BT claimed that Caller ID was being introduced as a result of consumer demand, though they were unavailable to produce any evidence of that demand. It's difficult to imagine the public expressing a demand for a service that they know nothing about or that there would be any demand for a blatant invasion of privacy. The onus was on the consumer to take action to prevent something that they had never requested in the first place. BT wastes vast sums of money on extremely irritating TV commercials to encourage more telephone calls. I've yet to meet anyone who needs any encouragement to use the telephone.
Most people try to cut down their usage in a vain attempt to limit their phone bills.
BT made no attempt to advertise that Caller ID was being introduced or more importantly that it could be blocked. To counter customers protecting their own privacy BT plans the introduction of a new scheme - Anonymous Call Rejection. Anyone making a call with Caller ID disabled will find themselves unable to get through. Instead they will be greeted with a recorded message advising them that that their call has been blocked, and unless they re-enable their Caller ID they will not get through. BT plans to introduce Anonymous Call Rejection by the end of 1996.