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I’ve recently come home a couple of times to find I had messages on my answering machine. When I checked them, they were actually computer generated messages from telemarketing firms.
I don’t remember this ever happening before. Is this something new they’ve dreamed up ? Has this happened to anyone else ?
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In most places telemarketers are not allowed to use recorded spiels - report them to the telephone company.
*PhillI don't know about Canada, but the phone company is not in the business of law enforcement.There is a US law that covers telemarketing and junk faxes.In this case see 47 CFR 64.1200 (a)(2) "No person may initiiate any telepohone call to any residential telephone line using an artificiaial or prerecorded voice without the prior express consentt of the called party ..."There are a few execptions. You can report this to the FTC. You can also sue for $500 damages for each call.In fact the FCC just issued a citation to Sunset Home Improvements, El Segundo, CA for doing this.Do a google search on TCPA and Telephone Consumer Protection Act and you will find many more details about how to stop telemarketers.Also many states have additional laws. MO has an opt-out list and it has stop 99.935% of the calls that I was getting.
*I've heard about the Missouri law, but didn't know how much good it had done. On the St. Louis news they've said that a lot of companies have ignored it. Illinois tried to pass a similar law, but the Governor vetoed it because there were too many exceptions in it. I thought it was interesting that the law did not outlaw politicians calling for polital purposes. Wonder why that was?
*NY just enacted a similar law. I signed up for the "no-call" list as soon as I heard about it; but it's too early for me to tell how well it works. Certainly is the best thing to come from my polititions in a long while! hope it works.
*I answered the phone a while back and got a prerecorded message... FROM A LOCAL CHURCH!! Asking me to go to church regularly, and if I didn't belong to a church already, go to theirs.It was just about the wierdest marekting call I have ever received!Peace.-Rob
*Hey Boss hog,I like your new tag line!!!
*I think telemarketing in general should be illegal, so I filled out a card I got somewhere, over a year ago, and now get very few calls. Do it. It works. Theory is the telemarketers don't want to waste time on somebody who is against the practice and won't buy, so they don't bother. Plus it's illegal, if you have registered.Any calls I get now, I act all interested, asking them to repeat info, etc., then I ask them for their home #. When they ask why I need that, I say "Well, you have mine!" and "What time do you eat? I want to call you when you're having b your dinner."
*BossWell the MO stopped the SCUM ADT dealer. That one company was 25% of my calls. I was getting calles every couple of weeks and sometimes 2 a week from them.When I complainted to them that they weren't follow the federal law they accused me harasing them and said that they would get a restraining order against me. I wish that they had, but I should have sued them for damages under the federal law, but never bothered.Part of the law is that if you tell them to put you on a no call list them the must do that and keep it for 10 years. AND THEY MUST HAVE WRITTEN INSTRUCTION OF HOW THEY HANDLE THE LIST AND INSTRUCT THE OPERATORS. That is very, very rarely down. Not only don't they have a written policy, but they don't even keep anykind of list.And they are required to make that policy available to you.
*FWIW,Oregon has a "no call" law, they actively pursue complaints. If one chooses to, they can have an asterisk placed next to their number in the book, I believe that QWest charges about 5 bucks a month for this "service".Me, I hardly get any these days, after letting them go through their spiel, I let 'em have with my "no call" spiel. Don't get any "repeat offenders".....Dano
*Life is too short to waste it engaged in even the shortest conversation with telemarketers. Get caller ID.If the number calling says "unavailable" or "private" then it is a junk call and you just don't answer the phone. Simple
*I did this, but one better. Phone company offers a $5 month service called "Call Intercept" Any unavailable/private caller ID's come through, they are required to identify themselves. Mechanized telemarkting can't respond to the prompts, so they automatically get eliminated. If it is a live person, we get a special ring (like ring-ring-ring instead of rrrinnnnng) and you can hear the prompt/answer, kinda like accepting a collect call - something like "You have a call waiting from Joe Schmoe Marketing Co.. Press 1 to accept this call." This way, you can still identify who is calling. Useful for when we're expecting a call from unkown persons/locations, like that fridge delivery, or repair person, etc. Usually, we don't even look at the phone when we hear the special ring.
*MCI & Sprint seem to be unusually annoying lately. Those don't speak English & can't read the spiel people they hire to call can't be making much money if they're on commission. Joe H
*Someone e-mailed this to me. Some of these may work...Subject: : HOW TO HANDLE TELEMARKETERS 1. If they want to loan you money, tell them you just filed for bankruptcy and you could sure use some money. 2. If they start out with, "How are you today?" say, "Why do you want to know?" Alternately, you can tell them, "I'm so glad you asked, because no one these days seems to care, and I have all these problems; my arthritis is acting up, my eyelashes are sore, my dog just died..." When they try to get to the sell, just keep talking about your problems. 3. If they say they're John Doe from XYZ Company, ask them to spell their name. Then ask them to spell the company name. Then ask them where it is located. Continue asking them personal questions or questions about their company for as long as necessary. 4. This works great if you are male: Telemarketer: "Hi, my name is Judy and I'm with XYZ Company..." You: Wait for a second and with a real husky voice ask, "What are you wearing?" 5. Cry out in surprise, "Judy! Is that you? Oh my God! Judy, how have you been?" Hopefully, this will give Judy a few brief moments of terror as she tries to figure out where the heck she could know you from. 6. Say "No", over and over. Be sure to vary the sound of each one, and keep a rhythmic tempo, even as they are trying to speak. This is most fun if you can do it until they hang up. 7. If MCI calls trying to get you to sign up for the Family and Friends Plan, reply,in as SINISTER a voice as you can, "I don't have any friends...would you be my friend?" 8. If the company cleans rugs, respond: "Can you get out blood? Can you get out GOAT blood? How about HUMAN blood? 9. After the telemarketer gives their spiel, ask him/her to marry you. When they get all flustered, tell them that you could not just give you credit card number to a complete stranger. 10. Tell the telemarketer that you work for the same company, they often can't sell to employees. 11. Answer the phone. As soon as you realize it is a telemarketer, set the receiver down, shout or scream "Oh my God!!!" and then hang up. 12. Tell the telemarketer you are busy at the moment and ask them if they will give you their HOME phone number so you can call them back. When the telemarketer explains that they cannot give out their HOME number, you say "I guess you don't want anyone bothering you at home, right?" The telemarketer will agree and you say, "Now you know how I feel!" Hang up. 13. Ask them to repeat everything they say, several times. 14. Tell them it is dinner time, BUT ask if they would please hold. Put them on your speaker phone while you continue to eat at your leisure. Smack your food loudly and continue with your dinner conversation. 15. Tell the telemarketer you are on "home incarceration" and ask if they could bring you some beer. 16. Ask them to fax the information to you, and make up a number. 17. Tell the telemarketer, "Okay, I will listen to you. But I should probably tell you, I'm not wearing any clothes." 18. Insist that the caller is really your buddy Leon, playing a joke. "Come on Leon, cut it out! Seriously, Leon, how's your momma?" 19. Tell them you are hard of hearing and that they need to speak up... > louder... louder... louder... 20. Tell them to talk VERY SLOWLY, because you want to write EVERY WORD down.
*i will usually pass the phone to my 4 or 8 y.o. and let them talk to the telemarketer. if its a female i start asking what shes wearing and tell her what im wearing well you get the picture they usually hang up pretty quick. hey it might even be more effective if its a guy huh? ( im not that way i just think it'll be funnier than all get out.)
*Oh yea I forgot there is a device that you can pick up at radio shack when they call you press a button and it says "take me off your list" over and over until they hang up.
*For about a year or so I have followed this procedure: I politely thank them for calling. Assure them that I have no interest in their service/product. Wish them a good day/evening. Say goodbye. Hang up.I refer you to James DuHamel's thread Lisa Long "New Year's Resolutions" 1/2/02 7:33pm> Brighten someone's life, make a smile appear, cheer up someone who is down, and help whenever and however I can. Maybe, just maybe I can make a difference in someone ELSE'S life, and that act alone will enrich mine more than you could ever know. Rich Beckman
*I don't bother with all that malarkey. I just put the phone down on the hook as soon as I hear the verbal inanities, including addressing me by my first name, as if I was ever their best friend. It seems to stop them yapping pretty effectively. Sometimes I get mean and ask where they know me from to address me as a long lost friend. And sometimes I get really mean, and keep calling the caller 'hen', and it doesn't matter if they're male or female. That pisses 'em off no end. It's remarkable just how many telemarketers slam the phone down on me after I've spent a minute or two offering derisory comments about their sh*tty product. Slainte, RJ.
*...Just pick up the phone and say "Hello, is Dave there? ......WAIT FOR THE PAUSE......N...
*Rich, I'm curious, how long do you let them go on w/their speil (sp?)? And don't they try to tell you why your "no interest" is wrong, and, in fact, you should have some interest? Most of the people I turn down (OK, I turn all telemarketers down) are decent, and probably glad to not have wasted their precious telemarketing time on a non-sale, but others are horrid. They usu hang up when I ask the name of their supervisor, but I've been given many bogus names/numbers.I screen all calls--haven't had a telemarketer since (that I had to talk to). That said, in light of the quote from James, I always am empathetic w/folks working for shit pay in horrid conditions, and try to take that into consideration--unless they are rude!
*kai,I wait until they take a breath. Sometimes that's quicker than others. I have been known to interupt them. The days of letting them go on for a full minute or so until they get to a question are long over. Then I run my spiel without taking a breath, but cheerfully and with a smile. Then I hang up immediately.Rich Beckman
*I'm with Stephen. I use caller ID, and when a telemarketer calls, it simply says "unknown name - unknown number"Telemarketers here in Texas have a line out only. Their business line does not accept calls, so their number shows up as unknown name - unknown number. When I see this, I just don't answer the phone. I haven't had a telemarketer leave a mesaage on the answering machine in a very long time. They just hang up. With caller ID here, if the number someone is calling from is legit, but they want their name withheld, it will give the number, but say unknown name. You can get this service with the phone company for a fee. Same type of message appears with pay phones, although here recently, it says pay phone, and then the number. Caller ID saves a lot of hassles, angry replies, and is worth every penny.Just a thought...James DuHamel
*Rich - I had already forgotten about posting that toilet resolution. Before the toilet, the vinyl. Before the vinyl, the subfloor. Before the subfloor, the wall tile. Before the wall tile, repair the wall. Dang.....sometimes resolutions come back to bite you!Maybe if a toilet telemarketer calls I will let them talk....
*They used to only bother me at home, now they call my stairshop constantly. I just start up the table saw and yell at the top of my lungs "Harold, shut that saw off!" There is no Harold. haAt home if I am on the couch, I just turn the surround sound up till the place is rocking and actually try to carry on a conversation. I used to dread these calls, now I enjoy trying new methods to get them to hang up.
*there are worse people than telemarketers. Try bill collectors. My household has been hounded for several years now by vermin trying to contact "Stephen amd Sharon Hazlett". My wifes' name is Janet and I don't even know anyone named Sharon-----but I get their !@#$%^& calls.It is bad enough that I am being inconvenienced for having a similar name as a deadbeat---but now my neighbors may be as well. I read in the paper a few weeks ago that now bill collectors are allowed to call your neighbors and leave a message for you.so now my neighbors may start recieving calls leaving messages for Stephen and Janet Hazlett.
*StephenDo a google search on "fair debt collection act".All you have to do is read the appropriate section ONCE and they are not allowed to call you again. Nor are they allowed to discuss "your" problems with anyone else. They can leave a message with a neighbors, but they can indicate what it is about nor can they do repetive calls.Also with those problems I would get a credit report and see if any of them shows up on your report.
*I used to try to get them to hang up on me. Now, I just politely say "I'm not interested, I don't accept telephone solicitations" and hang up.I don't like the job they're doing, I'll bet most of them don't either but have to have a job.I won't waste their time, I don't let them waste mine.
*Bill,you have a good idea. I have already checked out my credit rating.the problem with the other suggestion is that it requires me to actually waste my time in a conversation with these low-life douche-bags.Example----about a year ago my answering machine was clogged day after day from some agency trying to collect from these deadbeats.I decided that I would call this agency to let them know that they had spent A LOT OF TIME calling the wrong Stephen Hazlett.Stupid me---I actually thought they might appreciate the chance to concentrate on finding the right guy instead of wasting their time calling an innocent 3rd party.Well I will tell you that I have NEVER engaged in conversation with a lower form of humanity then the guy I contacted---he reamed me out thoroughly and them proceeded to tell me what an idiot I was for not CHANGING MY OWN PHONE NUMBER.I Figure FU&* them---I haven't done anything wrong---why should I change MY number.If I did change it they would quickly start calling the new number right? FU#$ them,let them waste their time calling the wrong people---I got caller ID,I don't have to talk to them.BTW, I have no facts but I assume this harrasment is a result of some Republican sponsored legislation supporting big business. If I am wrong I will apologize.
*> I assume this harrasment is a result of some Republican sponsored legislation supporting big business. Yup - It's a all part of a vast right wing conspiracy - The same conspiracy that Hillary spoke about when Bill was accused of having sex with Monica> If I am wrong I will apologize. Why ? Hillary never did...............(-:
*??????? What in the hell does Monica Lewinsky have to do with any of this?
*When the accusations about Monica first came out, Bill denied it. And Hillary said it was all part of a vast right wing conspiracy to discredit Bill. Hillary was asked if she wanted to apologize for saying that (During her campaign in NY) since it obviously wasn't true. She declined. BTW - I was just poking fun - Please don't take it seriously.
*I don't know how it works in other parts of the country, but when telemarketers call me here in MA, there is ALWAYS a couple of seconds of silence before anyone speaks. I believe that this is the computer determining if there is a live body at the other end of the line, as opposed to an answering machine.The silence gives me the opportunity to hang up quickly without ever having to speak to a telemarketer. After all, if it's a friend, they don't go "........................ .............................. ............................... hi, is XXX there!"
*I've been noticing that, too. They've got about half a second before I hang up. The caller ID thing doesn't always work here, several times I have answered "number unavailable", or "out of area" calls that turned out to be somebody I wanted to talk to.
*Got me on of them thar Zappers for Christmas, will be interesting to see how well it works.Caller ID, Answering machineOut of area, pick up high enough to go off-hook and hang upprivate, wait to see who it is on answering machine.
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I've recently come home a couple of times to find I had messages on my answering machine. When I checked them, they were actually computer generated messages from telemarketing firms.
I don't remember this ever happening before. Is this something new they've dreamed up ? Has this happened to anyone else ?