Telemarketers

[Jennasis]

I will often answer those calls simply to tell them "Put me on Your Do Not Call list". Whether or not it works is beyond me, but it makes me feel better. The only company I get repeat calls from is Blue Cross Blue Shield who repeatedly calls to try to sell me health insurance, even though I have told them time and again that I already have health insurance through BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD!

 

[daughtersrus]

I had one call the other day. It was one of those "there's nothing wrong with your credit card" call but this time it was actually a person not a recording.

I interrupted her and told her that she was calling a phone number listed on the Do Not Call list. She then says "can I give you a bit of advice. you need to stop using the internet because that's were we got your information from". I then said to her "can I give you a bit of advice. You need to stop calling phone numbers that are listed on the Do Not Call list because you're violating the law"

She hung up on me and I reported the number as a violation.

 

[richmond282]

A friend of mine who worked in a call center told me this, so now if I accidentally answer the phone and get a telemarker instead of just hanging up I will generally start talking......not allow them to get a word in edge wise. Things along the line of "I'm not so good this evening but thanks for asking. You know, I overslept because I stayed up too late, forgot to set the alarm and then when I jumped out of bed I stepped in cat yack, do you no how disgusting cat yack feels between your toes? (here I pause for like 5 seconds) this is where they usually hang up, if they don't then I will go into great detail about how disgusting it is. If that doesn't work I will start to regale them with details of my female issues or weird coworkers

I love this!

I still remember the call I received in the college dorm room. That telemarketer was trying to sell me vinyl siding. I politely explained that I lived in a dorm, but if they wanted to call the president of the university to ask about vinly siding the brick dorms his number is xxx-xxxx. They hung up real fast.

 

[Uptown Girl]

I have caller ID, and I often screen my calls using it. If its an out-of-state number I don't recognize, or has no caller ID, I let it go to voice mail.

Tonight it was an out-of-state number calling, and the identification on it said "Phone Scam".

Seriously???? Scams are now registering themselves with caller ID?

I got one like that a while ago too. It was really funny.

So....

Why are there so many people on this thread still getting telemarketing calls? Besides calls for donations from the Police and Firefighter unions, I don't get any telemarketing calls since going on the Do Not Call list years ago.

We are on the DNC list too. I even confirmed it yesterday because we have been getting a TON of telemarketers calling lately and I thought maybe our subscription expired--you do have to renew every so often. I am REALLY getting tired of this but I don't know what else to do.

 

[Deb in IA]

1.
https://www.donotcall.gov/

2.
Caller ID.

3.
Just hang up.

 

[Deb in IA]

We are on the DNC list too. I even confirmed it yesterday because we have been getting a TON of telemarketers calling lately and I thought maybe our subscription expired--you do have to renew every so often. I am REALLY getting tired of this but I don't know what else to do.

Same here.

But now we get calls for the following:
1. Reduce your credit card interest rates. (We never carry a balance and never pay interest.)
2. Donations for charitable organizations.
3. Surveys for "market research".
4. Solicitations from various alumni associations.
5. Vote for xxxx (REALLY prevalent in Iowa during caucus season!!!)

Apparently, these are exempt from the DNC list.

 

[tink_n_pooh]

I like to put them on hold at work, 99% of the time they hang up as soon as I hit the hold button. Sometimes if I'm feeling really sassy I engage in a conversation with them, those poor people

 

[Planogirl]

If I remember it right, charities can still call and don't have to abide by the DNC list.

If I get someone I just say "no thanks" and hang up. These people are just trying to make a living so I do my best not to be mean.

 

[WowLookAtThat]

I always feel a little bad for the telemarketers. Its certainly not a dream job BUT I would hang up.

 

[Tuffcookie]

A friend of mine who worked in a call center told me this, so now if I accidentally answer the phone and get a telemarker instead of just hanging up I will generally start talking......not allow them to get a word in edge wise. Things along the line of "I'm not so good this evening but thanks for asking. You know, I overslept because I stayed up too late, forgot to set the alarm and then when I jumped out of bed I stepped in cat yack, do you no how disgusting cat yack feels between your toes? (here I pause for like 5 seconds) this is where they usually hang up, if they don't then I will go into great detail about how disgusting it is. If that doesn't work I will start to regale them with details of my female issues or weird coworkers

mamacatnv: Thanks for a good laugh!

TC

 

[DizBelle]

If you were too busy to talk, why did you answer the phone in the first place?

 

[diznygirl]

If you were too busy to talk, why did you answer the phone in the first place?

Not the OP who said they were too busy - but one time I answered the phone cuz I was expecting the doctor to call and it turned out to be a telemarketer. I didn't look at the caller ID first - I was cleaning up vomit at the time.....

ya know, sometimes things happen.

 

[SaraJayne]

How funny! I just got a call and the caller ID said "PHONE SCAM".

 

[Mama Who]

If you were too busy to talk, why did you answer the phone in the first place?

Busy has different levels. For instance, I can be too busy to spend several minutes on the phone with a stranger for their benefit and not to busy to take a call from DH saying his train will be late. I have children. If one of them is in someone else's care I answer my phone, busy or not. My willingness to be inconvenienced for my loved ones does not obligate me to strangers.

 

[Carole]

I usually don't answer but around Christmas it could be a friend or relative from out of state calling. It was a number and not unknown on the caller ID. We also are on the DNC list - maybe I need to update.

Her answer of I didn't sound busy did make me laugh after I hung up.

 

[DebbieB]

One time I was talking to my aunt and I was on a phone that doesn't have call waiting caller ID. I was expecting another call so I told my aunt to hold and picked up the other line. It was a telemarketer. I said I'm on another call right now. She said "well, I'm just as important!". I said "I don't think so" and hung up!

 

[Rence]

Charities, legit surveys and political calls are not covered by the Do Not Call list - so with these folks I am polite (firm, but polite).

With telemarketers - I'm on the DNC List - so I have made it clear that I don't want to hear from them. Their calls to me are illegal - so I feel that I have no need to be polite to them. If someone disregards the DNC list - they are most likely a scammer anyway. I wouldn't be polite to a burglar who broke into my house illegally to rip me off - so why would I be polite to a scam artist who calls me illegally.

 

[BrerMom]

My (real) reply that I give that has never failed to get an apology, "Are you aware that you have called a classroom?"

 

[deegack]

I got one the other day. They asked for my husband and I asked what it was regarding. He said it was Tom and is my husband there. Again I asked what it was regarding and Tom said I guess he's not in I'll call back. I said don't bother. He said no he would. I said well I'm his wife and whatever you are selling we don't want. Tom said awe how cute and hung up.
We think it's the people soliciting for the pba. They are brutal this year and do not call doesn't apply to them

 

[jl]

We had a funny one 2 weeks ago....message saying "it's your cousin LeRoy". We don't have a cousin "LeRoy". It was an out of state number. "LeRoy" left a call back number....looked it up - it was 3 totally different numbers in Indiana. He called a few more times, no message - we never did pick up. Got to be a joke....cousin LeRoy was callin'!!