Telezapper -- $1 at Dollar Tree B&M

[ttown]

Dollar Tree near University Place in Tacoma WA had a table full (about 20 or 30)

$1... retails for $39.99 MSRP... Can frequently be found at Big Lots, and various bargain type stores for around $5 or $10

YMMV!

 

[Schadenfroh]

These things work?

 

[ttown]

Originally posted by: Schadenfroh
These things work?

Supposedly. They emit a tone -- I think it's called an "SIT" tone -- which automated marketing phone systems supposedly interpret as a disconnected number, and remove your name from it's list.

I don't know anyone who has one, but I bet it would be pretty annoying to the caller to hear the weird tone before the ringing starts.

 

[bigboxes]

Or you can you can register your phone number with www.donotcall.gov for free.

 

[grappa]

If they worked so well I doubt they'd be at Dollar Tree...

 

[rahvin]

Originally posted by: grappa
If they worked so well I doubt they'd be at Dollar Tree...

The do not call list killed the need for it so it's not worth much. Seriously I don't know why anyone would need with with the DNC list. Once I added our number all telemarketing calls stopped, in fact we answer the phone now.

 

[bigfil]

i remember calling someone and hearing that
its the most annoying sound in the world
anyhoo good deal thanks

 

[ttown]

Originally posted by: bigboxes
Or you can you can register your phone number with www.donotcall.gov for free.

i just got my 3rd "survey" call in a month (literally less than 1hr ago)... so I asked "I'm on the national Do-Not-Call registry, so I'm wondering why you're calling me?"
answer: "That doesn't apply to us, because we aren't selling anything."
I'm on their do-not-call list now.....

When I answered, I could tell there was some sort of automated switching going on, since I wasn't immediatly talking to a person.
At first, it sounded "dead" -- I said "hello?" -- and i heard a click, followed by background voices, followed by a person talking to me. So I suspect that very first part is an automated dialer detecting a voice (or non-ringing) and switching me to a survey taker.

Pretty lame the do-not-call registry doesn't apply to ALL businesses...

 

[SoulAssassin]

I work in technolofy for a large company and a small part of our business involves telemarketing. The guy who sits next to me is the lead engineer for the companies Mosaix dialers and he's told me these don't work.

 

[1Lee]

I am on the do not call list and have one of these. NY has had a do not call list for a long time, but people get around it by saying they are doing market research or a political organization. The Zap noise is a bit annoying and people calling don't know what to make of it. I think it works though, because I get a lot less if any market research calls. This could be because they a lot of companies have stopped this type of marketing. I have also noticed a lot of dead calls meaning people calling and then nothing. The Zapper company said that would be one of the indications the Zapper was working. The real test was Mike Bloomburg (The Mayor) spent big bucks to call New Yorkers and I didn't get any calls. Last time he ran I got atleast 3 calls a day.

 

[Jbog]

I get a lot of dead calls and I do not have Telezapper.

 

[Kwad Guy]

These are pretty much worthless.

There is a MUCH better unit out there that, when someone calls they get a notice to the effect of "we do not accept unsolicited calls of ANY type. If this is an unsolicited call, please place us on your do-not-call list. It is now a crime for you to call this number. If this is not an unsolicited call, please press 1 now to be connected." Only calls where the caller presses "1" actually make your phone ring. (A caller who knows the message can press "1" at any time to get connected).

This unit works fabulously to get rid of basically ALL unsolicited calls. Unfortunately, it is a bit unnerving to all your friends / callers you want to hear from, at least the first time they call.

Kwad

 

[SoulAssassin]

Originally posted by: Kwad Guy
These are pretty much worthless.

There is a MUCH better unit out there that, when someone calls they get a notice to the effect of "we do not accept unsolicited calls of ANY type. If this is an unsolicited call, please place us on your do-not-call list. It is now a crime for you to call this number. If this is not an unsolicited call, please press 1 now to be connected." Only calls where the caller presses "1" actually make your phone ring. (A caller who knows the message can press "1" at any time to get connected).

This unit works fabulously to get rid of basically ALL unsolicited calls. Unfortunately, it is a bit unnerving to all your friends / callers you want to hear from, at least the first time they call.

Kwad

I know someone who has one of these...it would be nice if it had a white list of people that would automatically come through or even a option to automatically let through anyone in the same area code.

 

[thedealmaker]

I am in the do not call list, but a India drug company kept calling me once a week even after I told them that I was in do not call list. So, I asked the name of their company and I went to the do not call list to fill out the complaint form. Guess what, not one single call from them anymore right after that.

 

[Kwad Guy]

Originally posted by: SoulAssassin



I know someone who has one of these...it would be nice if it had a white list of people that would automatically come through or even a option to automatically let through anyone in the same area code.

Yeah, I got one for my parents, which they installed before the Do Not Call list thing went into effect. By the end of a month after it was installed they were getting * ZERO * unsolicited calls. I mean, if you took the device off the line, the phone never received any solicitors. After a month my Mom insisted I take it off, however, because her friends we getting "freaked out" by the serious tone of the message. Eventually, my parents started to get the occasional solicitation call, but the frequency was probably down at least 90%...

Kwad

 

[Mongals]

has anyone every tried the Telecrapper 2000 method? it is hilarious.

 

[yukichigai]

Telezapper used to work, but then the solicitors got smart and started to check other features of the SIT signal to make sure it's legit, including somehow checking against the phone company database. (not sure how that works) That's the primary reason telezappers are so cheap. They'll still catch the smaller auto-dialer outfits, but the big boys use the thorough method.

 

[bman46]

Originally posted by: grappa
If they worked so well I doubt they'd be at Dollar Tree...

agreed

 

[yukichigai]

By the way, Kwad, got a link to those devices you're talking about? I've wanted one for a while.

 

[1Lee]

Hey whatever happened to that number you could give out to people you didn't like. Lets say someone asked you for your phone number and they called this number, there was a message that said "Obiviously this person didn't want to give you their number, now listen to some of our ads"

 

[Snerp]

GO T TOWN DOLLAR TREE!!! WOOT!

 

[edfcmc]

kwad's machine is called "the screen machine"