How do you handle telemarking calls?

[kenny]

I'm talking about calls from businesses, with whom you've never done business, calling you to try to sell you something.

Do you let them continue talking after you are sure it's a telemarketer?
Do you let them complete their talk and actually engage in a conversation with some of them?
Do you quickly cut them off and say no thanks?
Do you simply hang up the instant you determine it is a telemarketer?

Other?

Personally, I instantly just hang up. Not even a good bye.

I'm unlisted, on the no-call lists but lately have been getting a few of these calls a week.

Sometimes I'll ask how they got my number, especially when they know my name.
Either THEY hang up on me, or say something like, "Oh, this is the Internet age. Everyone's information is just out there."

 

[Jennifer W]

Kenny, so funny that you posted this - I was just about to ask the same question. They are driving me insane. I work from home, so I can't ignore calls and I am wasting so much time on these calls. I have an unlisted number (work calls are put through from our switchboard) and I'm on the no-calls list too, but for some reason I'm getting dozens of these calls a week right now. Suddenly.

One company in particular phoned so many times I had to ask the police to intervene. It was literally every few minutes - they wanted to talk to my husband, and he isn't here during the day, so they just kept right on calling to the point of harassment.

Hanging up straight away means they just call back, so now when someone phones and addresses me as Mrs DH's name (which is not my name) I know they are selling something. I've started telling them that I'm the executor of Mrs DH'sName's estate, and they can't talk to her, because she passed away last week. Alternatively, I just tell them I'll never buy from any company that uses telemarketing. I don't listen to the spiel, and I don't answer any questions. If I have a spare 5 minutes, I use it to ask them enough questions to get the company details, so I can make a complaint to the people who run the no-calls list.

My stepdaughter took a job as a telemarketer a few years ago, when she was in college. I realise the job sucks. I realise that they don't want to make the call any more than I want to receive it, and they are somebody's son or daughter, so I do try to temper my response to be at least polite. Some of them are becoming quite rude and aggressive, and I must admit I tend to respond in kind to that.

 

[justginger]

I have successfully avoided telemarketers by simply not having a landline. I use my mobile for everything.

I do think that Australians received fewer of these calls than Americans - when I first moved here I did have a landline, in the phone book, and think I may have received one telemarketing call/week. I would wait til the end of the spiel, say no thank you, and hang up.

Growing up, my family had a pretty unpronounceable surname. I would simply say, "No one by that name lives here" when a telemarketer would ask for "Mr. Wrongpronunciationofourlastname." It always worked.

 

[zoebartlett]

We haven't had a land line in a number of years, so we don't get telemarketing calls anymore. When we had a land line, as soon as I heard the beginning of the telemarketer's spiel, I quickly said that I wasn't interested. If the person thanked me and let me go, I said goodbye. If he/she continued to talk, I just said no thank you and hung up.

 

[Asscherhalo_lover]

I also only have a cell phone. Sometimes I will get phone calls from random states that I don't know anyone in and I just don't answer them. If it's important, they'll leave a message. I had one phone number calling me a few times a day for a few weeks but it eventually stopped. Sometimes I get spam text messages though! That is crazy to me, they have never been continuous but if they were I would have the number blocked from calling me.

 

[makemepretty]

I get calls from "Utah" but they're really from India. I've tried everything. Polite, onery, begging, swearing at "Jennifer" because I'm on the do not call list and she's breaking the law, telling them they have the wrong number....nothing works. They hang up if my husband answers but they won't stop and it's been 6 months.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

I also work from home and and these types of phone calls and knocking on the door are driving me nutso! Has anyone noticed the telemarketing calls have gotten worse in the past few months? Yesterday I counted 5 telemarketers and 4 door knocks--I about went insane. I live in a big old brick house and the door knocker could seriously wake the dead and the dog goes crazy barking at it, I can even tell you the disruption in creates! Bark, bark, bark, bark.... (can you tell how mad this makes me?)

I am no longer nice about it, when a telemarketer calls I advise them I am on the do no call list and to remove my phone number from their database. When they call back again I give them a verbal lashing. I don't give a hoot if the person on the other end of the line is just trying to make a living and pay their bills--I am on the do not call list

And just because this is so unbelievable: One of the door knockers this past week tried to sell me vinyl siding--I have a brick house. Like the kind of brick house that is in the Home Alone movie. He said my house was so lovely and they could use it is a model house, put a sign in the yard and give me a discount of 50%.

 

[ruby59]

Interesting topic. I am also on the "do not call" list. But that has not stopped one particularly bad telemarketer - Rachael at Card Holder Services. I have tried everything to get them to stop calling. I even contacted the FCC and made a formal complaint. It stopped for a while, but has recently started back up again. They call early in the morning, during dinner, and late at night.

I googled them, and they having been harrassing a lot of people. I wonder how they continue to get away with it.

 

[ame]

I don't answer the home phone, EVER. Under any circumstance. Anyone that needs to reach me knows how to reach me that doesn't involve my home phone. When I get them on my cell phone, I don't answer calls I don't recognize. I google the number. If it comes up as a spammer/some business I have no need to speak with, I usually report the call to the Do Not Call List.

 

[stargurl78]

I don't have a landline but they call my cell even though I've registered it multiple times on the the Do Not Call List. It drives me nuts, sometimes they'll even call late on a Sunday night. I usually cut them off quickly and tell them to please not call again. I've just started reporting the numbers to the FCC. The calls have definitely slowed since I started reporting them.

 

[Skippy123]

we are on the Do Not Call List but someone got our phone number who is running a scam. I was trying to track down their info so I could turn them in! I have 2 babies and they call at the worst time so I took the phone off the hook during their nap time but I am sick of these calls

oh and with other Telemarketers I mention I am on the do not call list and they do make sure never to call again.


Okay just an FYI on the Scam that is going around, the person calling says they are with the GOVT giving Grant money and they want your bank account and other information so they can send you money!

 

[Skippy123]

I don't have a landline but they call my cell even though I've registered it multiple times on the the Do Not Call List. It drives me nuts, sometimes they'll even call late on a Sunday night. I usually cut them off quickly and tell them to please not call again. I've just started reporting the numbers to the FCC. The calls have definitely slowed since I started reporting them.

found it thanks https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en#last

 

[Maisie]

I have caller display so mostly I can just ignore the phone if I don't recognise the number. If I do get caught out I just say i'm not interested and say bye. My husband is very rude, he will demand where they got this number and they have to remove it right now and hangs up.

 

[Dancing Fire]

I'm talking about calls from businesses, with whom you've never done business, calling you to try to sell you something.


Do you simply hang up the instant you determine it is a telemarketer?

yes!!...

 

[iLander]

I'm talking about calls from businesses, with whom you've never done business, calling you to try to sell you something.


Do you simply hang up the instant you determine it is a telemarketer?

yes!!...

Yup.

Click.

 

[Rockdiamond]

IN a business, you pretty much have to answer every call.
I used to get so darn mad when I would interrupt a discussion with a consumer to answer another line ( if no one else can pick up) to get a telemarketer.
In a lot of cases the phone number on the caller ID looks like a "normal" one.

I realized that by getting angry, I was allowing this bad behavior affect my life too much.

Here's what I do now:
Telemarketer: "Hi can I speak to the person in charge of credit card processing?"
Me: "YES!!!! He just asked me to find a new company!! Can you hold on please?"

Then just go about your day.

 

[Haven]

The only people who know our land line phone number are close family members, and we have caller ID, so I just never pick up the phone if it isn't someone I know.

A telemarketer called my cell phone a couple months ago and I was really upset about it. I asked them a couple questions about how they got my number and information, and it turns out that Chase Bank sold it to them. We have our mortgage with Chase. I cannot tell you how much I hate that bank. I went in to the bank and asked to speak with a manager, who vehemently denied that they give out our information. I don't bank with them, and representatives from the bank have called my cell phone before and left messages that said they had urgent business with me regarding my account. I assumed something was wrong with my mortgage and called back immediately. They wanted to offer me $100 if I switched and started banking with them. I flipped out. I hate that bank with a passion.

 

[monarch64]

I just have a cellphone so don't personally deal with telemarketers, but at work I sometimes answer the phones and we get a few. My typical response there is "not interested, please take us off your list.". Seems to work as we don't get too many repeat calls from the same outfits.

 

[Kaleigh]

We are on a do not call list, but many get through. As soon as I hear it's a telemarketer, I say I am not interested and take me off the list and hang up.

 

[ForteKitty]

If I dont recognize the number, it's usually a telemarketer. If I feel like having some fun, I answer with "this is a private line with the CIA, how did you get this number?" They usually hang up and I rarely see the same number call twice.

 

[kenny]

Is there a law that telemarketers cannot call cellphones?

How would anyone know which are cell numbers?

 

[Autumnovember]

Typically, if it is a number I don't recognize, I don't answer at all.

If for whatever reason I answer and I figure out its a telemarketer I either 1. hang up without a goodbye or 2. politely say no thank you and then say bye.

 

[Skippy123]

Is there a law that telemarketers cannot call cellphones?

How would anyone know which are cell numbers?

you can use your cell phone number in the do not call list too. I am not sure how they know?
here it says enter your home phone or mobile phone
https://www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx

 

[Enerchi]

The calls usually ring as a long distance call, then display as 1-800 or 1-866. I lift the receiver, very quietly say a very short hello then I hang up. I read that if you only say it once, it doesn't trigger their mechanical message, but if you repeat and say Hello again, that's what triggers their automated message to start.

Probably shouldn't even answer at all because that gives them confirmation it is a legit number...

 

[Haven]

Is there a law that telemarketers cannot call cellphones?

How would anyone know which are cell numbers?

I don't know. I was only upset that a telemarketer had my cell phone number because that is not the number I give out for anything, ever. I use our land line so all junk calls go there. The only business that have the number are business with which I have significant accounts--mortgage, savings, checking. So, banks, basically.

 

[minousbijoux]

I do what others do and just not answer my land line. If someone leaves a message, great. If they don't, oh well. Lately it seems that of about 10 calls that come in a day, at the most, we get one message. So I have to assume that the majority are either telemarketers, or pollsters.

Haven, I would be so pissed too if someone started calling my cell phone, particularly a bank that I did not do business with.

 

[rubybeth]

Mostly, I don't answer our land line since I'm gone during the day and anyone I know who really wants to talk to *me* calls my cell phone. We have a land line because we're in a lower level unit and sometimes cell service is sketchy and in case of emergency). I am nice but firm when I don't want to buy/donate. I ask them to put me on their do not call list. Or I make my husband answer and screen calls for me. He used to be a telemarketer when he was in school, so I understand it just a job for these people and they really aren't out to make my life difficult, they just have a script they must follow or they could get fired.

Edited to add: there are rules about 'robo-calls' to cell phones. It's basically an unenforceable thing, but I work for a library and we recently switched to automated notices when people have requests, and we have to get consent from folks with cell phones.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

I screen my calls. If I don't know the number, I don't pick up. Keeps life simple.

 

[MyDiamondSparkles]

You know how if someone calls, it lists their phone number and name? About a month ago I noticed that my home phone now lists the 1-800 or 1-866 number but also lists it as TELEMARKETER. It never used to do that but now that it does I love it! Except for this dam telemarketer calls 6 times a day and has kept it up for the past 2 weeks.

 

[stargurl78]

I don't have a landline but they call my cell even though I've registered it multiple times on the the Do Not Call List. It drives me nuts, sometimes they'll even call late on a Sunday night. I usually cut them off quickly and tell them to please not call again. I've just started reporting the numbers to the FCC. The calls have definitely slowed since I started reporting them.

found it thanks https://www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov/FTC_Wizard.aspx?Lang=en#last

Yup that's the link I used, I should have posted it but I was on my phone... I definitely recommend that everyone reports these calls to the FCC.