Hello, Telemarketers??????
The ClubHouse: Archive: Hello, Telemarketers??????
Whoami | Thursday, December 13, 2001 - 09:57 pm   A word of advice to anyone who is a telemarketer out there....DON"T call in the last 5-10 minutes of an hour. Last week, someone tried to sell me something right in the heat of Tribal Council. Tonight, someone thought I'd really like to buy something right as Frank and Margurite were approaching the finish line. You know what? I couldn't tell ya what either of those bozos were selling. I tried to tell them "no thanks," but they kept insisting. I had to hang up on them (I hate to be that rude, but...). Even if it isn't Survivor or TAR, nobody wants to miss the last few minutes of a show they took the time to watch. Yes, I have caller ID, but my sister's number says "out of area," (which is what all the telemarketers lines say, along with "unavailable"), so I answere it cause think it may be her. Guess I'll have to tell her I won't answer the phone anymore if the Caller ID says one of those things. She can leave a message! |
Tksoard | Thursday, December 13, 2001 - 10:08 pm   Whoami, I have caller ID, and if an "out of area" or "blocked" call comes in, I don't answer it at all. Only one of my relatives number shows up as out of area, and she knows to let the answering machine pick up and just say Hi it's me and I'll talk to her. If it's anyone else, and they don't want to talk to the answering machine, then it wasn't that important to talk to me. I get 2-4 out of area calls a day, and they just hang up, so I know they are telemarketers. If I ever do pick up a telemarketers, I say Thanks but I'm not interested, and hang up. I did have an experience 2 times that I will share, but not right now.  |
Max | Thursday, December 13, 2001 - 10:28 pm   Yup, this is one thing that Caller ID is a lifesaver for! If it says "blocked" or "unavailable," it doesn't get answered. If it's a friend, they can talk to the machine and I'll hear it and pick up. That's it. If I make the mistake of picking up the phone before checking the caller ID, I say, "No, thanks, I'm not interested" as quickly as I can (even if it's over the top of what they are saying) and hang up. They don't make money by talking to someone who doesn't want what they are selling anyway, so I'm actually doing them a favor by getting off the call quickly! I've been trying to use Verizon's website to add the feature to my service that automatically blocks unidentified callers, but their website is SO slow (I have their DSL service, so it's not because of my connection) that the scripts keep timing out. Guess I might have to call them! LOL |
Crazydog | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 08:44 am   I have caller ID as well, and an "unavailable" call came in within the last ten minutes of the Amazing Race. 8:50 pm is a little too late for telemarketers to be calling me at home. Another thing... to any telemarketers, whether you like to believe it or not, 9 AM on a weekend morning is NOT an appropriate time to be calling as well. And calling four times a day on the weekends in the hopes that I pick up will not make me want to! |
Twiggyish | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 08:48 am   On a side note: wasn't that an exciting ending for Amazing Race? How dare anyone call then?! |
Car54 | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 09:03 am   Get that zapper from over at the As Seen on TV thread. If you answer the call- it zaps you out of their phone bank computer so they won't call again. |
Tksoard | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 09:08 am   But does it really work? Has anyone gotten one yet?  |
Car54 | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 09:12 am   I saw it at Radio Shack, and my salesman "Ron" (all of 17 years old) tells me it really works! |
Karuuna | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 12:36 pm   The large national telemarketers and direct mailers are members of the Direct Marketing Association. The DMA (of which my company is a member) insists that its members purge your address and/or phone number from their calling or mailing lists if you have requested to be removed. To request to be removed, use this link: http://www.the-dma.org/consumers/consumerassistance.html You will find 3 separate links here for removing your mailing address, your phone number and your Email address. If you register to have your phone removed online, there is a $5 charge. However, you can print out the information and mail it to them, and they won't charge you anything. If you want to get yourself removed from all three lists, mailing the forms in is definitely the way to go! I've registered with them, and it decreased those annoying calls by about 90%. |
Moondance | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 12:39 pm   Thanks Kar! |
Littlebreeze | Friday, December 14, 2001 - 04:46 pm   For anyone who may not be aware, here's a simple and quick way to stop a telemarketing company from ever calling you again. When you get a telemarketing call and they begin their fast-paced spiel, cut them off in their tracks and ask "What company are you calling from?". Repeat the company name back to them, as if you're writing it down, then say "Take my name off your list." and hang up. If you tell them to take your name off their list, they're required by federal law to do that or be liable for a $500 fine for each and every call they make to you after that. I'll post the info on the law below. You'll see that it says to ask for the company address, names, etc., and to follow up your verbal request with a written request. I've never done any of the things "required" other than asking the telemarketer for the company name then telling them to take my name off their list. That has always been enough to instantly get my name removed. It's never failed and I've never gotten a repeat phone call. Many of us may not know, but these companies well-know what laws they are governed under, including this law, and they'd rather remove your name on your verbal request than risk the chance of piling up one $500 fine after another with every call they make to you, or damages even beyond that. Here's the info.... "U.S. Federal Law requires that telemarketing firms maintain a "do not call" list. Be sure to include all your personal and business lines as well. When you do this, keep track of the company's name, number and address along with the telemarketer's name and supervisor's name. They are required by law to give it to you. Send written confirmation of your request and keep a copy for your files. Under the U.S. Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, Public Law 102-243, you can sue in small claims court for actual damages or $500 per violation should they continue to call after your request to be placed on the "do not call" list." |
Discoinferno | Sunday, December 16, 2001 - 09:56 pm   I was getting telemarketing calls every day. (and one company had an autodialer, and when my answering machine picked up it disconnected on their end, but not on mine, so I would have minute long messages of just dead air). I signed up for Security Screen with my phone company. If the call comes in unidentified, the person gets a message to input their phone number, before my phone even rings. I just did the DMA thing to get my name off the junk mail lists. I found another number that will take you off the pre approved credit card application mailing lists too. It's 1 888 5 OPT OUT. You can opt out for 5 years... or permanently. If permanently, they send yo a form in the mail to return. (This number is good for all the 4 major credit bureaus) |
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