Do you think this worked? (telemarketer) - Page 3

vermint · ‎04-05-2010

@151949 wrote:
@chickenbutt wrote:
@151949 wrote:
I really do not understand why people don't just pick up the phone, say they are not interested and hang up. Period. Honesty is the best policy in all things. Why would you play games on the phone like a child?

I think that the 'game' is because you can say you're not interested until the cows come home but they will keep calling you. It takes a lot more than that to make the calls stop, unfortunately.

I know, while I'm at it, some people will scoff that you can just not answer. Well, for some households there are times when somebody has to be sleeping - or whatever - but who doesn't want peace and to be left alone by people with whom they don't wish to have contact. Unfortunately, this whole telemarketing and robocall thing has become like a cancer that's hard to rid yourself of.

I'm a nurse - I know all about working nights and sleeping during the day - there is a button on the phone to turn the ringer off - anyone can do it - very simple.

But, but...then you have to remember to turn it back ON! Which I have forgotten to do a couple of times.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Vermint - Yeah, that is my problem, too. I've gone around the house and turned the phones off numerous times and I always forget to turn them back on.

Anyway, it should not be MY problem. I pay my phone bills. I pay extra to be unlisted and private. They don't pay for the phone numbers. Therefore, they should not have any rights to them. It should be their problem for intruding on my phone number without my permission. I think that we should have a certain expectation of privacy.

If nothing else there should be a 100% foolproof way to opt OUT of any and all solicitation and robocalls. PERIOD. No exceptions. If the only way is to turn the phones off, that just doesn't make proper sense. I shouldn't have to be the one to have to turn off my phones. They should have to be the ones to leave me the heck alone. Quite simple, actually, and 100% fair.

I'm all for fairness. I know (in spades!) that life isn't fair. But there are many things that should be, and easily could be, fair.

denisemb · ‎12-07-2012

I sympathize. I've registered numerous times with "no call" and have politely asked to be taken off their lists and STILL get all sorts of robo-calls and solicitations. So you have to sometimes play with them.

I applaud you, chickenbutt, I'll have to try the Pizza Hut approach. Sometimes (when in the mood) I'll play with the Microsoft scams ("Windows? I had new windows installed last year on my house?! -or- I don't have a computer. -or- Windows? I use Linux...")

We used to get a lot of 'we can reduce your electric bill' until I told them we don't use electricity. LOL Talk about silence at the other end....

Just bought a call blocker phone from HSN and we'll see how that goes...

Denise

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Hey Denise! It was Shorty who did the Pizza Hut thing. I don't have the kind of patience to play with them, but I DO get it.

I've never gotten the Microsoft one, thankfully.

What I worry about the most is my husband getting on the other end of such calls. He is very gullible. He trusts everybody. I'm the opposite. I don't trust anybody until such time that they earn my trust.

My husband actually got one of those pop ups on his computer that said to call a number to 'fix' his computer. *sigh* He told me about it and the first thing I said was 'please tell me that you did NOT call that number'. Yup, you guessed it - he called that number. Fortunately he didn't give out any information. At least that's what he told me. I thought I had impressed on him to never respond to anything like that.

Now you know why we have ONLY separate computers. hehe

RespectLife · ‎02-27-2012

You can also try this for free....

When you don't recongnize the caller ID...Pick up the phone but DON'T SPEAK! Immediately hold down the # key. Hold it down for a while. Then hang up.

It mimics a fax line. Most automated systems will delete the number as non-human.

It does work....but you have to take the time to do it.

If you speak or let it go to your machine...it hears a voice and keeps the number as live and active. You will remain on the list and continue to get hounded.

chickenbutt · ‎03-09-2010

Respectlife wrote:
You can also try this for free....

When you don't recongnize the caller ID...Pick up the phone but DON'T SPEAK! Immediately hold down the # key. Hold it down for a while. Then hang up.

It mimics a fax line. Most automated systems will delete the number as non-human.

It does work....but you have to take the time to do it.

If you speak or let it go to your machine...it hears a voice and keeps the number as live and active. You will remain on the list and continue to get hounded.

That's interesting. I didn't know about that.

I did figure out, early on, that if I don't recognize a number I pick it up but don't speak or even let any sounds go through, in case it was a robocall. That way I figure maybe if I didn't 'voice-activate' the robocall that it would come across as a non-number.

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

@151949 wrote:
I really do not understand why people don't just pick up the phone, say they are not interested and hang up. Period. Honesty is the best policy in all things. Why would you play games on the phone like a child?

Shoekitty said

Because most of the calls are computer generated. The caller doesn not actually dial your number, a computer does. When someone answers it sends a ring to telemarketer, and sometimes they answer. Then they ask your number to delete. Then they sell it.

Also, on the computer generated calls, they are scrambled numbers. When you pick up, they do not answer, but they notate the number as a "live number" and sell it.

You can't win for loosing. Most of the telemarketing calls, especially robo are against the law. Why would they take you off the list when they have broken all the laws anyway.

“sometimes you have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on”….Bob Dylan

shoekitty · ‎03-10-2010

@chickenbutt

Hi CB!!

So the # button will mimic a fax line? I din't know that. I may try that!

“sometimes you have to bite your upper lip and put sunglasses on”….Bob Dylan

denisemb · ‎12-07-2012

Sorry, Shorty! Got my wires crossed.

Yeah, one of the disadvantages about answering a call is then they know they have a 'live one' and sell it to others.

Denise

Montana · ‎03-09-2010

@151949 wrote:
I really do not understand why people don't just pick up the phone, say they are not interested and hang up. Period. Honesty is the best policy in all things. Why would you play games on the phone like a child?

@151949, many of the calls I get are from debt collectors. I have been debt-free for many years so I know these calls are not legitimate. I have read many horror stories of people trying to tell these collectors they have the wrong person - to no avail. That is why I will not interact with them. Also, I feel they are trying to restart the clock on these debts any way they can.

I don't think honesty works with unethical people.