to tell you what the number was that dialed yours at the time and date in question.
Tip
If your phone is equipped with caller ID, locate the “CID” button on your phone and scroll through the list of received calls to identify whose call you missed. You may have to hit “menu” on your phone and then select “received calls” in order to scroll through this list. If the caller has a blocked number, it will display as “blocked” or “private” on your phone’s caller ID menu.
Warning
Your phone company may charge a fee for using the “*” (star) 69 service. If you are concerned about fees, call your phone company to verify whether or not they charge for this service before you use it.