Ever play along with phoe scammer?

[stacy347]

If you were in a department store and walked by the perfume lady asking if you wanted a sample would you scream at her or blow a whistle directly into her ear? Of course not!

Maybe not the perfume lady, but if those whackadoodles at the hair kiosks in the mall try to accost me one more time all bets are off!
They are completely insane, and literally chase my daughters and me down the walkway yelling and trying to grab my arm to get me to turn back. I start off with a polite, "No, thank you", but they are relentless. I almost always have to get mean to get them to back off. I guess 5 females with long hair is just too much for them to let go, LOL.

As far as the phone people, I am too tired in my old age to deal with that nonsense. I just answer and hang up without so much as a "Hello". Might be rude, but if you are calling me from an unidentified number, that is all you get.

 

[soccerdad72]

I don't have enough time to deal with them in the first place, let alone spend extra time messing with them.

 

[Metsfan520]

Nope, because if I don't recognize the name on the caller ID, or there isn't any, I don't answer the phone. If it's something important, they'll leave a message & I'll call back or pick up the phone.

 

[Ilivetogo]

I answer the phones at my work office. There is a local credit union that has the same phone number as our office, but it's an "800" number. Since it's a local credit union, many people simply dial it with the local area code instead of the 800 .... you guessed it ... they get me.

The very unfortunate thing is that I completely understand how our country's older people get scammed so frequently. Many times when it's an older person who has called for the credit union, they just start babbling off their account numbers and asking for info on their account, etc. They have not listened to what I say when I answer the phone - i.e., that it's NOT the credit union. Sometimes I really have to get pushy with them to tell them I'm not the credit union, they need to dial the number with an 800.

I get these calls frequently, sadly.

.

 

[PigletsPal2]

I used to work at a classified government facility where our phone numbers were non-published and came up as unknown number on caller ID. The only way someone would have one of these numbers would be if someone in a specific office had given it out.

Washingtonian Magazine has (had?) a section in the back of each issue called "ISO" - In Search Of - where ladies and gentlemen would advertise for companionship of (usually) the opposite sex.

One month, the telephone on my desk rang about a dozen times with offers from a "gentleman" for an exciting week-end at his Caribbean beach house. He'd pick me up wherever I said after work on Friday and would have me back to my house on Sunday night. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen!) He was very persistent, and since his number wasn't identified, I couldn't ignore his calls.

In true government efficiency, it took about a month to get my desk number changed. I did check the then-current issue of Washingtonian, and sure enough, there was an ISO from a SWF (single while female) ISO a S/MWM (single or maried white male) for week-end playdates in the sunny Caribbean or Florida Keys!

I bet it would have really frosted her apples to know that her messages were being received and that her invitations were being issued to a fat, forty-year-old mother of two!

 

[kaytieeldr]

I am sorry, but if you are a telemarketer calling people who are on a Do Not Call List, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated. If you are a telemarketer calling MY home when I did NOT invite you to call me or personally give you my number, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated. If you are a telemarketer who calls me at 8:30am after I just worked all night, I will treat you deserve to be treated.

Earn a living in an honest job. I dont think calling MY house and disrupting MY schedule to sell YOUR garbage is an honest living.

As far as not answering they phone, they just keep calling back again and again. A Do Not Call list is just that. I will not treat you nicely if you call my home to scam me or sell me things.

Then react like a mature adult. You're on the Do Not Call list? See the post at the top of the page on which you posted for how to deal with that. First, familiarize yourself with what is and isn't covered. If you have a business relationship with a company, they're exempt until/unless you specifically notify them to remove you from their call list.

In fact, familiarize yourself with the Do Not Call list restrictions. There are instances where you may have been removed.

Someone calling you at 8:30 AM after you just got home from work is identical to them calling someone with a nine to five job just after that person got home from work. Your shift schedule doesn't make you unique or exempt.

Honest job? It's great that you have an "honest" job. I do, too (one that likely meets your criteria). Have you met the economy lately? My friends who work in telephone sales have honest jobs. They're not on unemployment or welfare.

If you have an issue, deal with the company. The employee doesn't make the rules or set the working conditions.

Scams are illegal. Treat potential scammers any way you want. Telemarketers are trying to earn an honest living. Again, a simple "no" and hanging up is effective.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As far as the phone people, I am too tired in my old age to deal with that nonsense. I just answer and hang up without so much as a "Hello". Might be rude, but if you are calling me from an unidentified number, that is all you get.

Much less rude than whistles, flushed toilets, etc.

 

[Social Worker Sue]

Then react like a mature adult..

Well, you can act like you want to act and I will act like how I want to act

I don't do whistles or toilets, etc. But I am sharp tongued. I will ask you why you are calling my home and I will not be nice to you.

I don't want strangers calling my home trying to sell me their wares. Period.

I don't respect any profession that harasses a stranger in their own home to earn their living. Sorry if that offends you.

 

[Fly4free]

I used to work at a classified government facility where our phone numbers were non-published and came up as unknown number on caller ID. The only way someone would have one of these numbers would be if someone in a specific office had given it out.

Washingtonian Magazine has (had?) a section in the back of each issue called "ISO" - In Search Of - where ladies and gentlemen would advertise for companionship of (usually) the opposite sex.

One month, the telephone on my desk rang about a dozen times with offers from a "gentleman" for an exciting week-end at his Caribbean beach house. He'd pick me up wherever I said after work on Friday and would have me back to my house on Sunday night. (Yeah, like that's gonna happen!) He was very persistent, and since his number wasn't identified, I couldn't ignore his calls.

In true government efficiency, it took about a month to get my desk number changed. I did check the then-current issue of Washingtonian, and sure enough, there was an ISO from a SWF (single while female) ISO a S/MWM (single or maried white male) for week-end playdates in the sunny Caribbean or Florida Keys!

I bet it would have really frosted her apples to know that her messages were being received and that her invitations were being issued to a fat, forty-year-old mother of two!

My dd went through a phase when we were repeatedly getting phone calls from the same annoying salesman. She would answer in her little girl voice and say Daddy? Are you my daddy? When are you coming home Daddy?...... bye bye sales calls!

 

[WDSearcher]

I am sorry, but if you are a telemarketer calling people who are on a Do Not Call List, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated.

How they "deserve to be treated?" Wow. Complain to the company, then. THEY deserve your nasty treatment, not the telemarketer who was handed a phone list and told to get to work.

If you are a telemarketer calling MY home when I did NOT invite you to call me or personally give you my number, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated.

Again ... complain to the company.

If you are a telemarketer who calls me at 8:30am after I just worked all night, I will treat you deserve to be treated.

And the hourly employee on the other side of the phone knows that you just worked all night ... how?

Earn a living in an honest job. I dont think calling MY house and disrupting MY schedule to sell YOUR garbage is an honest living.

Telemarketing IS an honest living, most of the time. The people doing it are trying to feed their families just like you.

As far as not answering they phone, they just keep calling back again and again. A Do Not Call list is just that. I will not treat you nicely if you call my home to scam me or sell me things.

Again... COMPLAIN TO THE COMPANY. The person on the other end of the phone is just trying to earn a living.

 

[WDSearcher]

When the furnace people call here.............i dont have a furnace
When the computer repair people call here..........i dont have a furnace
When the lower your interest people call here........i dont have creditcards/loans.............
When the carpet cleaners call here.........i dont have carpet

You get the picture and now i hardly get any calls

Why do the computer repair people care if you have a furnace?

 

[kimblebee]

How they "deserve to be treated?" Wow. Complain to the company, then. THEY deserve your nasty treatment, not the telemarketer who was handed a phone list and told to get to work.

Again ... complain to the company.

And the hourly employee on the other side of the phone knows that you just worked all night ... how?

Telemarketing IS an honest living, most of the time. The people doing it are trying to feed their families just like you.

Again... COMPLAIN TO THE COMPANY. The person on the other end of the phone is just trying to earn a living.

Sadly, I think your post will fall on deaf ears. It is spot on though.

 

[Social Worker Sue]

And the hourly employee on the other side of the phone knows that you just worked all night ... how?

Exactly! They don’t know anything about me. I didn’t give them my phone number. So they should not be calling me to sell me things like fake car warranties, time shares, credut card protections (for a credit card I don’t even have), etc.

Again... COMPLAIN TO THE COMPANY. The person on the other end of the phone is just trying to earn a living.

Oh, believe me, I DO complain to the company. In writing AND by phone. You know as well as I do, in the slimy world of phone sales, it just doesn’t matter. Plus, WHY should I have to put out any effort in this situation?

How they "deserve to be treated?" Wow. Complain to the company, then. THEY deserve your nasty treatment, not the telemarketer who was handed a phone list and told to get to work.

Oh yes. If you call my house to sell me items and you don’t even know me, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Well, you can act like you want to act and I will act like how I want to act

I don't do whistles or toilets, etc. But I am sharp tongued. I will ask you why you are calling my home and I will not be nice to you.

I don't want strangers calling my home trying to sell me their wares. Period.

I don't respect any profession that harasses a stranger in their own home to earn their living. Sorry if that offends you.

Great that you don't respect the profession. Take your anger out on the company, not the human being on the phone.

There've been some great suggestions here - remind them not to call you, don't answer the phone, say "no", just hang up.

But deliberately use one's sharp tongue to berate the human being on the phone earning a living? No. Save that for the company.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Exactly! They don’t know anything about me. I didn’t give them my phone number. So they should not be calling me to sell me things like fake car warranties, time shares, credut card protections (for a credit card I don’t even have), etc.



Oh, believe me, I DO complain to the company. In writing AND by phone. You know as well as I do, in the slimy world of phone sales, it just doesn’t matter. Plus, WHY should I have to put out any effort in this situation?



Oh yes. If you call my house to sell me items and you don’t even know me, I will treat you like you deserve to be treated.

Your phone number is public information.
If you have a business relationship with the company, they're exempt from the DNC list.
If you've changed your phone number, the new number needs to be registered.
If you've moved and kept the same number, you need to reregister.
I think (this is all from memory) if your phone has been shut off for any reason, you need to reregister.
All this information is available when you Google Do Not Call.

I don't know or care what you do for a living, but I hope nobody has such a low opinion of your job - or you for doing it. Why you should put grown-up effort into stopping telemarketing calls to your home is you want them to stop. Yelling at the individual callers isn't going to do that.

 

[Pixie Dust for Me!]

One time we got a call from a guy selling cemetery plots. My DH listened politely for a few minutes and then said. "I'm sorry. I dont need one. I'm immortal!"

I did this once too...with a slight difference...I informed him that I worshipped Satan and needed to know what accomodations their cemetery provided for me. Yep, he hung up and I never got that call again.

I also had Jehovah's Witnesses come knocking on my door, every day for about a week while I was home on pregnancy related bedrest. After the 4th person came on the 4th day, I infomed him that I was Wiccan and wanted him to come and see my soon-to-be born child's bedroom that has a specially chosen pentagram light fixture, with furniture that I had carefully arranged to form a pentagram along with the red gown I'd chosen to celebrate the Wiccan equivalent of a child's blessing day. He practically ran from the porch and I never saw another Jehovah's Witness at that house again.

As for callers today, I usually let them start with their routine and then I say oh, I'm sorry, I'll be right back....I come back 20+ minutes later and hang up the phone.

Yes, I have caller ID, but I work from my home and get work related calls from numbers I don't always recognize.

KC

 

[Social Worker Sue]

Yelling at the individual callers isn't going to do that.

Where did I say that I yell?

I find it very intrusive when an stranger calls my home to sell me something.

If you are that individual who chose a job that consists of calling me, I will in no uncertain terms let you know why I do not want you to call my home.

I don't think my line of thinking is out of the norm.

 

[kaytieeldr]

As for callers today, I usually let them start with their routine and then I say oh, I'm sorry, I'll be right back....I come back 20+ minutes later and hang up the phone.

Why?? Just say no, tell them to put you on their Do Not Call list, and hang up.

 

[Piper]

Unfortunately, they must be able to make SOME sales or the calls would stop! I just tell them no and please remove me from their list. If they call again, I ask to speak to a supervisor and repeat.

I don't like the "charity" organizations that ship address labels, stickers, etc to you that you didn't request and then ask for a donation. If they saved all the money they spent on postage and "Junk" that people don't want, they would have a lot more money to put towards their "charity!"

 

[Social Worker Sue]

I don't like the "charity" organizations that ship address labels, stickers, etc to you that you didn't request and then ask for a donation. If they saved all the money they spent on postage and "Junk" that people don't want, they would have a lot more money to put towards their "charity!"

They are the WORST! Here is an interesting fact about one particular "charity" telemarketing company that wants you to mail donation requests to your neighbors:

"InfoCision also kept 78 percent of the donation money that it collected last year in its nationwide neighbor-to-neighbor program on behalf of the American Diabetes Association."