Cell Phone telemarketing

[Karlynn]

My husband just sent me this and I went to the web site and registered our cell phone numbers. Thought I'd pass it along.

>In a few weeks, cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing
>companies and you will start to receive sales calls. Call this number
>from your cell phone 888-382-1222 , or register on the web at
>donotcall.gov It is the national Do Not Call list. It blocks your
>number for 5 years. Please pass on,
>James Constantine
>AT&T Wireless Services / A Cingular company
>Sales Executive
>(954) 224-5550

 

[Ross]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

Not very likely. Doesn't hurt to register your number though.

 

[Marguerite53]

Thanks, Karlynn.

Thanks, Karlynn.

Enhh. Well, I went in and registered them all anyway. We have 5 cells and 2 land lines!! Thanks for thinking of all of us!

Since we had moved last year and taken our phone numbers with us (home number, land line) we seem to have suddenly been besieged by telemarketers at the new house. I thought for sure I had already put us on the do not call list at our old residence, but perhaps that was only originally for 2 years. Anyway, you can also check to see if you are already on their list (which, we were not!) and keep those buggers at bay!!

Thanks!

Marguerite

 

[Abbanabba]

I'm now ruthless with telemarketers. I've had numerous calls in the last couple of weeks and if I even suspect it's a telemarketer I immediately cut in and say something along the lines of:

"If you're a telemarketer, I'm not interested. I'm sick of being harrassed in my home and being inconvenienced so you can just take my number off your list - thank you"

....and then I very promptly hang up in their ear!


I don't know if it makes any difference, but I feel better for it and at least I'm off the phone very quickly.


A : )

 

[Marguerite53]

ha!

ha!

Anna, that's great! I hate being rude but sometimes these people just won't shut up!!

Today there is a wind storm kicking up. Before the wind even started, a tree fell into our back yard!! Smashed the fence and scraped the house a wee bit. Not too serious. Just annoying (as it was from the greenspace behind our home). Anyway, while I'm juggling phone calls I get a telemarketer call (of course!!). Sweet sounding kid. I just said, right away, "you know, I"m dealing with a tree that just fell into my house, can we do this another time?" She meekly said sure and hung up right away!! I'm going to use that one again!!

Marguerite

 

[Abbanabba]

Anna, that's great! I hate being rude but sometimes these people just won't shut up!!

I never used to be rude - I figured they're just doing their job, trying to earn a buck, but eventually enough is enough. Sometimes I've had several calls a day - and yes - they seem to have some innate 6th sense that makes them call at the most inconvenient time possible.

I've already had one call this morning and I was right in the middle of gift-wrapping (..at that very tricky point where you can always use a spare finger to hold something..). Because I was expecting another call, I raced to the phone and AAAARRRRRGGGH!! Otherwise they always seem to call when you're in the middle of making dinner and your hands are covered in flour, or marinade, or something else.

Now I figure it's down right rude of them to call me in my home, in my time, to try and sell me something I don't even want, so I no longer have any compunction hanging up on them.

Maybe one day these people will get the message!

A : )

 

[Karlynn]

http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/cell411.asp

Not very likely. Doesn't hurt to register your number though.

Oh darn, I usually Snopes those kind of things. But I did register our phones. I actually did get a marketing call last week and I don't give out my cell number to anyone but family and friends.

 

[Ross]

Oh darn, I usually Snopes those kind of things. But I did register our phones. I actually did get a marketing call last week and I don't give out my cell number to anyone but family and friends.

If you despise telemarketers as much as I do, I'd say register the numbers anyway. The leeches random dial anymore, so their bound to hit a few cell phone numbers.

 

[Harpoon]

Ross>>I checked the donotcall.gov site and they do ask for cell phone numbers as well as land lines.

I know New York State has it's own registry as well, will check that in a few minutes....




On handling a telemarketer call:

I usually say, "Thank you, no." and hang up before they get to say another word. That's when I'm polite about it....

I understand that these are people talking to you and they need to make a living too, but perhaps if enough people get fed up with the work, the companies won't be able to operate any more for lack of willing employees.

Which brings me to my next revelation...


A LOT of telemarketing firms use INMATES these days to make the calls. They don't generally see a lot of your personal information but they do (usually) know what state you live in, your name (or at least the name linked to the phone nubmer they called) and even that may be too much information for some people... There are also a number of CANADIAN firms that use prison labor for all sorts of telemarketing and surveying applications.


The other BIG pet peeve I have is with automated telemarketing systems. They don't even have the decency to put a human voice on the line, or at least HIRE people to do the work...

This is especially true for the campaign calls that are excempt from the do not call registry.



Hmmmmm..... I wonder why.....

 

[epstns]

There is another device that generates a lot of these calls. I learned about them when I worked at a company that sold stuff to home owners via an independent dealer network. The most successful dealers used what are called "predictive diallers." These are computer systems that dial all phone numbers in an area code, just in phone number sequence. The system dials a group of phone numbers, then when it thinks someone is ready to answer the call, it routes the call to a telemarketing rep in a boiler room phone center. This way no number is skipped and the reps have a constant stream of calls being handed off to them. If you don't answer, or if your line is busy, the system remembers your number and puts you back in line later. This way they don't even have to know who you are -- just that you have a phone number. The "do not call list" slowed them down though, because they had to modify their programs to exclude listed numbers or face heavy fines.

I love computers but hate some of these applications.

 

[Nancy]

I'm just about as rude, nasty and angry as I can be when I get telemarketing calls. If someone doesn't identify themselves in the first few seconds of calling they get the full shot. Unfortunately, I've nailed a couple of "friendly" calls, LOL. Had to make ammends.

By the way, a couple of telemarketers have called me back to harrass me, but by then I was monitoring the calls. Most of them have never called back.

We are also on the Do Not Call list, but the new "survey" stuff is apparently exempt, even though it is still telemarketing.

Years ago, people used to use duck calls or piercingly loud whistles blown directly into the speaker with great force to prevent people from calling again. It worked then, might even work now.

Prisoners are used for lots of things these days, even catalog phone ordering!!!

 

[Yaps]

I act deaf

I act deaf

hello? hello? Im sorry my aid is down, I cant hear you?Hello?
They end up screaming and hanging up....