Kevin's Watch

Today is the first day people in the USA can sign up for the new government list set up to stop telemarketers from calling your home and cell phones. You can sign up on-line at www.donotcall.gov

If the number doesn't show up on caller ID, I don't pick up.

Thank you for this post, Duchess! I have forever been plagued with telemarketers and have been unable to do anything to stop it!

I went to the site and it was unailable at the time. I will try again later.

Actually, I signed up for it more than a year ago. And it truly works! Life without telemarketers is a glorious thing! But I don't know if that was the same url as I used.

We get so many here! Both my parents are self employed so they call our family as well as our businesses. If they pronouce my mom's name wrong (Lois --> Louise) I tell them she's not home.

Telemarketers are people too....

I normally just walk the phone over to my wife and leave her to deal with them (cruel and unjust I know )

Vain, that is such a mean thing to do to your wife!
I'm never rude to them, but man, am I ever tired of being woken up first thing in the morning by someone who wants to sell me siding for my BRICK house or wanting to issue me yet another credit card. I work permanent nights, and these people always seem to call really early in the morning. I usually just quietly hang up the phone and try to go back to sleep.

Unfortunately they always ring right at dinner time and I am usually in the habit of screening my calls around 6.00 pm to 7.30 pm. One night when I wasn't thinking, I happened to answer the phone and yep some foolish woman began to rabbit on about this brilliant new investment opportunity thingie to do with negative gearing and stuff. She caught me at a bad time and since she wouldn't let me get a word in edgeways and I absolutely hate hanging up on people, I simply put the phone down and walked away. I came back 10 mins later and she had gone.
To this day I feel really really bad about it but that hasn't stopped them ringing up!!!!!!
I just send a prayer of thanks every day to whoever the genius was that invented the answering machine.

Indiana has had this no-call list on the books for a year and it is glorious!

I got only 1 call in the last year, about 4 months ago - and when I said I was on the list and began to demand information (doing the asking was kinda cool!) she got really apologetic. They can get fined and that's alright by me.

I usually play with the telemarketers first. Like:

Julie: Hello! How are you today?
TF: Oh, bored as ever. I'm gonna make another pie, I think.
Julie: That's nice. Would you be interested in ordering three months worth of Good Housekeeping Weekly for only $4.89?
TF: Althea, is that you?
Julie: .......
TF: Come on Althea! I know it's you. Come on, how's ya momma?
Julie: *hangs up*

Works every time!

My dad's friend actually had an intellectual conversation with one once.

Usually telemarketers don't bother me much, but one time the Reno Gazette Journal was really getting on my nerves.

I'd been at my new house for about a month or so when I got the first call. I told them no thanks. They asked me why not, and I told them I thought the RGJ wasn't worth the paper it was printed on (they can argue it's worth the cost, that you really need to buy the paper, but they can't argue with a statement like, "Your newspaper sucks.")

The second time they called I politely told them that I had already been contacted, was not interested, would they please take me off their call list.

The third time I just yelled, "I can't read! Stop rubbing it in my face already!" and hung up.

The fourth time I just told the guy to get his supervisor on the phone. He was suddenly very apologetic, asked if there was anything he could do (also helps to say, "Yes, [insert sales person's name here], please get your manager."). I said, no, that's fine, nothing against you, just go get your manager. I finally got the manager on the phone, told him if I received another call I would go down to the phone company and pick up a record of the calls, and then I would make an issue of it. I never got another call.

Hahahahaha! Very nice Syl!

Very good, Syl!

The worst time I ever had from telemarketers was from some military veterans organization who claimed that I pledged to donate to them which I did not. They kept on calling me and sending me invoices! After several conversations with manager and a couple of letters, I finally had to threaten legal action. The calls and letter stopped.

My sister in law always tries to convert them to her church. She says that seems to discourage them.

Well it's easy if it's a woman telemarketer. A simple "What are you wearing" will get most of them off pretty quick. And if not, then you got yourself a date for the weekend!!

literally LOL

Fist and Faith wrote:Well it's easy if it's a woman telemarketer. A simple "What are you wearing" will get most of them off pretty quick. And if not, then you got yourself a date for the weekend!!

You could also try that with a male telemarketer.....I bet that would get rid of them even quicker.

I am torn... We have a new law in the US regarding Telemarketing...

National "NO CALL LIST"

I am on it... but now that I am, I don’t get to screw with the folks that used to call me. I so loved messing with them...

I once got ahold of one of their corporate toll free numbers. 5 times a day, I would call and talk for 30 minutes at a time to a different person in different departments... I kept notes and started gossip about them just to see if I could find someone else who heard the rumor I started.

I know I could never bankrupt the company with my calls... but lord did it feel good, and I made some good friends along the way. LOL

Just join the blocked telemarketer thingy. Sheesh are people braindead around here?