Telemarketing... What are your options?

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EngineerJoe

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So after 5 wonderful and telemarketing-free years, my personal cell phone number has been (somehow) put back on NCC's (Newspaper Call Center) "call" list.

I've asked them once to delete my number, to which they said it would be done later that day. Days later I receive ANOTHER phone call from them to which I asked AGAIN to have my number deleted.

These people really are incompetent so I'm expecting a third phone call. What are my options?
 
This should also work on a cell but I know it works for a land line... If you put the disconnect triple tone at the beginning of your voice mail the telemarketers dialing system will automatically remove your number from the system the first time they get your voice mail. The auto dialing system will think your number has been disconnected. As for it working on a cell it is important that the first sound played is the triple tone.

Baring that, you can always amuse yourself by screwing with the people on the phone (try engaging in phone sex, tell them your are dead, try selling them something...).
 
Unfortunately, newspapers are exempt from the National "do not call" list, so you're pretty much screwed. I suggest you have some fun; next time they call, ask what she's wearing. Demand to be spoken to in French, then say "what?... what?" until they switch back to English, then demand to be spoken to in French again. Place the phone beside you on the couch and continue watching your favourite TV show, then pick it up during commercial time and dicuss the plot line of the show with them. And so on.

We've been living telemarketer-free for years.
 
Gummiente said:
Unfortunately, newspapers are exempt from the National "do not call" list, so you're pretty much screwed.
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Wait, what? Why are newspapers exempt? And unfortunately I don't have the minutes available to let them sit on the phone and wait.

If I ask them to stop calling me and they continue to do so, is it not harassment?

You think reaming some pour soul out to the point where he hangs up crying is a good idea?
 
Market research firms are also exempt.
 
[video=youtube;hllDWSbuDsQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hllDWSbuDsQ[/video]
 
backmarkerducati said:
Baring that, you can always amuse yourself by screwing with the people on the phone (try engaging in phone sex, tell them your are dead, try selling them something...).
Click to expand...

Gummiente said:
I suggest you have some fun; next time they call, ask what she's wearing. Demand to be spoken to in French, then say "what?... what?" until they switch back to English, then demand to be spoken to in French again. Place the phone beside you on the couch and continue watching your favourite TV show, then pick it up during commercial time and dicuss the plot line of the show with them. And so on.

We've been living telemarketer-free for years.
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+1 to these points.

Over the years what works for me i find is keeping them on the phone as long as you can. Fake interest in what they are pitching, when they are done ask them to repeat it. Tell them you still don't understand and perhaps it might work if they tell you a third time but use less verbs. Basically the longer they are on the phone with you being non-productive the less likely they are to call you back.

A co-workers wife worked at a telemarketing place. Part of her job was auditing the call records and making reports. She would go over spreadsheets looking for numbers dialed with positive outcomes (sales or survey taken) for the purpose of sharing with other branches of the company or to sell to other marketing firms. Also she would list numbers with long call times and negative outcomes and mark them for removal from their systems. That's the list you need to get on.

If you just hang up on them, or swear at them and hang up they don't care. You have to cost them money, and time is money.
 
Myztyk said:
Market research firms are also exempt.
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Also companies that you are currently doing business with. Rogers calls me all the time.

Actually I'm on the do not call list and I'm getting calls from duct cleaning places all the time. I believe they get away with this by having international call centres.
 
I can deal with telemarketers until they start calling me at 8am on a Saturday.... THAT crossed the line.
 
Tell them the person they are calling for is in bed with the family dog and ask if they would like to leave a message.
 
Pick up the phone

"one sec..." and hit play on a porno
 
infernobuster said:
Wait till you get Duct cleaning phone calls at 10 pm at night ...
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Nah I am typically awake at that time. Its the 8am on a Sat that pisses me off.
 
I am with a voip provider that allows me to block entire area codes. All they get is "the number is not in service" message when they dial my number. So far, I've only had 1 telemarketing call in over 2 years of usage (one of those "due to national emergency credit crisis" jaggofs from a 416 TN), and I immediately put that number on my block list. My cell phone is running Cyanogenmod and it also has a Black list feature.
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