Darn Telemarketers
How to get rid of 'em
Friday, February 4, 2005 by thethimble | Discussion: WinCustomize Talk
My family recieve hundreds and hundreds of telemarketing calls every year (typically 2-3 right during dinner). In order to avoid this, I suggested to my family that we sign up for a national do not call list. Debating that this would be a company which leaked our phone number out to the world, I thoroughly read the privacy policy, and found no such scam. On top of that, the site has a suffix of .gov. After about 15 days, the calls started getting rarer and rarer. Now, after almost a month, we recieve almost no calls at all.
I'm so happy we dont have to put up with those EVIL people.
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
I'm so happy we dont have to put up with those EVIL people.
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
Rutabaga64
Reply #2 Saturday, February 5, 2005 12:03 AM
Reply #2 Saturday, February 5, 2005 12:03 AM
I signed up for the Do Not Call List immediately, as soon as it became available. It's made a tremendous difference, my phone doesn't ring nearly as much as it used to.
Now, if they could just stop the spam junk text messages sent to my cell phone....
Now, if they could just stop the spam junk text messages sent to my cell phone....
LittleBearJason
Reply #3 Saturday, February 5, 2005 1:32 AM
Reply #3 Saturday, February 5, 2005 1:32 AM
I also signed up for the do not call list. Im fed up with companies saying ive won a free trip , etc, it was getting on my nerves. Not once was I able to eat a meal at dinner time without some ass calling me to sell me a dam vaccum cleaner , or sell me new dual pane windows , etc was getting pretty annoying
Jafo
Reply #4 Saturday, February 5, 2005 9:07 AM
Reply #4 Saturday, February 5, 2005 9:07 AM
I devise new and anatomically impossible ways of saying 'please go away' and hang up on them.
It got easier once the out-sourcing started...and the calls would come from India....so there's a lag....if they don't respond quick enough after I say 'hello'...I know it's one of these and simply hang up.....before they speak.
Erk.
Reply #5 Saturday, February 5, 2005 11:28 AM
Reply #5 Saturday, February 5, 2005 11:28 AM
I have an unlisted number ...through the nation's largest provider (Telstra).
I had requested it be unlisted for just this reason. Imagine my surprise the other day, when Telstra themselves called me up to promote something to me.
...Needless to say, I let fly with some pretty harsh words, carefully pointing out the reasons why my number was unlisted, and requesting the reasons why Telstra themselves should be exempt from the rules I had applied.
the answer: "...err, umm ...but we're Telstra"
My response: "I pay good money for you and everyone else marketing their goods, to not call me!" "If I receive another marketing call from anyone at Telstra, It will be taken directly to the telecommunications ombudsman!"
I received a profuse apology, and was guaranteed my number would be deleted from their list.
I had requested it be unlisted for just this reason. Imagine my surprise the other day, when Telstra themselves called me up to promote something to me.
...Needless to say, I let fly with some pretty harsh words, carefully pointing out the reasons why my number was unlisted, and requesting the reasons why Telstra themselves should be exempt from the rules I had applied.
the answer: "...err, umm ...but we're Telstra"
My response: "I pay good money for you and everyone else marketing their goods, to not call me!" "If I receive another marketing call from anyone at Telstra, It will be taken directly to the telecommunications ombudsman!"
I received a profuse apology, and was guaranteed my number would be deleted from their list.
Phoon
Reply #6 Saturday, February 5, 2005 11:55 AM
Reply #6 Saturday, February 5, 2005 11:55 AM
Prior to the no call lists here is what I would do (if it didn't blow my stack out of the gate).
Take control of the conversation right away. Cut them off if you have to.
Start bombarding them with questions. What is YOUR name, What is the address of the location you are calling from, What is your company's name, What is your direct phone number, How did you recieve this number.. etc..
In the US, they are required by law to give you this information. I don't think I ever made it entirely through my list of questions before THEY hung up.
Take control of the conversation right away. Cut them off if you have to.
Start bombarding them with questions. What is YOUR name, What is the address of the location you are calling from, What is your company's name, What is your direct phone number, How did you recieve this number.. etc..
In the US, they are required by law to give you this information. I don't think I ever made it entirely through my list of questions before THEY hung up.
Jafo
Reply #7 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:22 PM
Reply #7 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:22 PM
If govts were serious about personal privacy invasion, etc....this 'opt-out' legislation would be policed as opt-in only.
In other words...unsollicited spam should be illegal to all UNLESS you specifically ask to get it.
Weaksid
Reply #8 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:23 PM
Reply #8 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:23 PM
Solutions:
Telezapper and/or a answering machine.
Telezapper and/or a answering machine.
tjesterb
Reply #9 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:49 PM
Reply #9 Saturday, February 5, 2005 6:49 PM
Got rid of my land line and replaced it with a couple cell phones. By US law telemarketers are not allowed to call cell numbers. Voila! No more annoying sales calls! 
(Internet connection is cable modem, I ended up saving about $20 a month over paying for a land line, one cell, and cable ISP.)
(Internet connection is cable modem, I ended up saving about $20 a month over paying for a land line, one cell, and cable ISP.)
ed0
Reply #11 Sunday, February 6, 2005 12:22 AM
Reply #11 Sunday, February 6, 2005 12:22 AM
do what Jerry Seinfeld did in one of his episodes lolz i dont think i can live without one reference a day to that show ;X 
lolz i dont think i can live without one reference a day to that show ;X 
ama02
Reply #12 Sunday, February 6, 2005 1:50 AM
Reply #12 Sunday, February 6, 2005 1:50 AM
Caller ID is useful too...keep my cordless phone next to me while working at the computer, when the phone rings, if I don't know the caller (especially if it says unknown or is a toll-free number), I let my answering machine answer. 95% of the time, the telemarketer (computer) won't leave a message. 
XX
Reply #13 Monday, February 7, 2005 8:29 PM
Reply #13 Monday, February 7, 2005 8:29 PM
When we used to have a phone, ( we have long since stopped it since we never use it more than 2 or 3 months a time with all other ways to talk... ) I'm sure we used to annoy telemarkers with soounds of what sounds like FAX ( someone told me that ) when we answer using TTY.
Lantec
Reply #14 Monday, February 7, 2005 9:29 PM
Reply #14 Monday, February 7, 2005 9:29 PM
#9 That's what I finally did.
Originally I signed up for the do not call list right away, but found out later from a rather rude telemarketer that if they had a prior business relationship with me thay were allowed to call.
The ones that always bothered me most would come about 5:30 and would just be a computer checking on what time the telemarketer should call to find you at home.
Originally I signed up for the do not call list right away, but found out later from a rather rude telemarketer that if they had a prior business relationship with me thay were allowed to call.
The ones that always bothered me most would come about 5:30 and would just be a computer checking on what time the telemarketer should call to find you at home.
BustinABogie
Reply #15 Monday, February 7, 2005 11:55 PM
Reply #15 Monday, February 7, 2005 11:55 PM
I don't begrudge anyone a living...but there has 2 be limits!!!
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Reply #1 Friday, February 4, 2005 10:56 PM