Do not call...

Well, yesterday was supposed to be the big day that the Do Not Call list went into effect, until some judge (who quite ironicly had registered for the list himself) said it violated the telemarketing industry's "free speech rights." What the hell is that anyway? Somebody said it well when they said "Your right to free speech stops at my door."

Anyway, I got two telemarketer calls on Oct. 1st. That's about what was normal before all the hype about registration for "the list" began a few months back.

Since all the registration started it had bumped up to about 6 calls a day, which I wrote off to the telemarketers trying like hell to get in "one last bang" before the list went into effect. Now, one group of telemarketers is saying they'll honor the list dispite the judges ruling, but others obviously aren't.

The FTC and FCC are trying to figure out who's got authority to enforce it, if anyone does, and an article I read this morning said you should file complaints with the FCC if you get calls, but it didn't say how to do that.

So, I guess I'm just going back to my old way of dealing with these annoying a$$holes. I just say "I don't do business with telemarketers, remove this number from your call list." and hang up.

Thoughts, opinions, tips? Have at it...

my response when I got called yesterday was

"I'm one of the millions that signed up for the do not call list... DO NOT CALL this number again"

Free speech only counts when you want it to count.

It's very easy to combat. Everything you sign up for, give them your cell phone number. They're not allowed to call it. It's illegal.

No, free speech counts all the time. However, you do not have any free speech rights in my home. That includes the phone *I* pay for.

Please elaborate on this. Do you like getting calls from some asshole at dinner time? I especially like it when I get telemarketer calls after 8:00 PM when I'm trying to put my son to bed. I'm still waiting for the day when they invent a phone that disables the ringer after a certain time frame from "Unknown" callers.

They already do. Unfortunately, it can be a hinderance, too. I have my number blocked, but my sister has blocked numbers blocked. So if I want to call her, I have to use a landline phone that gives out the ID.

It doesn't matter if it's legal or not... when I bought my last car, I had some credit problems, so they sent my app (with my cell #, no home)off to lots of the smaller credit companies... within a week of taking the car home, I was getting a MINIMUM of 5 calls per day on my cell, EVERY DAY!!! There was nothing I could do... took well over a hundred calls from people trying to give me credit cards, then I changed my number... I no longer use my cell for anything but business... I can't afford to have that happen again...

When you gave them your number, did you SPECIFICALLY say it was a cell phone?

:rolleyes: uhh... no... but that's not the point! they kept doing it even after I told them!

That's probably where it went wrong, though. If you had told them originally, they shouldn't have given it out. Once it's given out to more than one place, you're fucked.

You know...

I think I would have to come out against this anti-telemarketer law.

There is always something you can do at home to combat these calls. Let the machine get it.. turn the ringer low or off.

The telemarketing industry employs a lot of people. Do we really need to loose more jobs right now? I don't think so. A lot of people will be out of work.

Where are all the so-called "compassionate" liberals on this issue? The telemarketing industry employs tons of disabled and handicapped people. These are people who can't get jobs in other industries. I don't hear anyone sticking up for these people.

Plus you know this whole federal list is bullshit. Political campaigns, charities, businesses whom you have done business with in the past are all exempt from the law. There are other exemptions but I forgot them right now.

How come no one is arguing in favor of jobs. I get a lot of these calls too, but I either answer the phone or I don't. After all, the person on the other end of the phone is just trying to earn a living.

It doesn't matter. All you have to say is "Do you know that you are calling a cell phone?" and they'll hang up immediatly and not call back. It's, I believe, a 500 dollar fine on them if you report them.

To a point I agree with the Madman. Yes, there are a lot of jobs to be lost if that whole industry goes south. But sellers will find other ways to get their word out, and there will be more jobs available stuffing envelopes for direct mail marketing and such. It could also bring the internet industry out of the hole because without the ability to make "cold calls," some of these companies might need to create websites. Oh, the horror! :p

Aside from the annoyance factor of being disturbed during dinner, increasingly these telemarketers, (even so-called legitimate ones), have started acting like scam artists. Who else has gotten a call from a guy at some company called "U.S. National Financing" or something like that which went something like this:

Caller: "Hello Mr. Smith, your government-secured debt consolidation loan has been approved, but we never got your registration form. We absolutely need you to fill out that form and return it to us so processing of your loan can be completed..."

(Then you say you never applied for a loan.)

Caller: "Oh, what, you never recieved it? Oh my..."

(You say something like 'No, I didn't apply for a loan.')

Caller: "Well, it's already been approved. Hmmmmm, OK, we'll get this taken care of right away. Give me your address and I'll mail you another form today. It is very important that you fill it out completely and return it in the postage paid envelope. We'll get it processed immediately, I assure you...."

And on and on it will go. They won't give up until you either give them your address or hang up on them. Never.

I always hang up, but as my parents get older, (in their 70's now), I see them increasingly getting forgetful about little stuff.

If one of those people got ahold of my extremely polite, elderly mom (who doesn't believe in just hanging up on people) she could think she actually had to fill out some forms for this persistent asshole, give him her address and wind up getting a "loan" she doesn't need, at an extremely high interest rate, that she never, ever would have sought out on her own.

Nope, these people are evil and they all should be put out of the "cold calling" business.

Too bad for them.

How about:

a) The Do-Not-Call list stands, and I enjoy my Pursuit Of Happiness free of assholes leaving recordings on my answering machine, or calling me at 7:30 am on Saturday.

b) The government puts more effort towards giving these pinheads back their customer support jobs that went overseas to India and other countries.

I don't want to be sold a satellite dish by a handicapped American, while an English-as-a-Second-Language person (PC, yes, go fuck yerself) tries to walk me through my hard-disk-crash trauma . . .

I want the handicapped American to walk me through my hard-disk-trauma, and the satellite-dish salesmen to fuck right the fuck off!!!!

. . . Is that too much to ask?

Guess that came out wrong. Don't get me wrong, I am all for the "no call" list. I just think it's funny that people get upset when free speech effects them, but in the case of Rush Limbaugh... he's not allowed to voice his opinions. BTW, just using Rush as an example since it's the most recent case.

nope, sorry i don't buy this argument.

If you cut down on the calls that people don't want... then employees make more money, because every call they make is an interested party, instead of people like me that tell them "hey can you hold on a sec..." and just set the phone down... wasting their time.

basically this law would make the Telemarketers much more profitable

Exactly... well said! Wish I could say the same for the typing. lol

sorry

fixed i think

I like the concept of the Do Not Call List, a friend in Indiana, which has a state run one, says he gets NO calls whatsoever. BUT with that said I do understand that someone is likely to lose their job if no one is allowed to call anyone. But when I get that call, and the person on the other end is being pushy and is fighting with me and just saying they are going to sign me up after I said no, that's when my compassion goes out the window. If the telemarketing industry wants us to take their calls maybe they should clean up their act and be civil to me and all my fellow annoyed consumers!

Oh and to be honest, I don't believe for a second that some telemarketer that is probably is making minimum wage is going to make the effort to take my number off their list when I ask. The only way to make it stick is to get their name, the name of the company, the time of the call, the name of the person calling and then you have to monitor every telemarketing call afterwards to make sure they don't call back, and if they do THEN you have to figure out how to report them. So then they get a fine, ok maybe up to $11,000, which is the new amount, (I don't know what it was before Oct. 1) YES a lot to you and I, but to a BILLION dollar industry I bet they don't bat an eye at that kind of fine.

I haven't had a call in over a year, when Colorado's DNC law went into effect.

I've heard twice now that the majority of telemarketers work out of India. I got it from two friends who work for American Express since they have to deal with AMEX's telemarketing division (based in India). They say that all major credit card's telemarketing divisions are run out of India and most 1-800 numbers route to India.

Now I'm not saying this is true, I still don't really believe it. But they told me that the way you tell is the slight tmie differece between the conversation, and the accents. The Indian workers are told to speak in the most American accent possible and since they call hundreds of people a day they get alot of pracitce and quickly develop the accent. But you can usually still hear inflections on certain words.

Anyway next time you get a call try to see if they have an accent, or just ask them if they are in India, I haven't tried that yet.

Oh and here's a good link ergarding the Do-Not-Call list:

Coke/Pepsi tries to get around the List.

Just my 2 cents, I am after all one of these dreaded telemarketers. I make a comfortable living (6 figures+ yearly) working 32 hours a week by speaking on the phone. I sell chemicals to the military; (epoxy for aircraft carrier decks & soap to make the fleet look good), to municipalities (wastewater odor eliminators & grafitti remover for the parks), too big industry (Ford motors, Tyson Foods, etc.), and even to Betty's poodle parlor if she can afford my shit.(I AM an equal opportunity salesman )
My job affords me many luxuries some people will never attain working twice as hard and twice as long. I vacation often (paid), I have 3 day weekends EVERY week, and I have more than enough time to spend with family and friends. My benefits package is outstanding, (blew out a knee and paid less than $500 after all insurance paid out) and the 401K just gets fatter.
The difference is I am calling Business to business. I'm not the schmuck who's calling to offer you a lower mortgage while you're eating, to see if your interested in carpet cleaning as you lay down to nap, or to let you know you've been selected to stay at a resort in Timbuk-F-ing-tu. This list has no effect on me at my job in that sense.
I will say however, I DID sign on the list too. Because yes,I receive almost 10 calls a day from some "hooked on phonics" graduate who'll probably move onto something more challenging like, "fry team leader" at McDonnels later in life. It's probably bad phone juju, but I like to ask them if there's some type of "jumbo" or larger offer than what they've proposed and get 'em all excited. They pitch their little can't read the scripts for a shit hearts out while I go back to whatever it was I was doing when interupted. If they're still on when I get back I say I'm not interested or politely tell them no, move on to your next lead.
All telemarketers aren't bad, just me..

Are you hiring?

yup.

you got a PM

I could move to AZ to make 6 figures! I't my job to answer phones now among other things but I make jack doing it!

Sean... it is called Privacy ID Service.
If it is "Unknown" or "Out Of Area" my phone never rings. They have to "State your name or your companies name". Their computer never does it and my phone never rings.

If you are a live person an say "I'm from Joe's Siding" my phone rings. I press "1" to accept. I press "2" to block and the person gets a recording saying basically take me off your list and leave me alone.

Mobycat... if you are using a your landline phone you can temporarily unblock your number before each phone call.

"Fuck off" followed by a hang-up usually works for me...in my humble opinion, my home telephone number is off-limits to ALL telemarketers, regardless of WTF they're selling! Get a real job, you lazy fuckers!

You don't know me, or my needs, so quit wasting my time and fuck off!

If I could abuse them any more, I would.

Sorry, that's how I feel.

I look at it this way. I pay for my phone service. I only give my number out to those I want to call me. Telemarketers are freeloaders.
My wife and I put our names on the do-not-call list for telemarketers. We feel strongly that since we pay a monthly fee for telephone service to our home that these marketers are freeloading, using our lines to carry on their business.

This is just the same as going into someone's private office and freely using it and its equipment to carry on your own business.

I just answer, and as soon as I hear the silence or hear them say my last name wrong, I say "take me off of your list" (which I know they're not going to do) and hang up. Yes, I know they are just doing their jobs, but that's not my problem.

I'm sorry. I don't care if the person on the other end of the call is Mother Teresa or Ghandi. They don't have the right to interfere with my privacy.

When I watch television I know I am going to subject myself to advertising. No problem, it's a choice I make. When I listen to the radio I know I will subject myself to advertising as well. Again, no problem, I made the choice to tune in. Same thing with magazines, newspapers, etc, etc, etc.

But when I'm at home, enjoying my family I should not be subjected to advertising I did not agree to. (This includes charities as well. If I want to donate money I'll contact you.) These people are basically kicking down my door and forcing themselves upon me and my family. I wont stand for it. They do not have this right.

Get another fucking job. I don't give a rat's ass if you're disabled, or whatever. STOP CALLING MY FUCKING HOUSE.

Now this doesn't mean that I don't sympathize will disabled people because I do. Just stop calling my home. PLEASE!

Cool, a call from the dead.
I'd stay on the line for that

dammit, you stole my joke!

Turn the tables, I try to sell them Something, ANYTHING!! Until they get so irritated they hang up.

Or I get thier Phone# & Address being in sales myself, and try to sell them. So far it has worked once.

Who needs a phone these days anyway? I've been without a phone for a LONG time now, I only have my cellphone. In 5-6 years I've only had 2 telemarketers call, and I really let them have it.

I went on cell phone a few years ago and it's sure been nice. Unfortunately I am now moving to a "remote" location where cell phone coverage is sparse at best so I have to get a land line for my phone and a satellite dish for my internet.