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Jerry Thompson
03-11-2015, 3:55 PM
Over the past year I have received untold calls from telemarketers. I used to just not answer them. For the past several months I have answered the phone and when they ask for me or my wife I tell them that he/she just passed away.
I am still getting calls. When will they learn I am dead? I will have to admit there seem to be fewer calls but then maybe it is my wishful thinking.
I have had two callers keep asking if anyone else is there to talk to after I tell them I am just one of the mourners.
The do not call list is a joke.

Matt Day
03-11-2015, 4:05 PM
Really? I can count on one hand the times I have gotten called over the past year.
Maybe try signing up for the DNC list again?
Funny you say it now, bc my wife got one last night.

Charles Wiggins
03-11-2015, 4:21 PM
http://lifehacker.com/im-a-telemarketer-heres-how-to-get-rid-of-me-1540911401

You can skip down to the part about "How to Make the Calls Stop" if you want.

Wade Lippman
03-11-2015, 5:08 PM
I use Google Voice, which forwards calls to my home phone. (I don't even know what my home phone number is) Google filters out 90% of the junk.
When out of town I can change it to forward calls to my cell phone.
I got it when I moved and they couldn't transfer my old phone number, so I had it moved to GV.

Just yesterday I set it to reject all calls that had no caller ID. Not sure how that will work out.

Brian Henderson
03-11-2015, 5:09 PM
I used to get frustrated by this, especially around holidays and elections because you can't tell those people to stop calling you and have them listen. Finally, I just got rid of my landline and I get no more calls.

glenn bradley
03-11-2015, 5:23 PM
I just act really interested, pretend I've gotten interrupted and ask them to "hold on a sec". Then I set the phone down and go out to the shop and do some work.

Ole Anderson
03-11-2015, 7:45 PM
My Comcast voice mail will transcribe any messages and email them to me. Our message says to call our cell phones if they need to speak to us immediately and they must know the number, we don't put them on the message. Only one landline phone rings in our home now and it is in the shop with the ringer turned to very soft. All our friends learned real fast to only call our cell. The result? One transcribed call about every three days. Most telemarketers don't ever get to the point of finishing the message.

This subject has come up here before and noted that I found that when I did answer the phone, the most successful phrase to use was asking them to do something for you: put me on your do not call list. They never argue or refuse your request.

I went to the site listed by Charles and felt vindicated when I read the following:

"The most efficient way to get the person to stop calling you requires you to say one sentence: "Please put me on your do not call list (http://lifehacker.com/153828/banish-telemarketers-from-your-phone)." "

Myk Rian
03-11-2015, 9:17 PM
Anybody that believes the Do Not Call list will stop calls, is living in a dream world. All it does is give these idiots your phone number. On top of that, the idiots in Washington didn't give the law any teeth because of lobbyists.

We disconnected the landline and just use our cell phones. The Call Control app sends all those calls into nether world.

Brian Tymchak
03-12-2015, 8:11 AM
There have been some places here in Ohio shutdown over the last couple of years for violating the telemarketing laws. But, as with any other law on the books, if the consumer doesn't complain to the right authorities, nothing will happen. I think the bad guys are betting that the consumer is too lazy to file the complaints.

roger wiegand
03-12-2015, 8:38 AM
NoMoRobo works pretty well to block computer dialed calls. Our frequency of unwanted calls has dropped ~90% since putting it in place, with no obvious bad effect. It's free. See http://www.nomorobo.com

We also found a TeleZapper (device on the phone line that sent the "I'm a fax machine" signal) to be quite effective. Not sure how well that would work now.

Brian Henderson
03-12-2015, 2:36 PM
My Comcast voice mail will transcribe any messages and email them to me. Our message says to call our cell phones if they need to speak to us immediately and they must know the number, we don't put them on the message. Only one landline phone rings in our home now and it is in the shop with the ringer turned to very soft. All our friends learned real fast to only call our cell. The result? One transcribed call about every three days. Most telemarketers don't ever get to the point of finishing the message.

This subject has come up here before and noted that I found that when I did answer the phone, the most successful phrase to use was asking them to do something for you: put me on your do not call list. They never argue or refuse your request.

I went to the site listed by Charles and felt vindicated when I read the following:

"The most efficient way to get the person to stop calling you requires you to say one sentence: "Please put me on your do not call list (http://lifehacker.com/153828/banish-telemarketers-from-your-phone)." "

Except it doesn't work most of the time. I've had telemarketers laugh at me when I told them that. They know that the government does nothing about such violations, if you go to the Do Not Call List website, it tells you that they do not investigate individual claims. While there are some that will do it, many others will just keep talking like you never said anything. They just don't care and they know their chances of being fined for not doing it are minimal at best.

Wade Lippman
03-12-2015, 3:30 PM
This subject has come up here before and noted that I found that when I did answer the phone, the most successful phrase to use was asking them to do something for you: put me on your do not call list. They never argue or refuse your request.



And I ask snow not to fall on my driveway. It listens about as well as your telemarketers.

At least I understand telemarketers; if one person in a hundred listens, it is worthwhile because it is 100% profit if they bite.
What I don't understand are the fake replies I get when I post on CL. I just don't see what they gain by it.

Brian Henderson
03-12-2015, 4:00 PM
And I ask snow not to fall on my driveway. It listens about as well as your telemarketers.

At least I understand telemarketers; if one person in a hundred listens, it is worthwhile because it is 100% profit if they bite.
What I don't understand are the fake replies I get when I post on CL. I just don't see what they gain by it.

You know what I don't get? The endless spam e-mails that are clear advertisements, yet the body of the e-mail is just gibberish. Anyone get those but me?

Ole Anderson
03-13-2015, 8:52 AM
Except it doesn't work most of the time. I've had telemarketers laugh at me when I told them that. They know that the government does nothing about such violations, if you go to the Do Not Call List website, it tells you that they do not investigate individual claims. While there are some that will do it, many others will just keep talking like you never said anything. They just don't care and they know their chances of being fined for not doing it are minimal at best.

I didn't say that I expected them to actually put me on the list, what I said that for me it stops the conversation immediately, virtually all of them politely, I have used it probably 30 times. Apparently using that phrase throws up a big red flag to them.

Brian Henderson
03-13-2015, 1:11 PM
I didn't say that I expected them to actually put me on the list, what I said that for me it stops the conversation immediately, virtually all of them politely, I have used it probably 30 times. Apparently using that phrase throws up a big red flag to them.

You'd think so, but I've had plenty of them try to argue with me, like I never even said anything, Unless you just hang up immediately, I've found that the conversation usually doesn't end with that. I've had to say "Did you hear what I said?" on plenty of occasions.

Rob Damon
03-13-2015, 1:50 PM
We moved into the family home in 2006 when my father passed away... we still get calls and junk mail for him almost 9 years later, even though we tell them he is no longer alive......

Myk Rian
03-13-2015, 4:04 PM
We moved into the family home in 2006 when my father passed away... we still get calls and junk mail for him almost 9 years later, even though we tell them he is no longer alive......
I write in bold lettering on the envelope:
This person is dead, and unable to do business with you.
Neither I, nor anyone in this family will do business with you.

Then I send it to the company/business being advertized.
In most cases someone else is sending the ads, and don't update their "Living persons" lists.

Moses Yoder
03-13-2015, 4:18 PM
I have not had a land line for about 5 years now. WHen we used to get calls, I would simply say "not interested" and hang up. I think telemarketing is a fair way to make a living if you have to. If it did not actually bring in revenue, they would stop doing it. Letting them know you are not interested and hanging up is a good way to prevent them from wasting their time. If somebody wastes my time I get upset. I think if you are courteous and efficient you can mark a good deed down for the day.

Brian Henderson
03-13-2015, 5:44 PM
I have not had a land line for about 5 years now. WHen we used to get calls, I would simply say "not interested" and hang up. I think telemarketing is a fair way to make a living if you have to. If it did not actually bring in revenue, they would stop doing it. Letting them know you are not interested and hanging up is a good way to prevent them from wasting their time. If somebody wastes my time I get upset. I think if you are courteous and efficient you can mark a good deed down for the day.

Except in most cases, it doesn't matter. That particular telemarketer just goes to the next name on the list and when someone else in the same company comes along and is working the same list, they will call you again. And again. And again. They don't really care how many times they call you because most of the telemarketers make the majority of their money on actually selling you something so the company really isn't out anything. They hope the constant calls will wear you down and you'll buy something, just to stop the calls.