Gotta tell you a "method" that a friend of mine successfully used when he was being pestered by one telemarketer.

(T) Telemarketer: I'd like to offer you...
(C) Customer: What's your home phone number?
T: Pardon me?
C: What's your home phone number?
T: Why?
C: So that I can call you when it's convenient for me, preferably when you're having a meal.
T: Umm. Sorry to bother you sir. We won't call again.
C: Thank you.

Mike

UNBELIEVABLE! Same company just called again. Selling the same crap (within 1 hour of eachother). This time a different guy. The guy wanted to take me Cliff Jumping.... and sell me ball point pens with my companies name on them.

The companies name is Nationwide Designs out of San Diego, CA. In case anyone wants to call them and sell them your services their number is 888.565.7469 :) . I called after the first call (after googling the name I had) about an hour ago to tell them not to call me and I was on the do not call list. The lady I spoke to said that there is no such thing as a do not call list. I inquired as to why I got two calls from them within an hour and even called inbetween the calls asking to not be called again. She said that she had my information on her desk and it would take a week to be purged from her system.
Who ever thought up this system? I do not think well of them.

Good response Mike, I will have to try that. I am sure I will get a chance in about 30 minutes or so.

j razz

Check this out.

https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx

That is what I signed up for 2 months ago and verified again today just to make sure that my numbers were covered. They are. I don't understand it. That is also where I reported them.
Thanks though Dave,

j razz

I guess next time they call, you could alert them to the WEBSITE.


Dave T2

I love the survey calls. I always stop them and ask if I will be compensated for answering their questions. The answer is always NO and then tell them goodbye.

When someone calls, I try to get them into a conversation. I ask them what they're wearing at the moment and whether they ever go without underwear.

I had a company that used to call me 3 to 15 times a day at my old job, trying to sell me printer supplies. They used different company names every time, but the spiel was always word-for-word identical, and when i did get them to cough up company information (which they are legally required to do) it was always the same address in Boulder Colorado. Sadly, governmental do-not-call lists don't exist for business phone numbers. However, they're also required to remove a number from their personal lists upon request. Perhaps one of the reasons for a different ficticious company name every call was to get around that requirement by pretending to be a different company each time.

This went on for months and months. Begging, pleading, reporting, threats of legal action did nothing to stop the calls. For a while i just hung up instantly each time. I had one salesperson call me back 8 times complaining that she kept getting disconnected. She eventually said, "oh, you really don't want to talk to me do you? You know, you could just politely ask." But then someone else called again later that afternoon. What i finally did was to start screaming obscenities* into the phone as soon as i knew it was them. It wasn't easy to do as that is so completely against my character, but considering the circumstances, they drove me to it. After i started that, the calls stopped completely within a day.

What's driving me batty now are all the political and survey calls i'm getting at home. I had one last week while i was away at work. The message on my answering machine outlined the politician's platform, then asked if i was willing to volunteer to help out with the campaign. "Please press 1 to volunteer or press 2 to decline." This statement repeated until the answering machine's memory was full, at least 15 minutes' worth.

*Fortunately my boss was amused. *whew*

I just talk real loud at them in fake arabic ........ they hang up FAST!!!

have you tried calling your phone company or the county/state police? Two years ago I accidentally sent a fax to the wrong number. I meant somewhere near NYC but got the area code messed & sent it to the middle of Ontario, CA. The OPP called me several times to try to get a hold of me (at first i thought it was a prank!). They dealt with an accidental wrong fax #, i''d hope your phone company/local cops could help you out. :)

Other than all the legal and pleadings as above, I have fun with them.

When I do get one, which luckily is not very often, I try to sell them something. I see if they are interested in life insurance or ask them if they want to save on their phone bills? They usually hang up in frustration. :-D

Then you could always do the 'halloween" type call. As your on the phone yell out something like "Get her back into the basement. She's not supposed to be up here! She's getting blood everywhere. Make sure her gag is tight too!" If they do try to continue selling their schlock, they are quite obviously shaken. Good fun!

Or try what this guy did...

here

Come and live in the UK! We got the Telephone Preference Service

Grazie,

You find me a flat and a job and I may just relocate there with my wife! That looks like a nice piece of legislation, I wonder why our congress cannot come up with a piece like that... Maybe I will foward that site along to my congressman and if he is not interested I will call him 3 times a day until he becomes interested :)

j razz

Those Brits are a resourceful lot! Wish we had something like that here. :o(

we also have one for the postal service as well

Both are a rare pieces of legislation, don't be fooled by the British Government.

You could:
1. get Call Display, if you don't have it already, and don't answer their number.

2. If they leave annoying messages, subscribe to the service where a caller can only leave a message if they enter a certain password or you have them programmed into your phone.

Some of the creative solutions posted are good ones!

And the BEST thing about it is that IF somebody should have the temerity to GET thru own NET, I get as MUCH company info out of them, keep them speaking and at the most info rich moment you can say,"Well I have to tell you that you are in contravention of XXXXX and I shall be informing the TPS of your company and that your company will be hearing from the TPS who makes sure that this piece of legislation is being followed through and enforced. Goodbye!"

Y'know what? In the past 5 years, since we went "live" with this, we have only maybe 3 - yeah only 3 get through. It WORKS!!! Amazing!!

Rub it in Grazie, rub it in...

Lili,
I have caller ID but I get legitimate phonecalls from "unknown" numbers and from other states. Mostly theirs show up as unknown- Maybe I will jus start taking messages from the unknowns instead of answering.

What is this service of which you speak- password protected messages? Who offers that?

j razz

i belive some more expensive answering machines give you that option.

Here's an idea: buy a (or rent) a megaphone, when they call, put them on speaker phone & yell in the the megaphone to stop calling. Or blow an air horn. :D

I mean, how do they know it was done on purpose? (that's cruel, i know)