How do you handle Telemarketers?

[motorboater]

Most the time its just some poor schlep on the other end of the line just trying to make a living, pay bills, and raise kids. Giving them a bunch of shit is like giving the finger to a slow truck on the interstate instead of just passing and letting the guy get on with his workday. I prefer to just ignore the call or ask that they remove my number from their call list. I also screen my calls with voicemail.

 

[scokill]

I agree with Mike...no reason to give the poor guy on the other end grief. I will say that not answering or blocking is the best method. Answering, even if to tell them to remove you from the list, will increase your calls, not decrease. Most telemarketing companies do not honor do not call or requests to remove.

 

[Zarrella]

I usually attempt to sell them something they dont need either. I like when they ask how much you owe on your credit cards, I ask them how much is on their card. They usually get baffled if you can knock them off their script.

 

[davel501]

This is great news: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2861...it-against-alleged-tech-support-scammers.html

 

[latitudeadjuster]

I try and keep them on the phone as long as possible. For instance a phone company called telling me I would save money switching to them.....I told them to hold on while I looked for my current bill, I went out and put the trash out checked the mail. I came back and they were still there so I said one second...I think the bill is upstairs. Did a few more chores came back and no one they hung up!!! lol

 

[Ronnie]

Another way to handle them is tell them you are unemployed.

 

[JetPowered]

I have my six (now seven) year old answer, or I pick up and say "Can you hold on while I finish with my call on the other line?" and just leave them sitting on muted hold. I had one lady screaming HELLO after about five minutes. She never did hang up.

 

[msavold]

I use a number of different tactics, depending on the mood I'm in. During the work day, especially if it's a spoofed caller ID (123-456-7890 or some such), I ignore it. I worked doing phone surveys for a few weeks in high school and it's not fun at the other end either, let me tell you! Working conditions sucked.
Still, often I can't help myself. If I do pick up and there is no one there (auto dialer waiting for a human to pick up before connecting at the other end) I'll wait until they pick up and then hang up. I've tried reasoning with them - "remove my number from your list" only seems to embolden them to call more often: a live one!!! I suppose I would be more sympathetic if a polite response to be removed actually had an effect.

There is one exception, one that I'll ride for as long as I can: the "Microsoft" scammers. They've tried hitting up our parents a number of times and they almost bit (94, 89, and 86!). For them, I enjoy trying to push them off script for a while (So, if you've detected that I have a problem with my computer, why did you ask if my computer is on? That sort of thing.) And then the conversation usually ends when I ask them how they can live with themselves spending their whole day lying to people and stealing from them. The push back I get is hilarious and a couple of them have become completely flustered by the approach. Combination of not on the script and limited English (but enough to know what I'm saying)

 

[GiddYupJoe]

Has anyone out there been experiencing a high volume of robot calls lately? My wife and I have been getting about 5-10 a day for the past couple weeks always from a different number from all over the country. They are all from Extended car warranty places. A couple buddies locally have been getting them too. I answer a few of them to ask to be removed from the list but that doesn't do anything. SO I just block the number on my phone.

Yesterday I answered and then pressed a couple buttons like I was going to purchase and it told me to hold for a rep... I held for 15 minutes before I hung up! I was like WTF! You called me! Ridiculous. Rant over.

 

[davel501]

Check out https://www.nomorobo.com/. They will screen the calls for you. If it is a robocaller your phone will only ring once and nomorobo will answer.

 

[NavyShooter]

I usually answer the phone, and leave it to dead-air. Don't say a thing.

The robo-caller detects, connects a person who they starts with the "Hello?....Hello? HELLO?" then they disconnect because the robo-caller has obviously connected them to a fax machine or some other non-working number.

The other option is to answer, acknowledge, and then let them start talking and just set the phone down and walk away.

I came back 10 minutes later once and the idiot was still talking.

*shrug*

Annoying.

Once upon a time, I got a call from a phone company call center that was literally JUST DOWN THE STREET from me, so when I asked a hard question, and they hung-up, I walked down the street to their front door, walked in and asked to speak with the supervisor.

The shock on the worker's face was....palpable when the supervisor introduced me a few moments later.

I suggested that next time, she should look at the address before hanging up on someone....my address was 3479 Joe H Drive, theirs was 3621 Joe H Drive....good fun.

 

[KXCam22]

These are all great ideas, but telemarketers waste my time. They get one hello and if a human hasn't responded I just hang up. I wonder if thats why I have no friends. Cam.

 

[Bennie]

We use the "National 'Do not call Registry". You have to update it every 6 months.
1-888-382-1222.
Any calls that do come through get blocked.

But.... if I have the time and I'm in a good mood I mess with them. I'll either start singing, give constant impressions, or only answer in movie lines. Favorite go-to though is to play a delusional granny and make them repeat everything five times then just start mumbling about my grandkids. They can't hangup if you keep them involved in the conversation :-D

 

[chess]

Well my boss gets them all the time on his cell phone and honestly its quite funny..... Some of it is pretty X rated I dont want to repeat here...but just imagine if you have a boss like that... He comes in my office and does it and I about fall in the floor laughing so hard LOL

 

[Julian]

Check out https://www.nomorobo.com/. They will screen the calls for you. If it is a robocaller your phone will only ring once and nomorobo will answer.

Agreed....we use Nomorerobo too and it works like a charm. Not all phone providers support it, but if yours does you will love it! But it has spoiled my fun of selling them pools! LOL

 

[Gym]

If you're getting robo calls or scammers to your cell phone download the free app Hiya. It will block about 90% of these calls. Usually your phone rings 1 time then dumps the caller. Then the Hiya caller ID pops up telling you it was a telemarketer or scammer. If a call does get through you block it and label it as telemarketer or scammer which will automatically block it for any other Hiya user. My IT son in law turned me on to this and it's been great. Another feature is it provides caller ID for callers that are not in your address book. I got one just today in response to a Craigslist Add I posted. It gave me his first & last name. When He came to my house to pick up the item I addressed him by his first name. He seemed a little uneasy as if I had him under surveillance.

 

[msavold]

Tried the national do not call registry and got about the results I'd expect from a government initiative... I just don't think it's proactive enough. Up to 10 calls a day, including multiple ones from the same ID in the same day. Trying Nomorerobo on our house (FIOS) phone and going to try Hiya on my android phone to see how it goes. (Note: when I checked today, Nomorerobo available for iPhone but not android...)

That said, I'm afraid I might miss having some fun with some of these clowns - especially the ones from "Microsoft" calling about the virus on my computer. Thos calls usually end with me asking them "just one question before we proceed with payment - how do you get up every morning and go to work knowing your job is to lie to people all day, you lying sack of shit?" Which is usually followed by a profanity from them and a dialtone. Hey, if I take up 15' of their time, that's at least a few more people they can't harass!

PS: I confess - I did telephone surveys for a few months while in high school for gas money. IMO, phone surveys have a purpose and I'm happy to help if it's convenient for me - but I don't need a car warranty, I don't owe the IRS or have student loans, and my computers are all pretty much virus free!

 

[scokill]

I like to answer telemarketers with "Pool-a-rama can I help you?", and then proceed to try and sell them a pool. Most hang up right away. But once I had one lady stay on the line for enough time for me to attempt to sell her a pool, hottub, jacuzzi spa, a bucket and a cup (I worked my way down in size). I was in tears of laughter by the time I hung up! She was very nice and kept saying, "No I don't want a pool" etc so I kept going trying to find something she'd buy.

My wife was watching me and laughing. I've only had that one woman stay on the line more than 30 seconds. Most just hang up on me. Others ask me if this is a business and I say "Yes" - which will typically result in them removing you from their list.

I did have one person still try and get money out of me, and I simply said...."I'll donate as much as you order", they hung up! LOL

What do you do?

I have VOIP with Simulring...that is I can have it ring a number of phones when someone calls. I have a Google Voice number, which is free, and I have my home phone simulring the google voice number. Google Voice has spam call blocking with its telemarketer database. If it still get through, I go in and mark it as spam and they get a number is disconnected message. I hear half a ring. Over time, it has cut my telemarketing calls down 90%....not only the number that get through with even a 1/2 ring because they were screened, but future attempts. Telemarketers use auto dialers and when it auto dials your number and gets the number disconnected message that includes the tones at the beginning, the auto dialer will essentially update the database that the number is bad and over time you won't even get attempts.

This is what I do if something gets through and I answer it...."sorry, I don't do business over the phone and hang up". I then log in to Google voice and block the call for the future. I do the same thing for door to door sales. "Sorry, I don't do business door to door, good luck"

 

[scokill]

Most the time its just some poor schlep on the other end of the line just trying to make a living, pay bills, and raise kids. Giving them a bunch of shit is like giving the finger to a slow truck on the interstate instead of just passing and letting the guy get on with his workday. I prefer to just ignore the call or ask that they remove my number from their call list. I also screen my calls with voicemail.

I agree that giving them crap is probably not the best approach, but 90% are scams and they are probably felons for their part in it, so even if they are trying to make a living, we don't extend that level of sympathy to folks to swindle people in person or rob banks, convenience stores, etc.

 

[Julian]

I agree that giving them crap is probably not the best approach, but 90% are scams and they are probably felons for their part in it, so even if they are trying to make a living, we don't extend that level of sympathy to folks to swindle people in person or rob banks, convenience stores, etc.

The woman I tried to sell pools, hottubs, bathtubs, buckets, cups, shot glasses and thimbles to was laughing as hard as I was by the end of my attempt to sell her. Probably made her night! With nomorerobo I can't remember the last time a call got through....so no more fun for me! :-(