Freakin telemarketers!!

17 years ago

Yeah! I am on the do not call list....but I keep getting a call from some automated caller telling me that my time is about to expire on lowering my interest rate on my something or other...or my time to apply f9or an extended warranty on my car will expier....and to press 1 for something.

There is no person....there is no number that comes up on my caller ID...

How do I combat this?

Linda C

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Comments (22)

centralcacyclist
17 years ago
If it's a landline, you should be able to block calls from blocked numbers. Check with your phone compnay. I can't block blocked callers on my cell (though I can and do block a few numbers) but I simply do not answer them and offer a voice message to that effect.

If they do not leave a message, I can't return the phone call.
wizardnm
17 years ago
I can only offer sympathy, I get those calls too. It's the @&$%@ computers generating the calls.

Nancy
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Sometimes when my skids call the house when they are with their mother, they're out of control and ridiculously silly. She is a very loose parent and allows her children to get wild then wonders why they can't calm down or listen when she says it's time for bed. We'll get to the phone and they will make silly noises, scream or just not have a normal conversation. It goes against our opinion on how children should be raised. Etiquette is huge with us. So one day when the skids were here I told them that it bothers Daddy and I that they do that....and it is disrespectful and from now on when it happens, we're just going to hang up. Sure enough when they got back to Bio-Mom's they got on the phone and were a thousand times worse with the behavior....so I hung up. The phone rang back and it was SS. He was mad that we hung up. I explained why I did it....told him it was not very nice and that his actions didn't make me feel like he wanted to talk...so why should I talk? He stayed upset.... When he came back with us, we talked about it so that he would understand it wasn't because we didn't love him or want to talk with him. He got it..... And it never happened again. In this case, my fiance supported me 100%....And any time the kids have ever said anything off color he was on them for it immediately. Your husband is being unfair....however, he probably doesn't know what the hell to do. He's caught in the middle of his woman and his daughter-a tough place to be. And no doubt, he feels guilty...every man does on some level and that makes it hard. I know my fiance dealt with that early on-the feeling of failing his children and not giving them the "life" that children deserve. I know he is over that, but it will never truly be gone. Part of that is normal....but what is abnormal is when the person is so caught up in their own problem with things that they cannot see that someone is being mistreated. The first step is to try and work that out with him. Counseling was a lifesaver for D and I.... The tendency is for each person to protect themselves and their interests...for a divorced man with children, he protects himself and the kids... D couldn't see past himself and listen to me. The therapist was a third party who could agree or disagree which allowed him to be more open-minded hearing it from someone else. Some men are not open to seeing a therapist....some men can't change.... If you love him and truly want to be with him, but know that you cannot change his way of handling things, then you definitely have EVERY right to take matters into your own hands. And you have the right to do it ANY way you would like. If I were in your shoes and I knew it was pointless to have my husband see it my way, when I see the caller ID and it's SD, I would answer...ALWAYS!!!!! Always be the one to answer-she needs to get used to that. If there is silence, say, "SD, I know it is you, I have caller ID, I find what you are doing to be rude and disrespectful, if you are having a problem, I'm here to talk about it and want to have a better relationship with you...however if you cannot show me the respect I deserve when you call by having proper phone manners, I'm going to have to hang up on you...I will not tolerate that." If she says nothing, hang up. If she calls back and does it again, hang up. And if she keeps doing it, hang up. Hang up on her every freakin time...and if her father gives you a hard time about it, hang up on him too.......or walk away if he's at home. If he takes issue with it, tell him, "you haven't supported me, so I had no choice." I'm not sure what your relationship is like with your husband...are you happy??? Do you get along? Do you ever talk about the way his children treat you? Anyway, please realize you have every RIGHT to feel this way and to do something about it. I think you also have to understand how the children feel...but it's a two way street...and they are old enough that respect and consideration should be expected!!!!!!!
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lindac
Original Author
17 years ago
I could block the call if tehre were a way of knowing what number they are calling from!!
partst
17 years ago
Linda if I remember correctly you can follow the link at the "do not call registry" and file a complaint with the FCC or somebody. I know itÂs illegal to not leave a name and number you can call back to and itÂs illegal to leave a computer generated message you canÂt hang up on.

When my mother was sick the few time I left her alone with the hospice lady to go home for a few hours we were getting calls that I couldnÂt hang up on and I became a maniac with the phone company and they finally tracked my incoming calls and found the source and turned them into somebody and they were fined. Maybe thatÂs just a California thing but I donÂt think so.

I hate those calls as much as I hate junk mail. A few months ago I had our attorney send a letter to the scooter store saying that if they didnÂt stop sending junk mail to my address and my fatherÂs address I was going to file stocking charges against them. This was after making months of calls to them asking them to take me and my father off the mailing list. They had called my dad saying my mother had ordered a scooter from them and wanted his credit card number incase social security didnÂt pay for all of it. My mother passed away almost five years ago so you can imagine how upset my dad was.

Claudia
caliloo
17 years ago
Linda I would definitely file a complaint. Follow the link below to the FTC national Do Not Call site (complaint page).

From the site....

"To file a complaint, we need the date you got the call, and either the name or telephone number of the company that called you.

*Reminder: Even if your number is registered, companies with which you do business may continue to call you. So may charities, political organizations, and telephone surveyors. Click Here for more information about the companies that may continue to call the numbers on the registry. "

Here is a link that might be useful: complaint page forDo Not Call
lindac
Original Author
17 years ago
I can hang up on the call...it disconnects.
I know about the link....but what or who do I file a complaint against?? No name....no number....Just a "Drive by phoning".
I was trying to do some "rearranging of funds"....don't laugh but I need cash to pay taxes. Called the broker....he was out "leave a message and I'll get right back to you"....so I did....and als9o called his "girl" and left a message.
I was waiting for a call....avoiding the shower.....a trip to the store and church.
And I get this call from "last chance..." people and I went ballistic, but there was no one to rant to!!!
Broker never did call....hair still not colored....ice still not chipped on the drive,,,,and I am really pi$$ ed at that telemarketer!
sands99
17 years ago
Aw Hell take it as your weekly opportunity to yell at someone. I get those with reasonable frequency at work "Hi this is Bob from Second Source Funding.." I let Bob *have* it and I feel good na na na na na na nah like I knew that I would now... I feel *nice* like su....

you gets it ;-)
cotehele
17 years ago
Linda, I got the same kind of call even though we are on the do not call list. I did 'press 1', was very polite so they would think I was hooked, and asked for the company name, phone number, and name of person to whom I was speaking. I filed a complaint (two different companies) and the state got them both! Yippe! Not one call since from a telemarketer. Good Luck.
pkramer60
17 years ago
We have been getting them too, but after about 4 weeks they seem to have stopped. I just hang up.
susie_que
17 years ago
Oh this really burns me up!! So much so I will let the message play out till I get the number to call and I DO call it!!

I generally use the line I have an ailing parent as well as child with epilepsy and that my phone line is resererved for EMERGENCY call only. I then ask that they respectfully use my alternate number (which is my council womans number LOL-I didn't vote for her LOL).

Its funny cause they actually do sound sympethetic when I let my voice get shakey.

You know we all still get an occasional telemarket call...those I really have a blast with!!

One day I had a call...they asked for the man of the house so I said hold on. I let the phone sit for a full 2 minutes and picked it up and asked "who are you holding for again?"
A wonam said "I would like to speak to the man of the house is he there?"
I said "oh yea sure he's here hold on please?"
So I had Frank take the call. She asked if he was the man of the house and Frank said "Ah no I am NOT the man of the house-you need the man of the house?" To which the wonam said "yes, is he there?"
Frank said "oh yea he's here hold on please."
He put the phone down for 2 full minutes.
Then I let Amy get the phone...needless to say we had this woman on the phone for about 15 minutes!!

I do not begrudge anyone trying to make a living but when I go on the do not call list I expect to NOT be called. Therefore if you choose to call me then all bets are off and Susie the b*$@h comes out to play!!

Good luck Linda.

Cheers!
Susie
lindac
Original Author
17 years ago
When I "pressed 1" I got another recorded message.....and I gave up!!
compumom
17 years ago
I feel your pain. We're on the DO NOT CAll list too and at the moment getting recorded calls from a carpet cleaning service. The last one was on the answering machine so DH patiently listened to get the number to call back. Darned if the stupid thing didn't disconnect w/o giving a call back number! Of course the caller id read "private"! LOL
What was the point of the call?
shaun
17 years ago
Oye I just got another one a few minutes ago, an 866 number. Usually I pick up the phone and hang it up again but for some reason I answered this one.

She: May I speak to Mr. Shaun?
Me: He's not in.
She: Ok I'll call back at a more convenient time.
Me: Well How do you know when a more convenient time will be?
She : .... says nothing .......
Me: WEll how do you know?
She: HUNG UP

The nerve!!
centralcacyclist
17 years ago
I don't answer toll free or blocked numbers. Period.
ritaotay
17 years ago
I *HATE* unsolicited phone calls, with a passion!!!!. It seems as if they only call when you're expecting an important call, sitting down to eat or engrossed in a TV show... I'd love to see their home phone numbers published so we could reciprocate.

But if you think telemarketers are bad... A couple of weeks ago, in the space of 4 days, starting on a Sunday night at 9:30 PM, I received at least 35 calls for someone with the same surname as my husband... I politely told the caller there was no one here by that name and that as far as I know there was no one in the entire family with that name... The next day, at 8:30 in the morning, the very same person called and I promptly hung up on her... After that is was like every 30 minutes to an hour I'd get another call... Needless to say after the second call I was no longer polite... All my ranting and raving did absolute no good, the calls kept coming... Sometimes I'd tell them and sometimes I'd hang up and leave the phone off the hook for a few hours... A call to the phone company did not provide any relief... Finally I told them I wanted their company name and phone number because I was on the Do Not Call List, they hung up and I have not received another call from them.

But, before you call to report them make sure they give you the right company name... I had a call once and didn't quite hear the full name of the company and when I asked her to repeat it she gave a completely different name..

Rita
dedtired
17 years ago
I got a call on my cell phone this afternoon. It was a recorded message from somewhere in CA asking if I would put their sign on my lawn. I hung up before I heard the end of their "offer." What a pain.
foodonastump
17 years ago
98% of the time I'm not expecting a call from an unfamiliar number, so I let it go to voicemail. If it's someone that really wants to talk to me they'll leave a message and I can choose whether to call back.

1% of the time I accidentally pick up a call that I don't want, and I simply hang up.

1% of the time I am particularly bored, will take the call, and see how long I can keep the telemarketer on the line with increasingly suggestive conversation, assuming that eventually I'll be hung up on and my number will be removed from their list.

0% of the time will I be down-right rude. These folks didn't go to school to take this job, I trust they don't enjoy what they do, yet just like the rest of us they have to pay their bills. In this economy we can't all afford to be picky about our jobs. So I say put yourself in their shoes and give them a break.

That said, if talking to someone I ALWAYS tell them that I'm on the do not call list. Either they hang up immediately or explain why they are allowed to call and offer to take me off their list.
User
17 years ago
I'm on the no call list too and it has really cut down the number of calls. But I still get a few.

Ann
lindac
Original Author
17 years ago
I had a brand new one last night....selling health insurance....??
Don't get it!
Linda C
sally2_gw
17 years ago
We get bombarded with machine generated calls at work. "This is the final notice that the warranty on your vehicle is about to expire" yeah, right, the final notice for the 10 millionth time. I just put them on hold, not that it does any good, but at least it delays them calling someone else for a few seconds.

The thing that made me the angriest, though, is when I got a junk text message. I do not do text messaging. I don't pay the fee for unlimited text messaging, so when I get a text message from someplace advertising something, I'm liable for paying for the call. I hate the whole concept of having to pay for text messages I receive without my consent. At least with collect calls you have the option to decline. Luckily, I was able to contact my service provider and they removed any charges, but it still irks me.

I don't get it though. If no one likes these calls, why do companies still use them? They must be successful or they wouldn't be using them.

Sally
dgkritch
17 years ago
These scams seem to be getting more sophisticated.
I get the 'car warranty' ones at work and they have to dial an extension to reach me! Now how the HE_ _ does that work???

Luckily, I have caller ID and don't answer numbers I don't recognize.

Deanna
Cloud Swift
17 years ago
Yes, I get them on my work phone too and the "do not call" list is only for residential lines. Mainly the car warranty ones and the lower credit card interest rate ones. What amazes me too is that someone must be taking them up on it for it to be worth their while and who is that dumb?

And the ones on my Do Not Call number have trained their telemarketers on what information to not give out. The number is blocked and they won't give that or the company name so I don't have the information to file a report for violating the Do Not Call list.

Unfortunately, some of my friends and associates block their numbers so I can't screen calls based on that.

Freakin telemarketers!!

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