Caller-id is a blessing when they call, we just don't answer.
So many of them use the name of states for caller-id, we make a joke of them.

Virginia constantly calls...I tell Tom that she has a crush on him.

I find those calls very annoying, but I try to be patient about them. I either don't answer the phone, or I answer and cut them off quickly, but politely. I just keep thinking that the person calling is trying to make an honest living at a job that is probably a stepping stone to something better. I know they deal with a lot of harsh reactions from people, so I try not to contribute to them having a bad day.

Here in Texas we have a "no-call" list that you can get on for free. It doesn't stop political or charity calls, but it sure cuts down on folks trying to sell siding!
I agree, the people on the other end of the line have a terrible job and they know they are going to be yelled at or hung up on most of the time. They have my sympathy, just not my ear!

I simply hang up. Don't waste my breath even being polite. I am not unpolite, I simply hang up, No "No thanks" or anything. Just hang up.

We are on the no-call list but I sometimes get them on the test phone lines at work. Most of the time it seems to be attempts to get newspaper subscriptions. I always say 'Can you hold on just a minute?' and put the receiver down. When I get that quick dat-dat-dat-dat-dat tone that means they tired of waiting and hung up (it's called reorder) I go over and put the reciver back on it's cradle.

They waste your time & mine, so why not turn the tables?

I also just pick up the phone, don't speak and wait for them to hang up. Lots of times, it's automated and if the answering machine picks up they leave a pre-recorded message. If there is no "voice" on my end, often times the other "party" hangs up. I'm tired of them telling my about my huge outstanding balance on my credit cards, helllll-oooo, I pay my balance every month. And no I don't want to refinance my mortgage BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE A MORTGAGE!! I bought the extended warranty on my car, so NO my warranty hasn't expired. Enough to make you snatch yourself baldheaded!! I love that guy that pretended to be the homicide detective when the telemarketer called. I have often said that I was going to answer, let them get into their message, say "hold on" then throw the phone down and yell, "I told you not to tie your sister up" or something equally as shocking and see just how long they would stay on the phone!

Telemarketers are the scum of the earth. I have more sympathy for serial killers and child molesters than I do for telemarketers. They deserve no respect and get none from me.

I like the ones who play with them. Keep them on the phone for a long time, after all, they don't make anything if they're not selling. They might get the hint to get a reputable job. Or take an air horn. Start talking softer and softer and pull the phone away so they turn up the volume on their headset and then HONNNNNNNNNK! :)

Telephones are annoying. If your children were as obnoxious as a phone they'd be disciplined by decent parents. And telemarketers abuse the phone system. At least the post office goes after mail fraud, the phone company does not.

Show no mercy to telemarketers. AND QUIT BUYING FROM THEM!!!!! If people quit buying from them they'd quit calling! And for that matter if people quit sending money to email frauds the Nigerian scams would end!

Excuse the rant, but people ARE stupid at times.

things I've done with persistent telemarketers:
ask them to hol on for a moment and walk away.
put the phone next to my bbbling budgies.
tell them they are calling a crime scene and ask them how they know the victim.
I like having fun with people!! I don't do this to the nice ones, by the way.

We get very few calls. I am on both the national list and state list and this state is real strict about those calls.
I try to be nice, but fast. If they start out Hi Mrs. xxxx
I usually say, I am sorry I don't have time for this thank you so much, have a great day and hang up. But then I only get one or two a month.

My SIL calmly states "I never buy anything over the phone." And hangs up. Me, I just hang up. I got three "robot" calls today. A recorded voice comes on and says "Hold on for an important call." Not like an operator, just a female voice. I hung up all 3 times. If someone from a charity calls, I say "I'm unemployed (true-I'm retired) and can't give anything. Please take me off your list."

Call display, gotta love it. I never answer any calls that I don't recognize. And my voice mail mailbox is full and I leave it that way so they can't leave a message. So much for the national do not call registry. We still get calls. The new one now is 000-000-0000. I put our house phone on the registry as well as both cell phones. Now both cell phones get the 000-000-0000 calling them! Never did before the DNCR. Gggggggggggggrrrrrrrrrrrrrr DH is under orders not to answer it. There's another one, can't remember the #, but the business has Amex in it. One would think it's a credit card company. NOPE! It's just like the 000-000-0000 number!

Long story short: don't answer the phone if you don't know who it is. BTW, my son was a telemarketer. If you think leaving the phone and walking away, being a smart@$$ on the phone or anything else will keep them from calling, think again. They'll call more often. =o) If you do answer the phone and you don't want them calling, (with the company he worked for,,,,) simply saying, "no thank you and please remove my number from your list" is what will stop them. Anything else is ammo for more calls to your number.

If you do answer the phone and you don't want them calling, (with the company he worked for,,,,) simply saying, "no thank you and please remove my number from your list" is what will stop them.

By doing that around here, you just gave them permission to call you. The only "list" they can or will do anything about is the Do Not Call list. If you tell them to take you OFF the Do Not Call list, you'll get called!

There's lots of things to do. Granted, some will be legitimate, but you can stall them along and waste their time. Keep putting them on hold, come back, start in for a few seconds and put them on hold again, take the phone to the bathroom and flush the toilet a time or two, making any sort of sounds you can in the meantime, grunt and groan a lot, etc. Ask them questions like can I get that siding in paisley? Do you have windows in cotton? Do you support the KKK? What's your opinion on the size of toilet paper rolls? Anything you can come up with. Give them to the little kids and have them sing to them, or better yet, record and play it for them, possibly while they're on hold. Maybe ask them if they're doing this instead of going to jail? Ask them what they did to get sentenced to harassing people. Call them every name in the book and then a few more. Make it a game to not repeat an insult during the call. (I went 5.5 minutes calling this one scumbag names until she finally hung up on me.)

If they don't succeed, you go back into the queue. Again, there's some semi-legitimate places that show some respect and won't call you again but they're few and far between.

I get the all zero numbers too occasionally. I have a caller ID program that puts it on the computer screen and I can have it give a message or just block them. I also have a blockable CID unit. But after some effort, I don't get a ton of calls, but more importantly, I don't give out my number to everyone who asks for it. The newspaper tries to use your phone number as the account number. Wrong. Not mine. I get the account number and no calls. If you call 800 numbers, you can't block your number and they have it in their records. Less than reputable places use and sell these lists so beware of the numbers you call for ordering things, etc.

Again: Telemarketers are the scum of the earth. Never patronize scum. If people didn't buy, they wouldn't try to sell.

I tell them this is a business phone, I'm a financial planner that sells no financial products, so my clients have to pay me for my time.

Since, like a lawyer, I charge for my time, would they please give me the name and address of their company, to which I can send the bill.

How many minutes do they want to contract for ... at $2.00 per minute?

That's not their cup of tea!
____________________

Or, if it's one of the survey companies, I tell them that I prefer the surveys on the internet, for I can take them when it suits me, but the phone one intrudes on my time.

Also, most of the internet ones give me an opportunity to maybe get paid taking the survey, as they have quarterly draws for a prize of $1,000. or so.

When I ask how much I get paid for taking their survey, they say that their company doesn't pay the respondents.

When I tell them that their company sells the info for big bucks, they say that my info is strictly confidential. I say that the company sells the aggregate info for big bucks - that it pays for the office, phones, ... and that person's salary. Plus profit, of course.

Their company makes it all ... I make nothing.

That his/her employer pays him/her for the use of his/her voice, brain and time ... but they want to make use of precisely the same capabilities of mine - voice, brain and time ... for free!

What's fair about that?

Their comapny's making major money from the info that I provide, but the company makes the money and I make ...

... nothing!

'Tain't fair!

They have a hard time dealing with that song and dance!

No one has offered to pay me, ... yet!

ole joyful

" meIf you do answer the phone and you don't want them calling, (with the company he worked for,,,,) simply saying, "no thank you and please remove my number from your list" is what will stop them.

By doing that around here, you just gave them permission to call you. The only "list" they can or will do anything about is the Do Not Call list. If you tell them to take you OFF the Do Not Call list, you'll get called! "

That's illegal up here. If they don't take you off the list when you asked them to, you call the phone company and have the telemarketing company charged with harassment.

Deb, I don't think you understood. If you say to take the name off of the *DO NOT CALL LIST* they will call.

Debby is saying if they call you, and you are on the DNC list, they can be charged $5,000.

You CAN ask them to take you off "their" list. They shouldn't be calling a DNC list. They will have some list that your name is on, which can be taken off.

There's a time-share resort north of here who is relentless calling, and I asked to be taken off their list, and have never been called since. A reputable company will abide by your wishes.

The worst offenders are the ones who come in "the back door" into your phone service answering machine. "Ma Bell" for instance. The phone never rings, yet you pick it up and there's a message, and it's a telemarketer. ADT does this. They don't even give you the courtesy of talking to them to ask them not to call you. This is total intrusion.