Messing With ROBO Callers.

[gshase]

I just WON a free home security system. I could not be more happy when the guy shows up today to install our new system. He was 15 min. late because he had to drive 45 miles to get to my house. I answer the door and ask to see the system I had just won. I then inform him we are on the no call list and that I am tired of the robo calls. He states the robo calls are through a third party and they have no control.He was VERY pissed when he drove off. Will that company finally stop calling. PS We already have a system.

[biosurfer1]

so now a guy who is pissed off for you screwing him knows where you live?? Pretty damn stupid if you ask me

[dipso]

I agree, not to smart or cool. If the guy was an employee and getting paid for the drive regardless, you might get off lucky.
If the guy was in sales, drove out 45 minutes each way on his own dime just because you wanted to screw with him. You can expect some damage.

[dennis in se pa]

Bad Karma

[HardDrive]

Gary, the problem is that you might have just screwed over an independent contractor who really has nothing to do with the home security company. Agree with Dennis, not good karma.

[rsNINESOOPER]

Sometimes you have to send the turds back up the river. If an innocent fly is sitting on the turd at that time it is their own fault that they wasted their own time. Silly flies....

Waste my time and I will gladly waste yours. I have done exactly the same thing with folks who cold call me to arrange a time for some blowhard to come smile and lie to me then expect to be paid or make a sale. They show up and I am usually not home or if so I just ask to be removed from "the list"

Ill admit I have a low tolerance for ads and sales pitches. If someone invades my personal phone number or porch I will do what I can to make them lose time and / or money.

If more people did this the calls and solicitations would go away due to lack of being effective.

[Damian in NJ]

When I get a telemarketer call, I say 'hold on, someones at the door'. Then I put the phone down. If they stay on the line for 30 sec or so I figure it saved someone else from getting a call.

[Mike80911]

Whatever happend to the govs do not call list it seems ther are more sales calls than ever before even my cell phone gets 5 to 10 calls per day. They are wasting your time with the call so if you wasted his by making him come there all is even. But maybe like others said just not being home when the slaesman gets there maybe a better way to go and then if they call you back say sorry I had an emergency.

[biosurfer1]

all is even? wasting 10 seconds to say "not interested" is not even with driving 45 minutes out of the way.

I agree that sales calls do not work on me but what if someone is in the market for a security system? Everyone here makes it seems as if the company is supposed to know you're not interested before even calling. 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.

[herr_oberst]

I answer the phone if I see a number on caller id that I recognize; I don't answer the phone just because it's ringing.

I don't know how telemarketers overcame the law, but they did and now my phone rings every day at dinner time. The free alarm people were tenacious, every day for a month. The credit card companies are equally tenacious, trying to get me to buy extra services. I just let it go to the answering machine.

[Geronimo '74]

I heard this story of some lady who blew a referee whistle into her phone after getting the gazillionth call from telemarketeers.
The guy on the other side of the phone ended up with permanent hearing damage...
Pretty effective if you ask me.
She did get sued.
Dunno if this is a true story, but I guess I could be tempted to do the same.
I loathe invasion of my privacy...

[Christien]

I blow really hard into the handset, so it bugs them. But a whistle - that's a good idea!

I've discovered a new game with the outsourced telemarketers. I pretend to be an old man and tell them i'm very interested, but keep on asking them to repeat themselves, or answer a question as though I misunderstood if. Eventually they start to get angry and tell you to f--k off or similar. They say it quietly so their boss and/or co-workers don't head. In my old man voice, I ask them to speak up, I can't hear what you're saying, so if they really want me to hear them swearing, they risk getting busted. It's worked 3 times for me now, but it's only worth it if you have time to kill, which I usually don't.

[bivenator]

I ask the "rachel with card services" people what they are wearing. Dude got so worked up one time he was cursing me, name calling. It was great.

[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. Do you know how hard and unpleasant it is to have to cold call people for a living? It is a miserable life without having people being deliberately abusive. Like everyone else, I dodge telemarketer calls whenever I can tell one is calling. Whenever one gets through my overwhelming sense is of pity for the poor slob who has to try to telemarket me. A polite but firm "We're not interested" is all it takes.

By the way, the OP did not mess with a ROBO caller. He did not mess with the company who hires robo callers. He did not mess with the ROBO caller responsible for making the call to him ad he did not mess with the company responsible for hiring the people who made the robo call. He messed with a working man who works for a small company who is owned by a guy who is trying to build his business by buying leads from a marketing agency and who has no way to know whether the lead was generated by a robo call. The marketing agency charged the company owner by the lead and gets them from a dozen places, including the ones generated by robo callers.

The guy in the truck probably is probably an employee of the guy who bought the lead. He has a certain number of leads to run down (probably at his own expense) with the expectation that he'll make a sale on most of his house calls and he'll get paid a commission on his sales. The guy responsible for the call is in the Bahamas and was unaware of the OP's revenge.

[gshase]

I believe I messed with the whole supply chain. This same company calls every 2 weeks. This last time my wife and I were sleeping in and before 8 am we get the same call that I have reported 30 times. Yes they keep breaking the law and I got tired of it. When the guy drove up my 500 ft drive I saw him on our security system and I met him at the door. He saw the cameras per his conversation. I am always armed as I had no fears about what I did. Any contractor who stoops so low to have ROBO calls places to promote his business can not be trusted. I bet the installer complained all the way up the chain of command, as I hoped he would. I am having a great day today because I know I have the sweet love of Jesus with me and my CHL at all times. Long live TEXAS. 1 more TELEMARKETING is against the law so how can anyone condone it.

[on2wheels52]

Do you have any other interesting hobbies?
Jim

[Hugh R]

99% of the land line calls I get are sales or political, both wanting my $. I just don't pick up if I don't recognize the number or name on caller I.D.

[doug_porsche]

Gary, You seem to have anger issues.

We can help for just 3 easy payments if $114.13, and 1 ***** of a payment of $11413.00, plus shipping and handling .....

[KFC911]

MRM is spot on...if I do by chance answer the phone (on an unrecognized number) or the front door, it only takes about 3 seconds to say "I'm not interested" and click/close door. Any more than that is truly a waste of "my" time. That way I don't have to expend any extra effort to be a jerk...other than what I already am naturally .

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by gshase

I know I have the sweet love of Jesus with me

Yup...