Anybody else get "local contractors" obviously calling from call centers!

[fxeditor]

This is a trend I've been noticing for over a year now. "Local contractors" calling me up from out of the blue looking to see if I have any remodeling needs. When it first started, I'd get one or two a week. recently the number of calls has skyrocketed with 6 calls yesterday alone! Obviously these "contractors" are calling from a telemarketing bull pen because I can hear other operators talking in the background! When I question them on this I get a bunch of great excuses for the noise, it's their assistants, or "I've got a bad cellphone connection". Yeah right!

Is anyone else getting these? Is it only a California thing? I am already on the National Do Not Call Registry but it really seems to be no good. If it weren't for my wife's insistence I would have dumped our land line long ago. Any other ideas of what to do?


Thanks,
-Michael

[red-beard]

I get people calling to see if I need an Alarm system. Those are really kind of scary. Think of the information you might divulge (you have one or not, which company you're with, what model, etc), which might be useful to a criminal!

[fxeditor]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I get people calling to see if I need an Alarm system. Those are really kind of scary. Think of the information you might divulge (you have one or not, which company you're with, what model, etc), which might be useful to a criminal!

Wow that is kind of scary! I haven't had any of those yet fortunately.

-Michael

[ossiblue]

You're not alone. Though I am also in California, the DNC list is a joke and we've had to resort to our answer machine for any relief. We have caller ID and our particular phone has voice ID so we can "hear" who is calling because it reads out the name and/or number of the caller. Bottom line, if we don't know the name or number, we let the answer machine pick it up. Solicitors never leave a message, people who know us do. This reduces the PITA to just having the phone ring.

One other thing. Our phone has the ability to block specific numbers. If I find a certain number has repeatedly called and never left a message, I block it--end of problem.

It's a shame we have to resort to this but solicitors have no shame nor respect for privacy.