Messing With ROBO Callers.

[aigel]

Pretty lame - the guy coming out isn't at fault here. And yes, he is the fly on the turd, per the above analogy, but in this economy this may be his only gig. Also don't think he will take out his anger on his employer - if anything, he will take it out on you. You can be armed and have a security system etc. - it still isn't good to go out and make enemies you didn't have otherwise.

Maybe it is time to rethink how you connect to the world? I don't get why anyone would still have a landline these days. There are hardly any spam calls on a cell and if you do have them, you can send them straight to ignore, you will not be disturbed by them at all. And finally, how about turning your phone off when you go to bed?

G

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by aigel

... There are hardly any spam calls on a cell and if you do ....

'cept for politics...I was SO glad to have the elections over. Probably got 50 or more from Romney's DC number...never answered one, but I did a number lookup after a couple dozen of 'em

[Rapewta]

Everything is about money. Say one word and I will relate it to money.
As you get older and mature you will know that all things like "door to door"
sales are all about how to get money with the least amout of overhead.
The initial home alarm sysyem sounds ok 'til all the other crap is added on down the road.
It doesn't matter if it is not ethical... if it is legal and will make a company money, then the telemarketers and dudes with some laminated card on a chain on their neck will knock on you door.

If I need something to improve the situation of my home... I know what I need.
I rufuse to listen to "You just won" nonsense.

For all you rookies... this works everytime.
"Thanks, but I just lost my job and I can't do much of anything right now".
They will run away from your front porch.

Even Jahovah witness leave.

[widebody911]

Originally Posted by biosurfer1

How hard is it to just hang up and say not interested? Seems to me that setting up a visit, then being there to screw with the guy as the OP did is a much bigger waste of time and won't stop robo calls...if anything, the call center has noted you answered and set up an appointment and will probably increase calls.

This approach doesn't scale well. It's not a problem when one bum asks you for a dollar or some douchebag parks his motorcycle at the front door of WalMart, but what happens when you get 10, 100 of 1000 of them? I'm willing to bet it will be difficult to have a polite 10s "no thank you" conversation with each and every one of them.

Like email spam, companies use these methods because it's almost free. Even thought they get a very tiny rate of return, it is still profitable. If enough consumers push back and make it unprofitable, the practice will stop. Regulation and legislation has proven to be useless because the rules put in place are pretty weak and very difficult to enforce.

The default model should be "opt-in" not "opt-out"

[Eric 951]

I know for a fact "not interested" or "I am on the do-not call list" doesn't work. I still get bursts of the credit card help calls, the change your electrical provider calls, and the your auto warranty is about to expire calls. Even after telling these companies that I am on the list or that I have zero interest in their services.

I don't like getting calls in the evenings or early on the weekends--especially 2-3 in a row.

If they are going to be rude and continue calling when asked multiple times to not do so, I have no reason to not be rude when they do.

PS--now get off my lawn

[fastfredracing]

I'm with you guys. Since signing up for the national do not call list, the frequency of the calls has increased significantly . I am honestly getting 5-15 tele/robo callers a day. And yeah, yeah, I rarely answer them but every time the phone rings, I drop everything i am doing scramble to find the phone, only to see that someone wants me to update my google listing, or sell me engraved ink pens, pisses me off!. This is definately a huge nuisance, and an invasion of my privacy.
Afar as I am concerned, there is nothing cruel enough you can do to these bastages. Carry on gentlemen.

[GH85Carrera]

I got the call about my car warranty about to expire. I acted real interested in getting a warranty from them. He asked about the car and I asked if you know the warranty is about to expire you should know what car I have. He kept asking and I told him the truth, it is a 86 El Camino with 313,000 miles. He hung up!

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by Rapewta

Everything is about money. things like "door to door"
sales are all about how to get money with the least amout of overhead.

Absolutely! It is criminal that someone wants to work for a living and sell you something. They should be taken out back and shot! In fact that damn Dr Porsche only built cars to try to weasel my money away from me. The bastage!

Originally Posted by MRM

Why do people get pleasure from abusing anyone else, even a telemarketer? They are poor (as in they have no money, that's why they take such a thankless job) and are just trying to make a living, just like the rest of us...A polite but firm "We're not interested" is all it takes.

+1000
I don't understand how people can be so high and mighty as to look down their noses at the common working man. We who have been blessed have a social responsibility to help the less educated, less talented... How about raising the class average. Instead of abusing the telemarketer, offer him a suggestion on how he/she can find a better job. Keep abusing him and he'll say 'screw it' and become a drain on society with welfare or crime. If a company continues to call after they've been told 'no', that's a different story but where the H3ll do we get off being offended just because they tried to sell us something? Really?

p.s. Although most telemarketers are borderline min wage, I know people are professional telephone sale execs who make 6 figures in totally legitimate businesses. They may be pitying you and your goofy games.

[sammyg2]

telephone solicitation, as well as door to door solicitation, is low-life and sleazy.
Anyone who participates in that activity or uses that type of activity as part of a marketing strategy is asking to be treated poorly IMO.

no sympathy here although I would make sure the doors and windows are locked tight when you leave.

BTW, a couple years ago a guy rang my door bell and tried to sell me a home security system.
I said no thank you and started closing the door. At that point I was neither rude of cordial, just letting him know I was not interested and that he was wasting his time.

He reached out and put his hand up and stopped me from closing the door and moved toward me as if to intimidate. Big mistake.
I went off and backed him down the walk toward the street before he turned around and skedaddled. Two of the neighbors came out to see what all the commotion was.

Not 5 minutes later my phone rang and the caller hung up. then it did it again. And again.
(i have an unlisted number BTW).
I let it go to voice mail a couple times before getting my wife to answer the phone; "Orange Police Department, how may I direct your call?"
That was the end of it. Evidently he was an idiot in addition to being a coward and a parasite.

But the question remains, how did that scumbag get my phone number? Must have been on some list.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by gh85carrera

i got the call about my car warranty about to expire. I acted real interested in getting a warranty from them. He asked about the car and i asked if you know the warranty is about to expire you should know what car i have. He kept asking and i told him the truth, it is a 86 el camino with 313,000 miles. He hung up!

:d

[widebody911]

Several years ago, the Sacramento Bee was running an aggressive telemarketing campaign. I got several calls over the span of a week, and told them I wasn't interested each time. On what turned out to be the last call, a young-sounding girl was slinging the pitch. I let her ramble, and when it was my turn to talk, I put on my most perverted voice and asked "What are you wearing?" I just kept asking over and over until she hung up. They never called back.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

telephone solicitation, as well as door to door solicitation, is low-life and sleazy.

And everyone who drives a Porsche or posts in PARF has a small wiener. I suppose you also have some solid data to back us your assertion.

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by fastfredracing

... And yeah, yeah, I rarely answer them but every time the phone rings, I drop everything i am doing scramble to find the phone, only to see that ....

After leaving my corporate gig where I was on call 24x7x365 for 25 years, I do NOT do that either. Most of my calls go unanswered unless it's convenient for "me". Those that matter know what the deal is...and know I'll get back to them asap. I simply will not be a slave to the phone ringing...as "I'm not interested" in doing that (anymore) .

[MMiller]

Drop the landline....pick up or return calls on your cell based on caller ID or left message. Problem solved....it's 2013 for Christ sakes

On a more serious side I think MRM is correct.

[gshase]

How is dropping my land line a fix. So no one here gets ROBO calls on a cell phone.

[911 Rod]

S##t hit the fan here in Canada last year when it was leaked the "do not call" lists were being sold overseas to companies that did not have to obey our laws.
You just can't win sometimes.

[Baz]

SALES........

If you are not currently in - or have had experience in.....SALES..........you no doubt have a POV which is not as relevant.

With that in mind I will elaborate......

In SALES......(as in LOVE and WAR)....all's fair.

Folks who work in SALES (whether the installation contractor, the person doing the calling, or the guy in the Bahamas) ALL KNOW THE PROGRAM.

All is fair.

It goes with the territory.

If a person does not like it - they can select another way to make a living.

I'm sorry but that is the bottom line here.

Carry on gentlemen...

[911SauCy]

My wife and I have a game, yes we keep score on a note-pad near the phone....as to who can get the telemarketer to hang-up first.

I hold the record with 18 seconds!!!

Wife is close with a 23 second close!

How do we achieve such awesome results you might ask!?

Fire away with personal, sexually explicit, and sometimes historical questions...

Works like a charm.

[Tervuren]

Calling businesses, NP, but leave the homes alone.

A good one, is to say you're sorry, but you must of dialed the wrong number. Most of 'em aren't smart enough to realize what you just did to 'em, apologize, and hang up on you.

Afterwards I visualize the stunned look on their face when they realize what just happened.

[Por_sha911]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

telephone solicitation, as well as door to door solicitation, is low-life and sleazy...
Anyone who participates in that activity or uses that type of activity as part of a marketing strategy is asking to be treated poorly IMO.

Door-to-door salesman rescues teen from house fire in Garland, Texas - U.S. News
Yup. Nothing but low life scum!