"Please, Don't Hang Up"
Report Form (Online)

People with hearing and speech disabilities use the phone like everyone else – to find out about a product, make an appointment, reach a teacher, call a parent with a birthday party invitation or simply to be neighborly.

• Have you ever made a call and had someone hang up on you?

• Do you want the New York Relay Service to educate those who do hang up on you?

Many deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled people find that businesses, organizations, and individuals they call through relay are unfamiliar with the relay service. As a result, when the Relay Operator announces the call “This is the New York Relay” – the first-time hearing person often hangs up. Although not intentional, the hearing person who is receiving a relay call for the first time often hangs up, thinking that a telemarketer is calling.

These hang-ups are frustrating for deaf, hard-of-hearing, deaf-blind, and speech-disabled callers, and they may mean a loss of business and bad customer relations for the business or organization being called.

The “Please, Don’t Hang Up” Campaign consists of presentations throughout the state by the relay service outreach staff and a public service announcement for TV and radio, as well as printed material.

If you have experienced a hang-up when placing a relay call, you may click here to complete the Hang-up Incident form online, or you can click here to download a form in PDF format that you can complete and mail to New York Relay Service. A New York Relay representative will follow up either by sending a brochure, a letter, or by telephoning the resident or business that is the source of the complaint, to better inform the party about the relay services and get across the message, “Please, Don’t Hang Up." It may be the most important call you will receive all day!”

Help New York Relay increase awareness and get the message out there about the “Please, Don’t Hang Up” Campaign.