Cell Phone Calls

[John Terefenko]

How do you get rid of those annoying calls about extend vehicle warrenties. My truck is a 2000 and they want to sell me an extended warrenty and it is not even from the factory. I believe it is one of those scams. I get them on my house phone and now I have started getting them on my cell phone. I thought there was a law they can not solicit on a cell phone???

[Todd Burch]

I think a grass roots movement is in order here to track them down, lynch mob fashion. I get three a day at the house on my business line.

[Robert Parrish]

Put your cell phone number on the DoNot Call list.

[Dan Mages]

Do you get a pre recorded message or a live person? If it is a live person, politely request that you be removed from their solicitation list. Every time after that get firmer and a bit less polite.

Dan

[Tony De Masi]

I started getting those same calls a few weeks ago too. Fortunately I have a "Block Call" feature on my home phone system so no more calls come in.

Tony

[Joe Pelonio]

I do not give my cell number to anyone other than family or friends and so far have never had a solicitation on it in close to 15 years.

Also, when you give anyone your number, whether it be a car dealer or an entry to a contest at the fair, you are giving them and their "business partners" permission to call you despite the do not call list. This particular company may have been sold your number from a local mechanic or oil change place.

I always wonder if that is specifically mentioned in the small print on the back of your invoice.

I know from talking to customers, mostly roofing and window installers, that they had huge call centers before the do not call list and now use even more annoying tactics, such as door-to-door canvassing and contests within other businesses. I never enter those contests to win a spa or hot tub at the fair, you will get 50 calls.

[Eric DeSilva]

Also, when you give anyone your number, whether it be a car dealer or an entry to a contest at the fair, you are giving them and their "business partners" permission to call you despite the do not call list.

Not sure about that. Unless they have a business relationship with you, which is fairly tightly defined, they are under pretty serious restrictions. There is an "out" for non-profits, and I think there are a bunch of quasi-commercial non-profits out there that may take advantage of the law--credit counseling, warranty extensions. They may be registered as not-for-profit corporations, but someone is making money off them...

[Tom Veatch]

How do you get rid of those annoying calls about extend vehicle warrenties. ...

I don't have a cell phone, but my land line in on the No Call List (https://www.donotcall.gov/). But, they called anyway. The way I stopped it was to con them out of the number they were calling from (if you have Caller ID and the number is blocked, as it probably is) then inform the caller that the number they called is on the No Call List and would be reported as soon as I hung up. Then I filed a report. Took a couple of times, but haven't had any more for a couple of months now.

Now, if they only had a "Do Not Mail" list, maybe I could stop the junk mail, too.

[Todd Burch]

Joe, these particular solicitors - the "car warranty" folks, were featured on the Today Show within the last couple weeks, as they are so pervasive. Probably more of an organized car dealership or car financing racket.

[Michael Schapansky]

Here you go, from Geek.com today.

http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/verizon-wins-in-lawsuit-against-auto-warranty-telemarketers-20090429/

[David Freed]

Do you get a pre recorded message or a live person? If it is a live person, politely request that you be removed from their solicitation list. Every time after that get firmer and a bit less polite.

Dan

Even if I'm in a good mood those type of callers don't get "polite" from me on the first call. If I'm having a bad day they get an earful. I always hang up after I say my piece.

[Chris Kennedy]

The only people who have my cell are my wife and my son's babysitter in case of emergency. And from the first day, I have gotten these stupid warranty calls. I also get them on my work phone, which I never give out except to colleagues. I have had to put my work and cell phone on the Do Not Call list as a result.

On the other hand, if you get a live person, never ask them to stop calling them. Inform them. It is a federal law that, if informed, they are not to call; they cannot call for a period of 6 months. This goes for charities, non-profits, everyone. I have had telemarketers hang up before I could finish stating "I am informing you not to call" so that it wouldn't be on their recording device. It works really well.

Cheers,

Chris

[Todd Burch]

Good tip Chris - I'm thinking my line will be "Never call me again; you are so INFORMED!"

[Eric DeSilva]

There is no magic to the word "inform" in this context. Tell them that your number should be placed on their do not call list. Charities are exempt from these regulations, although many maintain DNC lists just because if you don't want the call, you are unlikely to give them money.

My tactic is, upon getting a solicitation, to simply say "I'm very interested... Hang on and let me get a pencil." Put the phone down and leave it off hook. They usually can't hang up without supervisor intervention, so you are costing them money.

[Ken Werner]

If you get their number on caller ID, you can file a report with the FCC. You can also google "do not call list" and file your numbers cell and land on a national DNC list.

[John Terefenko]

It is a prerecorded message and it always starts with this is your second warning that your factory warrenty is running out. Heck that ran out 5 years ago. When I get them on my home phone they are blaocked. When I get them on my cell the number comes through. Is there a way to block certain numbers on a cell phone??? Not good with these things.

[Rick Gifford]

I use youmail (dot) com as my cell phone answering service.

You can have indivialual greetings for each person on your contact list. I created a list called Spamers, and add any number they call from. Give the a diconnected message and they soon stop calling.

[Scott T Smith]

Here's a neat way to get rid of the computer calls to your house (requires an answering machine).

Download the three digit tone that preceeds the telephone company's "we're sorry, this number is not in service" recording, and place it at the beginning of your recorded greeting.

Most of the automated computer systems that call you will recognize the tone and automatically remove your number from their auto-call lists. They do this in order to avoid spending a lot of time calling invalid numbers.

The recording is available online.

[Richard M. Wolfe]

I'm not expecting to get any more of those calls. After all, the last fifteen or twenty told me it was my last chance. :D:D

[Scott Vantine]

The thing that really got me steamed about those warranty calls to my cell phone is that I have a Go Phone which is pre-paid and it costs me money each time they call! I finally got tired of them and waited on the line and put myself on their "do not call list", I am hoping no more calls from them! Not to mention after this post refreshed my mind about the do not call site, I placed my number on it!

[David G Baker]

Scott T,
I have one of those devices that generates the tones on my home phone as soon as the phone is picked up. 98% of the time the computer callers disappear before I can say anything. The ones that get me are the ones that usually call around 6:00 AM on Sunday morning. They disappear when I pick up but the wake up damage has already been done. Maybe I am getting a message to get up and go to church. :D

[James Jaragosky]

The only people who have my cell are my wife and my son's babysitter in case of emergency. And from the first day, I have gotten these stupid warranty calls. I also get them on my work phone, which I never give out except to colleagues. I have had to put my work and cell phone on the Do Not Call list as a result.

On the other hand, if you get a live person, never ask them to stop calling them. Inform them. It is a federal law that, if informed, they are not to call; they cannot call for a period of 6 months. This goes for charities, non-profits, everyone. I have had telemarketers hang up before I could finish stating "I am informing you not to call" so that it wouldn't be on their recording device. It works really well.

Cheers,

Chris
It is illegal for a telemarketer to hang up first, they have to let you terminate the call; unless you become abusive. I found this out when I had to take a test on telemarketing for a charity I was helping.

Because they can't hang up first, I just play them along as long as I possibly can. I talk about my kids, trick nee, bad back, oozing wounds, the weather , my dogs, gardening; the list is endless. They cannot wait to get rid of me. Many get tired of my endless blather and hang up anyway.
What the hay might as well have some fun on their dime. (I have an unlimited cell plan).

Another reason you may just now be receiving your first telemarketing calls on your cell phone is that cell phones were prohibited to telemarketers until recently.

[Chris Damm]

I have a prepaid cell phone for my convenience. If I don't know the number that's calling I don't answer!

[Don Bullock]

I read recently that many of these calls are fraudulent. All they want is your personal information so that they can take your money. In the current economic situation many are in right now these calls, mailings and computer SPAM from these crooks are expected to increase dramatically. Unfortunately many are located in other countries and are not subject to the "Do Not Call List" or any of our laws.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

If they are being placed by a US entity then they are subject to the Can Spam Act.

If they are coming from Canada (many are) then you may be able to go after the US entity that hopes to benefit from the calls.

If suing people in Federal court is not to your liking then maybe you can get a new number.

[glenn bradley]

Use the do not call list. Quick, easy and it works. Oh and BTW, the warranty calls . . . . run Forrest.

[Lee Schierer]

Simply press 2 and it tells them you aren't interested. I've been getting these calls about once a week on my office phone. I tried spoofing one guy that called. He wanted to know how many miles I drove a year. I told him about 200, that the car was mostly for show and I used public transportation to actually go places. I also asked which car he was calling about since I own three. He couldn't tell me what cars I owned. He also wanted my address. I told him he called me so he should already have it. I had him on the line for about 15 minutes..

[John Terefenko]

Simply press 2 and it tells them you aren't interested. I've been getting these calls about once a week on my office phone. I tried spoofing one guy that called. He wanted to know how many miles I drove a year. I told him about 200, that the car was mostly for show and I used public transportation to actually go places. I also asked which car he was calling about since I own three. He couldn't tell me what cars I owned. He also wanted my address. I told him he called me so he should already have it. I had him on the line for about 15 minutes..
Got another one of these this morning and this time I stayed on long enough to press to and will see if this stops the calls. I did not realize this is a onging thing with this sales pitch and so many others are getting it. Hopefully they are gone.