Puh-leeze! "not A Telemarketing Call."

[JDoors]

So I answer the phone (I normally screen calls, but I was expecting a call):

"This is not a telemarketing call. We have been trying to contact you for some time. We have records of a [my full name] who purchased a Florida vacation property two years ago and ... "

"Nope not me." [click]

What kind of new hell is this? You can telemarket as long as you say you're NOT telemarketing? Depends on what the definition of telemarketing is?

[bar5]

JDoors:

I'm getting the same calls. I don't answer, but they are dumb enough to leave a message advising me this is my last chance blah blah blah. I've had several last chance calls.

If I get a phone # on caller ID, I report them to "Do Not Call" on line. It helps a little. Most calls now are automated calls. I figure if you can't tell me who you are, that means I do not want to talk to you. Still they are annoying.

[hitest]

Like you guys I get lots of calls that begin with: Hello is this Mr. (insert my name)? I'll say yes. Then they go off on a tear about some stupid survey, blah, blah, blah. I never get a chance to get a word in edge-wise. I just hang up.

Telemarketers are vermin.

[JDoors]

As long as we're talkin' annoying calls, I kept getting a "last chance to" call, probably every week for months. I never picked it up, but they left a message that angered me. Seems my credit card company, who can call me despite the "do not call" list because I do business with them already, wanted to offer me the chance to "lower my rate."

OK, they can RAISE my rate at any time for any reason, but they need to talk to me to LOWER that rate? Baloney. They're obviously trying to "sell" me the "opportunity" to get into some other damnable credit trap that'll wind up costing me more money than if I continue as agreed.

If they don't already know there's a special place in Hell for them, they'll find out one day.

[jimras]

a couple of things you can do............

IF it's a real person, say "just a sec--hold on I'll be right back" and don't come back....just put the phone down

IF it's a few seconds of silence. it's a computer generated call......hit the # key a bunch of times.....it confuses their conputer.

[JDoors]

I'm well past the point where playing games satisfies me in any way. For one, they don't care. The operators still get paid, the computers obviously don't care, the calls will continue despite anything I do during the call. I am now able, without so much as a twinge of guilt, to say, right over whatever it is they're trying to say, "I do not accept this type of call at this number" and immediately hang up, and if I get silence or clicks that indicates a computer generated call, I just hang up. It's still annoying, but that feeling only lasts a few moments now.

[Pete_C]

The OL tends to hang up immediately, unless she is in a bad mood and then heaven help them, as Mr T would say "I pity the fool...."

Personally, I still will wait to see if it is automated and if so if they have a key combo to remove me from the call list. I am on the do not call lists both State and National, so if it is a human being and I have the time to listen to the spiel, I inform them of that and asked to be added to their do not call list; most will comply.

Sure some of them are fun to mess with or rant back at ( I had a good one this morning from a politician I asked to be removed from his call and email lists a long time back . I let them have an earful of how I thought he was a lying , hypocritical , thieving sack of shit; who does not listen to his constituents. I thanked them for reminding me of how much I detest his sorry ass and promised to find out who his opponent is so I can get some yard signs and make a campaign contribution to him and ask all my neighbors to vote for him too.).

I refuse to fill out contest applications at stores etc since these invariably qualify you for telemarketing calls from their sponsors (and this is allowed under the do not call program since you have signed the disclaimer which allows them to provide your info to sponsors ).

Hopefully the current financial crisis will change credit standards so that all you have to say is that you cannot afford their offer no matter how they finance it. In the meantime; I like the approach of listening, and then telling them that I can get the same deal at half the price through my sources; but if they will send me written literature offering me the same deal at a further twenty five percent off (so a total of 75% off of what they are asking) I will consider it.

Of course that just winds up shredded and in the recycle bin but hey it makes them feel good and gives the poor dope addict some more hours on the clock and off the street.

[irregularjoe]

I usually just hang up immediately without even acknowledging their existence, if it's an out of area code caller ID I don't even answer. Some of them are getting smarter at this however and are using local caller ID numbers.

Occasionally, if I'm feeling a little sadistic I will play with them. If it's a person I'll listen to the speel for awhile and sound interested in the crap that they're peddling. Then I'll start to reply to their questions with totally irrelevent answers. Question: "So what time would be good for our product specialist to call you?" Answer: "Yes, my hair is brown". ......Question: "Ah, why don't we send you out an information package. What is your mailing address?" Answer: Thanks for reminding me! I do need to pick up some milk at the store." etc. etc. ....They usually hang up and it's good for a laugh.

Another one of my favorites is: "Hello. Is this Mr. (my name here). My reply: "No.......he just died a few minutes ago. I was just calling 911." There is then usually silence on the other end.

I had one call me awhile back. " Hello, Mr.(My name here)?" "NO. Wrong number." I hang up. The same idiot calls right back. I answer...."I just told you wrong number, stupid!" ... Now she actually challenges me. "Well if this isn't Mr.(My name here) how did I reach telephone # xxx-xxx-xxxx?"

Answer: "I guess because you dialed it, a$$hole!"

I have a theory that when you add your name to "do not call" lists they actually sell your name and info from that very list.

[JDoors]

... Some of them are getting smarter at this however and are using local caller ID numbers. ...

Semi-related: I needed a new garage door and hardware and wanted a local company. I look it up in the yellow pages and there's one with a local number and lists my town's name (I'm in a small town, there are, or were, only two numbers in use at the time -- that is, the first three digits).

Nope, they lied. They were from out-of-town. I've seen this several times since. Seems the phone company will sell anything to anybody for any reason.

[baker7]

... Some of them are getting smarter at this however and are using local caller ID numbers. ...

Semi-related: I needed a new garage door and hardware and wanted a local company. I look it up in the yellow pages and there's one with a local number and lists my town's name (I'm in a small town, there are, or were, only two numbers in use at the time -- that is, the first three digits).

Nope, they lied. They were from out-of-town. I've seen this several times since. Seems the phone company will sell anything to anybody for any reason.

I get these calls all the time. I hate them, because 99% of the time, they tell you that "This is the last chance to <Insert whatever they are selling here>" Then they have you press 1 to speak to a credit specialist or whatever they call themselves. Then, they tell you that you can remove yourself from their list by pressing "9", which I do and I STILL

get called by the SAME companies - They Never Stop.

EXAMPLE OF FOOLISHNESS:

The Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) will do this to its borrowers. They will call you to remind you that a payment is "due" but what it is is an AUTOMATED reminder, that says to call XXX-XXX-YYYY, then all you do is HOLD for the next representative. This is why I don't like automated systems like this, because I do NOT need to be reminded every month I owe MONEY, and I certainly don't NEED to be called just to sit on HOLD for an HOUR......

Go Figure -wish there was a LAW that made it hard for these companies to nag you........

Brian

[JDoors]

Good to know the "last chance" call is just the latest lie by the loan sharks. If it WERE the last time they called, we wouldn't be having this conversation.