Mother****phoners....

wsuffa

wsuffa

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Feb 22, 2005
Messages
23,615
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DC Suburbs
Display Name
Display name:
Bill S.
So I've just had a new phone line installed. Ordered last Wed, "activated" on Friday, and Verizon's repair service came out and fixed a missing jumper on the pole so it actually worked on this Tuesday.

I've already received FIVE (5) telemarketing calls. Asking for me by name (including one that called me "Will").

Yes, I signed up for the do-not-call list, but they have a 30-60 day grace period before they actually have to stop.

Verizon can bite my rear for selling the number so fast and the telemarketers can go bite themselves.
 
wsuffa said:
So I've just had a new phone line installed. Ordered last Wed, "activated" on Friday, and Verizon's repair service came out and fixed a missing jumper on the pole so it actually worked on this Tuesday.

I've already received FIVE (5) telemarketing calls. Asking for me by name (including one that called me "Will").

Yes, I signed up for the do-not-call list, but they have a 30-60 day grace period before they actually have to stop.

Verizon can bite my rear for selling the number so fast and the telemarketers can go bite themselves.
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Same thing happened to me. I think moving services at the utilities have your contact info sold before you leave the web site.

I went on the Do Not Call list immediately and I still get random calls from local businesses. I let them call once.

FYI, Bill, the FCC complaint form is a miracle. http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/complaints.html
I dunno how they contact the offender, but you get immediate results. That's how I got the skip tracer chasing the previous occupants to stop. I'm STILL gonna get their backsides in jail.
 
Ya, Mike. I'm actually thinking about having one of my friends that are FCC attorneys do a favor for me.....

Of course the phone companies offer a solution: they shake you down for monthly protection money in order to keep the number unpublished. Great racket.
 
What I do on occasion is pick up the phone and before they can even say one word say VERY loudly (not quite yelling but with my voice raised and they can tell I'm ticked):

STOP. CALLING. YOU ARE NOT TO CALL HERE AGAIN. TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST. STOP. CALLING. and repeat until someone hangs up.

it hasn't actually worked (completely) but it makes me feel better. hahahaha
 
unpublished didn't stop them from calling here......so now I blow a whistle in their ear as soon as they start the non stop yap. The calls are slowing down.
 
What defense do you have against taped messages? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!
 
GMascelli said:
unpublished didn't stop them from calling here......so now I blow a whistle in their ear as soon as they start the non stop yap. The calls are slowing down.
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Yeah, and one of these days one of 'em is going to be waiting, whistle in hand, for YOU to pick up the phone and say "hello" ... :eek:
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What defense do you have against taped messages? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!
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None. Zip nada nothing. You don't. The best you can hope for is cyclic touch tone menus until it gets tired of you and hangs up.
Now if the taped messages would quit leaving messages on my answering machine...
Actually I'd be happy if when you pick the phone up they (messages and humans) would just quit acting like they're your friend that you supposedly talked to in the bar last week and told them to call you about some hogwash of the week they're selling.

<----- disconnected the phone last month and not sure if I want one again when I get back to colorado in a few months...
 
I just go straight into the phone sex. It's cheaper than the 900 numbers. :D
 
woodstock said:
What I do on occasion is pick up the phone and before they can even say one word say VERY loudly (not quite yelling but with my voice raised and they can tell I'm ticked):

STOP. CALLING. YOU ARE NOT TO CALL HERE AGAIN. TAKE ME OFF YOUR LIST. STOP. CALLING. and repeat until someone hangs up.

it hasn't actually worked (completely) but it makes me feel better. hahahaha
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Why waste your breath on them. I just lay down the phone and
walk away. Later when they figure out I'm gone I go back and hang
it up. Or .. I have to admit on occasion I have used one of those air
horns in a can like people take to the ball games. Them interupting me
sure doesn't mean I have to be nice to them.
 
wbarnhill said:
I just go straight into the phone sex. It's cheaper than the 900 numbers. :D
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Hey, I like that. I've got some good ones I use (as a former Telemarketer, I thought I had heard everything).

:rolleyes: Hi, I'm Sara from AT&T, and I'm calling to tell you....
B) What are you wearing?
:rolleyes: Excuse me?
B) What are you wearing? I'll start, I'm wearing nothing but whipped cream. Your turn.
:rolleyes: Ummm....I'll take you off the list.

Thanks William!
 
Won't help your situation in this case but I give out my cell phone number as my home number in all business transactions. If they sell the number it is useless for telemarketing.

The only reason I have a landline is because the phone company won't sell me DSL without at least basic residential service as well. It sits on my desk, sometimes I use it for outgoing calls but no one has the number and I never answer it when it rings, which is almost never.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
What defense do you have against taped messages? Grrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...
None. You must endure the message, push whatever to get to a live person, and ask to be taken off the calling list.

Then call the advertiser, ask for the boss, and give him a ration.

-Skip
 
alaskaflyer said:
Won't help your situation in this case but I give out my cell phone number as my home number in all business transactions. If they sell the number it is useless for telemarketing.
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I have gotten telemarketing calls on my cell -- often enough that I signed up all the cells with the do not call registry as well. And then there are the spam texts, which I find even more annoying because I get charged for incoming texts.
 
Ken Ibold said:
I have gotten telemarketing calls on my cell -- often enough that I signed up all the cells with the do not call registry as well. And then there are the spam texts, which I find even more annoying because I get charged for incoming texts.
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Same here. I just outright don't give out my cell number except to trusted persons.
 
woodstock said:
it hasn't actually worked (completely) but it makes me feel better. hahahaha
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Ha! I unload on telemarketers too. I'm on the no-call list but that doesn't stop charities, polls and political calls. I can always tell it's one immediately because they call me "Mrs." (I'm not one) then they can't even come close to pronouncing my last name, or my first name for that matter.

Recently I was talking to a co-worker/flying buddy/friend on my cell phone when my home phone rang. It was a telemarketer who had called me not more than a few days before about the same thing. I put down the cell phone and said a few, well, maybe more than a few, choice words to him. When I got back on the cell phone my co-worker said, "Uh, gee... I hope I never **** you off." I didn't realize he had heard everything. :dunno:
 
wsuffa said:
For a while, 2600 worked.
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Based on the advice here. I got a Telezapper. I had to get a new battery for it. I think it worked once. It certainly beeps at every phone call, though. Either it or my TiVo is constantly clicking on the phone line, too.
 
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Caller ID. If we don't recognize your number, we ain't talking to you. The machine is. I haven't spoken to a TM for years. Unfortunately it doesn't work for a business phone where you have to assume everyone is a customer. Although I think you can still weed out the 800 numbers.
 
jkaduk said:
Caller ID. If we don't recognize your number, we ain't talking to you. The machine is. I haven't spoken to a TM for years. Unfortunately it doesn't work for a business phone where you have to assume everyone is a customer. Although I think you can still weed out the 800 numbers.
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Doesn't work all the time. You'll see "800 number caller" for telemarketers and collection agencies, but also for airlines and stores that you're doing business with.
 
Skip Miller said:
None. You must endure the message, push whatever to get to a live person, and ask to be taken off the calling list.
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The problem is that can take 10 minutes (assuming there is a human available) to get through the menu's and with 10-20 calls a day, you're life is being sucked out of you just to make them go away.

Then there are the fun 2-3 minute ones left on your answering machine repeatedly. You can call them back at their special local number -- that starts with a China, India or South Africa international dialing prefix...
 
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Hummmm, This collection agency got the wrong number and kept calling me. A pre recorded message said to have someone call them at an 800 number. So I set up an auto dialer that said I am calling you back even though you have called the wrong number. This dialer dialed the 800 number every minute for several days. There calls stopped...

Would loved to see there phone bill...!!
 
There's always soundboards on the internet - If you get good with them you can see how long someone will carry on a conversation with Dr. Phil recordings....
 
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