When I left the U.S. five years ago, there was all this talk about this great and wonderful "National Do Not Call Registry" that was being implemented to stop unwanted telemarketing calls. But over the past few days, I swear that not 10 minutes passes without some telemarketer calling.I have gotten several that were in reference to "our previous conversation." Really, you called me in AUSTRALIA to talk about getting me a new credit card even though I show no U.S. income for the past 5 years. Seriously, why would I want to bank with a company whose first sentence to me is a lie?
But my favorite one just came through while I was typing the previous post. The phone rings, I answer with a friendly, "hello?" I then hear, "I'm sorry, none of our sales staff is available at the moment to handle this call. Please while for the next available sales person."
They called me and and then they PUT ME ON HOLD TO WAIT FOR THEIR SALES PITCH!!!
I just went to the official government website for the registry which has a feature where you can confirm that your phone number is on the list as well as a form to fill out to file complaints against telemarketers.
The first problem I'm having is that I think it expects the email address I enter to be the the same one originally used to enter the number. I think my mother used an old yahoo.com address that she use doesn't use anymore. I put in my own email address, but I'm still waiting for the response email to say if her number is on the list or not.
The second problem is with the complaints, no caller-id on these phones and I'm sure even if there was, the numbers would be blocked. I guess I'd have to stay on the line long enough to get the name of the company so I could register a complaint.
Granted there are dozens of websites with "how to annoy a telemarketer" including one I heard a recording of where the guy pretends to be a police officer at a crime scene and starts interrogating the telemarketer. Unfortunately, I don't have the link anymore. It was in Per-chat if any of you Interzone peoples are reading this.
7 comments:
Finally got the email, says this number isn't registered on the list.
Now, although I didn't enter the number myself, I was here and saw the number being entered onto the list. I know they updated the legislation so that the numbers don't need to be renewed.
I guess that maybe the previous expiration time was short enough so that it could have expired before the legislation was updated.
Still... those damn telemarketers!!! GRRRR!!!
There was an episode of the TV series NCIS where a telemarketer calls the victim's number at a crime scene and Tony utterly destroys the man.
I just don't use the land line. It's there in case something takes out all the cell service, or someone needs to call 911 and doesn't have a cell phone, or some piece of electronics insists on a line with a dial tone instead of a network connection. The ringer is turned off, and has been ever since I got 6 telemarketing calls within 3 hours of it being activated.
--Dave
I was an early adopter of the cell phone too. I had a car phone in my MR2 back in '89ish. I hardly ever used it though because the calls were so expensive. I used to just hold the handset and sing along to the radio so it looked like I was talking to somebody.
Before I moved to Australia the phone in my house here in Vegas had a phone we didn't use as well. It was only hooked up to TiVo so it could download the TV schedule.
xD That's hilarious. You're just not important enough for their awesome sales pitch. They want to promote exclusivity. "Get in line if you want to hear this awesome pitch, buster!"
Liza, see if somebody can find the link to that recording. It was in Per-chat at one point, so I'm sure somebody has it.
Dave, email me I want to grill you about working in Austin.
Eheheh, gold. ^^
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qv3UCvxUh8E
Post a Comment