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POLL: How do YOU respond to telemarketing annoyances?

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Had a call from the US Dept of Education for my gf just a few minutes ago (She must be behind on a payment of a student loan or something). Pick up the phone (my cell phone, not hers) to a recording "Please hold, all off our operators are busy..." If it had taken a second more for the person to pick up, I would have just hung up.

Then, she asks if she could leave a message with my gf,

I say "sure, what's the message?".

She says "here's our number and the hours she can call."

Me: "Sure, what's the message?"

Her: "Excuse me?"

Me: "What message can I give her?"

Blah blah blah, etc. etc.

Her: "I can't give you detailed information"

Me: "I'm not asking for detailed information, I'm asking what sort of information she should have ready when she calls"

Repeat x20 and now I'm in it for the principle of it all and probably soundling like an ass.

Her: "I'll just write down that you refused the call."

Me: "Look, I'm ready to take down the number, but I'm not going to waste her time. What -sort- of imformation should she have ready when she calls you."

Her: "I'm disconnecting the call."

lol

Gonna start doing some of Mr. Mabe's stuff with any more telemarketers (though I rarely get calls anymore after asking folks to take me off of their lists(s) )
 
sometimes i just hang up (when im in "not so happy" mood).

otherwise i change my voice so it sounds like a little kid (altho its obvious..) and tell them that there are no adults around (meaning no one with $$ transaction capabilities) and they usually end the call right there.

i hear all these ppl doing funny stuff on the phone with tele marketers but when i have them on the phone, i cant do that to them... i guess i am too kind. (or too weak?) bah😉
 
hanging up or " i'm not interested and please take my name off your solicitation list, both phone and mail." these two works very well for me.
 
If they stop talking long enough to get a word in I say firmly "no thank you" and hang up. If they're speed-talking without a pause I just hang up period. No "lame excuse" is needed if you simply say "no thank you," and lame excuses are what they're expecting / trained to handle anyway.
 
Bad Mood: go Fvck yourself!
Good Mood: No Thanks.
Can't Pronounce my Name: It is pronounced _ _ _ _ _ _ _ and furthermore, don't bother using it again with this number.
Twisted Mood: Listen and then give them false information
Evil Mood: Give them false information from the phone book randomly
Tired Mood: What, you mean I need more credit cards? For great Justice?
Regular Mood: All of your base are belong to us. You know what you doing?
 
I used to get like 10 calls a day, then we decided to get the telemarketer service from the phone company. It costs about a dollar more per month, but it works great. I haven't recieved a call in over 2 months from a marketer.
 
Ask them lots of stuff about their offers, and act enthusiastically, then when you guys reach the point of closing the deal or blurting out CC number, change ya tone of voice and ask "how do you feel when people waste your time?", by the way I decided I don't want the service anymore, bye bye
 
Ever since I took the right measures, I stopped getting telemarketing calls.

First and foremost, make sure your number is not listed anywhere. Get a new number, and never list it. Also, do not have the phone company give out your new number when your old number is called.

Opt out of any and all info sharing when signing up for stuff. If signing up for something in which they do NOT need your phone number, enter in a fake one.

After doing this, you may get the occational call, simply demand to be taken off their calling list.

I haven't had a telemarketing call in years (with the exception of one call from Sears selling credit insurance, but I have an account with them. I asked to be removed and they never called again).
 
I get the name of the company they're calling for the name of the company they work for, their name, act like I'm writing it down in a book and thell them to put me on their "do not call" list, or they'll be fined by TX Public Utilities Commission.

We don't get telemarketer calls anymore.
 
here in Indiana we're on the "NO CALL" list. If a telemarketer calls we call some number and they make a report of it, contact the business, etc. Didn't think this really worked but we made a complaint not too long ago and we received a letter in the mail saying they were investigating the situation and they were sorry for the inconvenience.
 
Call display has thankfully cut down on the number of telemarketing calls I actually pick up.
Otherwise, its a quick & polite "thanks, but I'm not interested," then hang up.

I have a buddy from high school who spent a year or two doing telemarketing, I'm surprised he lasted that long.
 
Around here my kid answers the phone all the time. He has no problems telling them to take a hike!! hehe
 
I leave the friggin answering machine on. Get very few TM calls. Most of em hang up when the realize it's a box answering the phone.
 
My answering machine message says "Hello!"...

I was thinkin about just recording a series of answering machine beeps and using that as my answering machine message. hehehe.
 
Ah, that's why I like Caller ID. Almost all telemarketers come up as "Unknown Caller" or "Private", so I don't bother to answer those calls.
 
We've got the anti-telemarketer service on all of our lines. It works great too. It's been years since I've talked to one.
 
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