Do Not Call Lists

[Stu1205]

When I get a call like these, I just interrupt them and ask
in a very stern voice, "HOW DID YOU GET THIS NUMBER?"
They usually hang up quickly.

Stu

 

[italiansport]

We have caller ID but it's annoying to have to get up and look at it. One phone gives the number verbally but I suspect it was programmed by a Chinaman. I would just get rid of my land line phone entirely, because the majority of the calls received on it we don't want, if my wife would go along with it.
Jim

 

[shouldazagged]

When I'm watching TV the number calling shows up on the screen; but I'm never any distance from my land line and my cell phone is always on me.

I answer no number I don't recognize. If they want to leave a message, and it's not a toll-free number, I may eventually listen to it and decide if I want to return it. Mostly I just delete the messages unheard.

I presume they know the drill if they can't take a joke.

 

[venomballistics]

I'd love to be able to set up my number like a 900 line.
$5 for the first minute, $3 for each additional.
I bet if this were made available, telemarketing would end quite abruptly.

 

[NCTexan]

Do not call lists are as effective as the "Do not Rob" signs at banks.

 

[Smokin' Iron]

I like to have fun with telemarketers.

Asking them questions like "Do you know how to get blood stains out of carpet" can be pretty entertaining.

 

[Stu1205]

I like to have fun with telemarketers.

Asking them questions like "Do you know how to get blood stains out of carpet" can be pretty entertaining.

I did that to a carpet cleaning service a few years ago.
They called to say they had a special going on.
I didn't tell them that I have all ceramic tile in my house.
I asked the young lady on the phone if they can get blood out of the carpet.
She replied that they could.
I then said in a really maniacal voice.
"But I don't mean just a little bit of blood..I...I...I mean a lot of it.
Goat blood....and...and....and human blood....but a a a lot of it.
C C C Can you get that out?"
She said hold on please.
After two minutes I hung up. She never came back on the line.
My neighbor who was over told me I was crazy and that I could
get arrested for that.
I asked, for what...trying to get my carpet cleaned?
Sometimes it is fun to mess with telemarketers.

Stu

 

[Big Cholla]

The dress uniform police whistle from my LEO days works great on the really obnoxious callers. I had one particularly bad carpet cleaning outfit that was robo until I pushed a number that indicated I wanted to talk to them. After about three times of the police whistle blast in a human's ear they never called back. My wife who is very quick witted loves to pull their chain by playing the old eccentric maid who just wants to chatter away with someone. One guy listened to her spiel for about 5 minutes and then said before hanging up, "My God Lady, you should be on Jerry Springer!" Never heard from him or his company again. ....... Big Cholla

 

[Engineer1911]

Reciprocal pain

Make those callers hurt and you will never get another call.

Caller: "May I please speak to Sam?"

Reply: "Sam is dead. He was killed by a drunk driver yesterday in a car accident. I'm his brother Bill."

What ever the next question is, continue the theme of death and drunk driver. You will be judged successful when the caller starts crying. I have gotten sobbing tears twice . And calls from that company stopped .

I never buy anything or make charitable donations because of a telephone solicitation.

 

[Brian41]

I don't get many calls at all and attribute that to the fact I have an unlisted phone number. I don't know if it really is the reason but in two different house over 25 years I've had unlisted numbers and few calls.
I sometimes do get calls though from business's I've done business with in the past and usually they're polite and don't mind them so much. I get maybe 1-2 calls a month is all. I consider myself lucky from what I've heard about.

 

[coltle6920]

If you follow the wire attached to your phone over to the wall and yank real hard your problem will be solved.

 

[federali]

"PLEASE CALL" REGISTRY

The national "Do Not Call" registry is managed by the federal government. Aren't these the same people trying to manage the ebola crisis, defeat ISIS, and who smuggled guns into Mexico, lost the embassy in Libya, ignored the IRS scandal and are constantly trying to add yet more red tape to our 2nd Amendment rights? I thought so.

 

[NYlakesider]

I have been following this thread with interest. Ninety percent of the nuisance calls I get are the robo calls, so there is no human to cuss out. Sometimes if you play the game and do as the nice machine says and punch a number you wait a bit and are then disconnected.

Do that or punch a number they says to put you on a list that will stop us from calling you in the future guarantee’s you will get more calls. By punching the number key that puts you in the legal position of you calling them and it’s now legal for them "TO RESPOND"

I live in an area that has no cell service so that option is out. From what my friends say they are starting to get more nuisance calls on their cell phones as the idiots are violating law to begin with what’s a couple more dumb laws going to accomplish. Heck most come from out of the country and our laws mean nothing to them.

 

[H Richard]

Caller ID. I only answer calls from someone I know or # I recognize.

 

[skrazo]

I make a "game" of it..........particularly if it's a female caller. Off the top of my head, I make up something like; "My girl friend just left me for another woman. I really need to talk to someone. Can you help?". They either hang up or make some half baked excuse why they can't talk to me, and quickly end the call.

 

[dereksfl]

Italiansport...dump both the wife and the land-line...will really lower harassment and think of all the money you will save!

 

[rwsmith]

2 methods....

If I pick up and hear nothing or it is a robot I hang up.

After the silence if I hear the person that usually just says "Dawn??" (wife) I just put the phone down for a while.

If I listen long enough and they get to the "calling on behalf of" I say, "I'mnotinterestedthankyouverymuch" and hang up.

The call blocking is a good idea because I've gotten to know these people's voices and other clues that tell me it's the same person or someone from the same outfit giving it a try.

My wife made a fatal mistake. She's a very generous person and would give just about anybody $5 or some small amount whereupon we would be besieged by calls from everywhere and everybody. It took over 30 years but I finally convinced her that this was a bad idea.

Sometime I'll have to relate the professional PITA that I had to contact their company and tell them I didn't want any more of their calls. He even kept calling and asking me what he did to make me not want to buy stuff. I first heard of him when he used to call my boss all the time who would buy stuff just to get rid of him.

 

[JJEH]

Or just start yelling at them b/c your hearing is bad. When they ask a question just give them a totally out of this world answer.

 

[coltle6920]

My unwanted calls were always someone panting heavily on the other end.

I suspect it was just Jake from State Farm.

 

[BarbC]

Sometimes I answer the phone in Russian/broken English.

Most of the time, I just let the machine pick it up.

People who know me usually call me on my cell phone. When the house phone rings, I'm automatically suspicious and check the caller ID.