FTC Moves up "Do Not Call" List Registration 474
tbase writes "AdAge.com has an article about the new FTC "Do-Not-Call" List which will be opening for registrations earlier than previously announced. The FTC Press Release says online registration will be available "on or around July 1." and that "Companies will face an $11,000 fine for each telemarketing call that violates the FTC's new consumer-protection provisions.""
How about a do not spam list? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:How about a do not spam list? (Score:5, Funny)
Spam, however, offers little or no means of retaliation. So I just start praying...
"Merciful Lord, look down upon your humble servant and strike down the heathen company which seeks to increase the size of my privates and undo your good work. Rain tumors and boils upon them and cause their Exchange servers to crash."
Re:How about a do not spam list? (Score:3, Informative)
I save the time. I just put the phone down and let them talk to empty air, and then eventually hang up the phone when it starts making the "Hey stupid, you left your phone off the hook" sound.
Re:How about a do not spam list? (Score:3, Funny)
I prefer to just say something along the lines of "can you explain
that in detail?" and then gently set the phone down on the counter
and go do something else for a while.
Re:How about a do not spam list? (Score:3, Funny)
One telemarketter stayed on hold for 15 mins. Called back twice and stayed on hold again 15 mins each time.
Re:How about a do not spam list? (Score:3, Informative)
Action plan:
1. Found a company on the Cayman Islands.
2. Buy some call origination in the US and a voice over IP trunk to your call droid center located in India.
3. Telemarket as much as you like. All they can do is force your telco to close your lines. You are out of FTC jurisdiction.
All familiarity with existing chinese SPAM is only superficial
Do-Not-Mail (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:3, Interesting)
What I would like to know is if it is possible to have your snail-mail address put on a no bulk mail list. I have enough coasters already thank you AOL.
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:5, Informative)
It will cost you 5$ however.
Next time, google. [google.com]
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:2)
oh, i see. you only want mail that you've authorized, eh? and wal-mart only wants people in the door who will buy some crap too. perhaps they should have you leave a non refundable "deposit" at the door?
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:2, Funny)
I dont want spam and neither does most people I know!
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:2, Interesting)
capitalism does work in practice if left to work. this freaking governement interference in the market just wacks everything up and gives the public the impression that the gov't does really do something for them while raping all other rights and freedoms outlined in the constiution.
guess what, if you don't give people a channel to contact you, they won't. go home and stay inside. stay off the internet and don't get the mail. disconnect
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:4, Funny)
I dunno, man. Those Jehova's Witnesses are pretty persistent.
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:4, Funny)
You can get rid of them, too. Just draw a chalk outline of a body outside your door/cave/whatever, and scatter some JW pamphlets around. Then you can sleep all day if you want to.
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:3, Insightful)
You had barely started talking and already your point falls apart. Monopoly practices? Indentured Servitude? Anti-union practices? Environmental laws? These are all things that are in place because of government.
Re:Do-Not-Mail (Score:5, Insightful)
- it's my phone and I'm paying for the service. With that in mind it's perfectly reasonable to assume that I get to decide who gets to call. If I tell someone to fuck off, then they better damn well fuck off.
- it's my email and my internet access. I get to decide to can send me mail using the services *I* pay for. In a capitalist society this is a perfectly reasonable expectation. Only a communist motherfucker would insist that I give everyone equal time on *my* dime.
- it's my mailbox and it's my postal service. The postal service does not belong to spammers, nor do I have any recognizable alternative to said post office. One would think, given no alternatives other than the government agency that I supposedly control as a citizen of the United States, I could dictate an end to spam. Funny, I can't.
And, by the way, you are *required* to have a receptacle on your property for mail delivery. This is a *law*. Funny thing, that.
- most of all, it's *my* time. Neither you nor anyone else has any business wasting it unless you're willing to pay whatever fee I set. This too is good capitalism; in fact, excellent capitalism.
Unfortunately for all of us, capitalism has very little to do with 21st century America. It had little to do with America prior to the 21st century, but even less so now. If we lived in a truly capitalist society I'd actually have the rights I listed above, as a logical extension of the free market. If anything, I'd have even more rights, provided by the tooth-and-nail competition of competing services all tripping over themselves to steal away customers, with the elimination of harrassment by low-life scumbags as a selling point for those services.
Max
In Addition: (Score:2, Funny)
If this were for e-mail... (Score:3, Funny)
Woo Hoo (Score:4, Interesting)
11,000 dollar fine? (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:11,000 dollar fine? (Score:2)
Like the $8.00 a month for intrastate access fees on your phone bill.. Huh? but I dont call out of the state...
Or the "gas recovery fee" on your gas bill...
Re:11,000 dollar fine? (Score:5, Insightful)
But that would, sadly, create an enormous incentive for people to make false and misleading accusations against telemarketers in order to get the fine money - which is a significant amount. The last thing you want the legal system doing is encouraging illegal activity...
that is correct (Score:3, Insightful)
Maybe not... (Score:5, Insightful)
Considering we want this system to actually work (creates potential for a similar anti-spam system in the future), it's probably best to keep the system well-designed.
that right already exists (Score:3, Informative)
It's better that is goes to the government. (Score:5, Insightful)
Re:11,000 dollar fine? (Score:3, Insightful)
Here's the thing. You set up the list. Then you advertise the fact that you have the list. Then you set up a mechanism to have people report violations. Then set up an investigation team to investigate these reports. Hire a bunch of agents to make arrests and provide them with guns and bullet-proof vests. Now hire the lawyer to do the prosecution and all the appeals. Now hire another lawyer to get a garnishment or lien or whatever it takes to collect the money. Then you can have the $11,000.
I don't
Re:11,000 dollar fine? (Score:4)
You could try this ... (Score:5, Funny)
Telemarketer: "Good evening sir, would you be interested in a pre-approved credit card?"
Y: "Listen, buddy, I'm on the FTC's Do-not-call list. The offense for calling someone on that list is an $11000 fine."
T: "..... oh
Y: "Now, I might be able to let this one slide for a special fee of $5000, thus saving you and your company some $6000. Interested?"
And don't forget ... (Score:3, Funny)
T: "Umm, that was expensive"
Y: "Well, if you don't have the money right now you can pay it in ten _easy_ installments of only $500 at a miniscule interest rate of 1,25% per month plus fees"
T: "I'll have to take it up with the manager"
Y: "Deal now and I'll give you a special price worth $100, deducted from your charge. Special offer, just for you my friend!"
T: "Oh, really.
Stunning (Score:5, Funny)
The only change I'd make would be to forgo the fines in favor of treating telemarketers as "enemy combatants."
Age of "Don't Bug Me"?? (Score:3, Insightful)
with the dawn of spam email officially being attacked and now the phone solicitors, are we stumbling upon the "age of stop bugging me" or the "age of leave me alone, I don't need more sexual stamina"??
11.000 $ for .. (Score:2, Funny)
Useless (Score:3, Insightful)
The phone still rings.
There HAVE BEEN "Do not mail" lists for many years.
I get more and more junk mail.
We all know how many "Do not email" lists exists.
Regardless of action the spam keeps coming.
How about a "STAY OUT OF MY FACE AND GET A REAL JOB/LIFE" list to cover everything. Damn, my doorbell just rang, I bet somebody wants to witness with me something about their God...
Re:Useless (Score:2)
i get messages left on my answering machine now telling me that i'm pre-approved for a visa. i really should just quit paying bills so my credit goes to hell. that'll stop the junk mail. or it'll be from a new source (HOW TO CLEAN YOUR CREDIT). i get messages on my machine saying i get a 99$ vacation to disney and kids are free. the messages really don't bother me much. the
Come on, the religious nuts are FUN! (Score:5, Funny)
See, that's where you have fun, with the religious nuts. Have a knife covered with fake blood at the door. Tell them they're just in time to help sacrifice the virgin.
Or open it wearing an outfit like The Gimp in Pulp Fiction. Tell them they're just in time for "Punishment Phase."
Or, if you're bald, put on a white robe and try to convert THEM...very calmly.
Or just point a watergun at them and shoot them every time they try to talk. The madder they get, the more you shoot!
Or answer the door nude. See if they can look you in the eye as you converse about the finer points of being a Jehovah's Witness. Ask them if their religion bans nudity.
See, there's lots you can do to get some enjoyment outta them!
Re:Come on, the religious nuts are FUN! (Score:3, Funny)
# A foreign language
# Jibberish
# Elvish, or
# Klingon
I dunno man...if you can actually converse in Elvish and Klingon, you have far bigger problems than the JW on your front step.
Why $11,000? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Why $11,000? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Why $11,000? (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe a large part of this money is supposed to go back into keeping the DNC database running.
And yes, I work for a business in the industry (well, teleresearch, but still annoying)
Re:Why $11,000? (Score:5, Interesting)
Aside from a few very lonesome shut-ins (who are victims of this sort of stuff, not genuine consumers) I don't know of anyone who likes getting spam or telemarketing calls.
Re:Why $11,000? (Score:3, Insightful)
How about spending the revenue from the fines on a series of public-service announcements and ads reminding people that the best prevention for these things is for them to produce no results?
Please... Don't we have enough lies on the television. Smoking pot causes terrorism and signing up for free newspaper trials causes telephone solicitation! Maybe we should have a commercial about how staying with abusive husbands causes spousal abuse too.
The best prevention is a strictly enforced law.
The big pr
Happy Dude (Score:5, Funny)
Nice! (Score:5, Informative)
BTW, here is the FTC's current attempts at curtailing E-mail SPAM [ftc.gov] .
It really is amazing the amount of trouble and money we all have to go through to rid ourselve of this plague of unwanted advertsing. Seems like it should be illegal, don't it?
Re:Nice! (Score:5, Interesting)
I'll sign up, but I doubt that it will work too well. I did a little bit of telemarketing work while in college for some beer money, and let's just say that the place I worked for would not give two shits about this fine. I think they really stretched the boundaries of the law, and they'll probably find a way to do so with this. Enforcement will be difficult. If they call me even though I'm on the list, they are banking on the fact that I don't care enough to follow up on it. And if one call gets through to you once every six months, are you really going to be enraged enough to file a complaint? And once you do file the complaint, you know it will be caught up in beauracratic BS for quite some time before any action comes out of it.
Re:Nice! (Score:5, Insightful)
I wouldn't feel safe not answering all of the "Out of Area" and "Unknown" calls... who knows maybe it's your wife from a pay phone after her car broke down. Shaite happens.
Re:Nice! (Score:3, Insightful)
Point being... just because you came up with "solutions" to that problem doesn't mean you'll never miss an important or wanted call just going by the CallerID.
Re:Nice! (Score:3)
Re:Nice! (Score:5, Insightful)
1. Phone company charges you for a great new service allowing you to see who's calling, thus eliminating the need to speak with telemarketers.
2. Phone company charges telemarketers for the ability to mask their number from the caller ID units.
3. Phone company charges you for a new ANTI-anti-missle....
and so on.
Re:Nice! (Score:5, Interesting)
As for enforcement and getting people to report abusers, that's easy. The govt should just pay the victim a portion the fine. Give me $500 of the $11k and i will persue it every time.
Re:Nice! (Score:3, Informative)
Please, don't refer to email spam in all caps. SPAM(tm) is a trademark of Hormel Foods, who have been quite good-natured [spam.com] about the use of the term to describe bulk email.
Too Bad Enforcement isn't moved up... (Score:5, Informative)
A sigh of relief (Score:5, Interesting)
I worked at RadioShack for six months a few years ago, and we were supposed to try and push additional things on our customers (cell phones, batteries, cables, more cell phones, and cell phones again). I hate suggestive selling. I hate doing it and I hate it being done to me. If I want it, I will buy it.
If I want info on refinancing my home, new windows, fixing my credit, buying a coupon book, getting another credit card, etc., LET ME SEEK IT OUT. I despise the thought that others (aka telemarketers) believe they know what I want or need better than I do. I am perfectly capable of deciding what products or services I wish to purchase, so let me decide on my own without invasive selling.
Re:A sigh of relief (Score:3, Funny)
I want on a "Please Call Me" list (Score:5, Funny)
Re:I want on a "Please Call Me" list (Score:3, Funny)
Re:I want on a "Please Call Me" list (Score:5, Funny)
303-499-7111. Call now for a REALLY good time
--
Re:I want on a "Please Call Me" list (Score:3, Informative)
My Problem with This (Score:5, Insightful)
If they don't follow the law now, why will they follow it in the future.
And in terms of the phone companies, they see the law and fines as just another expense in a risk/reward scenario. Slamming has been illegal for many year, but they still do it because the fines do not match the profit they get from it.
This sounds like a great opportunity, but put me down as a skeptic. If the courts don't swat it down, then it will be simply ignored. The governments (local/state/federal) won't/can't enforce existing law.
I get up to 10 calls a day. I'm sick of it. My phone and my e-mail has been confiscated by marketers of crap that less then
Also, beware of the following: After this law takes effect, people will be out to get you to put your phone number on all sorts of things (product registration, checks, etc.) because the fine print will say that by giving your phone number, you waive your DNC status with them and their partners. Guard your phone number and e-mail address like you (should) guard your SSN.
Re:My Problem with This (Score:3, Informative)
If they don't follow the law now, why will they follow it in the future.
Because this law is much easier to enforce. Either your number is on the list, or it isn't. There's no "hang up before someone asks to be put on the list." There's no argument about whether or not you're on the list. There's no playing games with different companies selling information to each other. There's no questions of jurisdiction with calls made across state lines. All companies are affected.
From an enforcement standpoi
Re:My Problem with This (Score:5, Informative)
Sorry. I can't waive my First Amendment rights in a civil contract. I can't waive FCC law through a contract, either. Anyone dumb enough to think that their fine print will get them out of trouble with the FCC deserves the lawsuit I file against them.
Doesn't matter, most calls from India now (Score:5, Interesting)
Hello (Score:3, Funny)
Coprorate Influence? (Score:2, Insightful)
Logistics ... (Score:5, Funny)
If you want to get really technical about it, unless you request someone call you, every phone call is unsolicited. I understand the argument about how if you give someone your phone number then you are granting them basic permissions to call you, but unless you unlist your phone number it has to be assumed that your number is not only public, but an invitation for you to be called.
For every policy/law/order/decree there is a loophole or a way to get around it. Just a matter or time before this becomes nullified.
I am not going to be adding myself to this list for the main reason that I love telemarketers. I actually had a gentleman call me last week.
Telemarketer: Yes may I please speak to Doug.
ME: May I ask who's calling please?
TM: This is bob calling about an offer Doug just can't refuse
ME: I don't think he can, Doug killed himself yesterday , it was so sad he had gone to college and then dropped out to be a professional rollerblader and then after a horrible drunk driving accident he broke his left leg, needless to say his skating career was over. He needed money to pay off all the medical bills so he got a job as a telemarketer selling the stupidest things over the phone and trying his best to make his quota for the night so that he could make it home to shoot up and stop the pain. Day after day he would go to work and realize how low he had sunk and truly began to question his worthiness to society as a whole. I guess he finally realized he was worthless and ate a 12 gauge shotgun shell. Messy as hell, but effective, we're still actually trying to figure out how to clean it all up. And all that just because he had a lousy job as a telemarketer.
*click*
Don't know how effective it is, but think of it like as an invited prank phone call where you can fuck with them all day long. Tell them you want to buy all there stuff and give the credit card number of 8888-8888-8888-8888, which you know is your number because you ordered one off of the TV and that's the number that was on it. Or just really play with their heads, tell them you want them to seduce you into buying their product or role play with them, have them call you mr moneybags or something. Ask them out on a date or something, have some real fun, these people abosultely hate their job, trust me, and you can only make it worse for them.
Don't feel guilty, they called you ... remember?
Re:Logistics ... (Score:3, Funny)
I now receive solicitations from blindness organizations.
Re:Logistics ... (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Logistics ... (Score:4, Insightful)
You can't go down to McDonalds and start harassing the cashiers there, so why should telemarketers be any different.
How is it different? Because I have to GO to Mc Donalds, somewhere that I don't hold sacred as my own, and something I would do as my own choice. These people call MY house, they aren't doing it because they are "making a living", they're doing it because they're no talent ass clowns who have nothing more to offer society than sitting on their ass trying to peddle shit wares.
They want to invade my home then they will feel my wrath, they are an unwanted intruder into my comfort zone and I will treat them accordingly. Since I also take pleasure in tormenting their little souls to the point that they want to reach out and cry, I want them to call. It's a double edge sword, I don't want to be bothered by them, but if I'm bored I will certainly take the time to just mess with their heads every chance I get.
Obviously you are or know someone who is a telemarketer. Let me get you in on a little secret, once you work telemarketing you are no longer human, you are the scum of the earth and deserve nothing more than a strong kick upside the head and to be placed in the middle of a desert to slowly rot in the sun of dehydration and heat exhuation. Deserving for worthless pond scum as those who work telemarketing.
An interesting incident last night (Score:3, Interesting)
But perhaps some other folks would like to check and see if they can get through. Their number is 1-877-723-3872. If you call, feel free to tell them about the legality (or lack thereof) of leaving messages on answering machines and ignoring do-not-call lists.
How.... (Score:3, Interesting)
Let's say I'm a business that calls people for a living....SLOMINS SHIELD SECURITY SYSTEMS come to mind, I get bothered by them EVERY MONTH.
I'f I'm SLOMIN, how do I get access to the DO NOT CALL LIST? Is it an internet resource that I have to check on before I call someone on my cold-calling list?
Or are the lists that I buy going to be censored with the DNC people taken off of it?
This makes it difficult to see just who the responsibility falls on. Is it the job of SLOMIN to check who they're calling against the DNC list? Or is it the responsibility of the LIST PROVIDOR to take all of the DNC names off of the list?
Now I know my company has bought a mailing list to do snail-mail mailings, and we keep that same list around for about a year, and mail to sections of it at different times of the year. Is there now going to be a mandatory refresh time for these lists? Can I only assume a list is good to use without liability for x amount of time?
For these myriad reasons, I think that prosecution for calling people that are on the DNC list will be next to impossible.
"well, I got the list from XYZ list co. and they shouldn't have put people on this list that are on the DNC list." - Lawyer A, ANYTOWN USA representing Acme Cold Calling Co.
"I just gather information, I can't be responsible for filtering out people that are on the DNC list. This is the responsibility of the people using the list" - Owner of XYZ List Co.
"Let's sue both of them, AND the DNC list providor, one of them is bound to pay up or settle. And this won't cost you anything unless we actually get paid a settlement" -Scummy Lawyer B, of firm Ambulance Chasers Inc.
Ultimately, I think that this will spell the end of telemarketing (because of COURSE the phone company is going to realize that this is a great opportunity to charge $10 when you activate new service to automatically get put on the list) and more SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM SPAM.....(trails off into Monty Python jingle)
Hmm... (Score:3, Interesting)
and those are the people I am getting spammed by all the time, lousy phone company, I give them money and they harrass me with advertisements of services. I'm not paying to be bothered, just to use the phone. Oh well.
State's lists... (Score:3, Informative)
Business idea (Score:3, Funny)
1) Buy a big block of telephone numbers and direct them all to a single telephone
2) Put them all on the "do not call" list
3) But phone by swimming pool. Sit in pool with cool drink.
4) Wait...
5) Profit!
Salesmen, speak up! What about cold calling? (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Salesmen, speak up! What about cold calling? (Score:4, Interesting)
What is so hard about hanging up? (Score:3, Insightful)
Try calls at 11 pm or later (Score:3, Informative)
The problem with a lot of telemarketers is that they call at all kinds of odd hours. I mean, if you have friends and family that live carboard cut-out lives and there are never emergencies, you can screen all your calls and be sure to not be woken up. However, I have friends all aroudn the world, and once in a while, they need me at 2 am or so.
The big issue for me has been the recycling of numbers and fax spammers calling them at any time of night. Combine that with telemarketing calls that are at bad hour
How to make a telemarketer go away (Score:5, Funny)
hmm... (Score:3, Funny)
now i wonder if theres any way to extend that to inlaws and ex-girlfriends?
Hidden Law.... (Score:5, Funny)
(Fiction can be fun...)
I don't understand organizations fighting this. (Score:5, Interesting)
What I don't understand, is how they think that they are losing business. If I sign up for the list (which I did), I am stating an unwillingness to deal with a telemarketer already - they haven't lost a potential sale, because there is no way I'd buy from one anyway, and if anything they've saved their call center a bit of time and abuse.
Even more puzzling are those who choose to ignore the state law and call anyway - like they think I maybe forgot I signed up, or that I'll be so happy to hear about the new windows or whatever they're selling that I'll change my mind.
Why do telemarketing groups fight something which keeps them from wasting time calling folks who identify themselves as "not interested"?
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Just Imagin (Score:3, Interesting)
By using the phone company's tools against them- maybe using a PHP program, we could lookup a number in an area code on the online Whitepages, screen scrape the data to fill out the form for the FTC & States.
Please do not. (Score:3, Insightful)
Gigantic Loopholes (Score:3, Informative)
There are several groups that don't have to abide:
Long Distance, Airlines, and Insurance companies that are regulated by states and not Fed.
Organizations you have an "established business relationship" with.
Companies you've made an inquiry to or sent an application to (for three months).
Charities
Political parties.
Between the shake down by the local Police charities, all those contractors with some nebulous relationship to Sears or my mortgage company, the annual cycles of recorded messages by political candidates, and the phone companies checking to see if I want to switch, its unlikely that I will see any reduction in calls.
My Answering Machine... (Score:5, Funny)
Machine: "Hello?"
I just let the people talk until they realize I'm not actually on the phone. One time this telemarketer called - one of the ones that just start talking at full speed and don't let you interrupt - and talked for 3 or 4 minutes to the machine whlie we sat and listened while eating dinner. After she had finished talking she asked, "so all I need at this point is to verify that you are over the age of 18... Hello?.. If you don't want to talk just f***ing hang up!" - click.
I only wish I had saved the message to call them back and tell them how their foul-mouthed representative had raped my virgin ears and that I would never buy anything from them
Ask them if they mind if you record the call.. (Score:5, Interesting)
Who isn't covered? (Score:4, Interesting)
Do not call at work? (Score:4, Insightful)
This is the greatest news ever!!! (Score:4, Interesting)
Create specific legal forms of advertising. (Score:3, Insightful)
We should only allow advertising to be done in certain places/manners. For example print ads in publications of general circulation, television commercials, product placement in places that consent (presumably for a fee), billboards, vehicular ads (bumper stickers, airplanes towing signs), banner (but not popup) ads on websites, and... that's all. All other forms of advertising, especially "direct marketing," should be illegal, and punishable by prison terms. Their annoyance outweighs the value they provide society. I yearn for the day that the Direct Marketing Association is a criminal organization, delegated to the likes of NABLA.
Commercial speech can be highly regulated, so as long as the message (buy my product!) can get out, there's no first amendment problem per se.
If I have not asked you about your product, you have no right to tell me about it. If it's good and I want it, I'll find out about it and possibly buy it. Word of mouth is the only truly legitimate form of advertising.
I concede that I'm quite radical on this issue. I despise all marketing. As Bill Hicks said... if you are in marketing, kill yourself. ("ooh, he's going for the anti-marketing dollar, clever!")
Before you sign up - check the exceptions (Score:4, Informative)
Section 310.6 in the original rule has a page or so of exception clauses, and they are cross-referencing and unclear, but charitible organizations such as religions and your local FoP chapter will be exempt. If these exceptions are anything like the exceptions in my state's do-not-call list, signing up will just put you in EVERYONE's marketing database.
Telephone Terrorism (Score:3, Interesting)
I honestly don't believe that this will work simply because telemarketers are getting more and more agressive already and will break other rules in order to conceal their identity.
For the past two months, my wife and I have literally been terrorized by someone soliciting something. They call our home phone hourly from the hours of 5:00pm to 10:00pm, 7 days a week AND hammer her cell phone as many as 20 times a day. They are always in search of my wife (no, she doesn't have any outstanding bills). She bailed and changed her cell number despite the fact I begged her to work with me to get these bastards. Now they only call my home number and hang up whenever I answer. The always refuse to identify themselves until I verify (or my wife verifies) that I'm the person they're looking for (they want my wife's last four), of course, we've continually refused. These ass-clowns only give first names, claiming under the law that's all they're required to do. They refuse to identify their organization. Refuse to verify or decline whether they have prior business with my wife, and finally, they refuse to say where they got our number. I have repeatedly told them to put my number on their do not call list, and they laugh and often get abusive. It's gotten to the point where I sexually harrass them when they call, until they hang up. Of course, as I've said, they won't talk to me now.
I'm filing a complaint with my local police department this week (as instructed by SBC who refuses to help me without police intervention - bastards). I'm sure that this won't be the end of this, or telemarketers. I'm dumping my land line once this is over and blocking all unknown numbers coming in on my cellphone (I think there's a service from my provider). Fuck it, I'm white listing everyone and everything. The only phone number I'll put down on any ap going forward will be my local police department.
Ironic Banner Ads (Score:5, Informative)
Typical Telemarketing (Score:3, Insightful)
no thanks, get a free one online please remove me from your list
We would like to replace your auto glass on your windshild
No thanks, I down own a car. Please remove me from your list.
We would like to replace your existing windows with vinyl ones
No thanks I prefer glass. Please remove me from your list.
But vinyl windows make your home look pretty
I don't own a home. Please remove me from your list.
We notice that you recently refinanced your home
I don't own home. Please remove me from your list
We are accepting donations for this organization household items
This is isn't a house, it's a tiki hut. Please remove me from your list.
We would like to save you on auto insurance
Don't own a car. Please remove me from your list
We are accepting donations for this worthy cause
I don't donate over the phone [isolated cases they get my moolah already] Please remove me from your list
We want to offer you a free home security system
Don't own a home, please remove me from the list
But we can install it in your apartment
no you can't, I won't let you please remove me from your list
But there have been alot of break ins in your area, you need one
Yes, and those breakins those people who purchaced your system
But why would anyone turn down our free home security system
Because some people actually make their purchacing choices based on product research rather then impulse buying. Accepting your free product locks the person into a service contract and no one with one gram of sence would do that without doing any form of research. Additional, i'm not going to give license to some guy who I don't know to drill holes in my walls without there being a legit contract for the install. If I choose your service, and you guys fuck up, I want you to pay to have it fixed. You are not qualified to answer any logical question because the company you work for doesn't even give you paperwork or a model number of what you are selling. Your sales staff who will knock on my door are not welcome, I don't want to speak to them. Please remove me from your list, I have not accepted your free product for 7 years. Please give up and find someone else to bug
I would THINK after repeated failures they would take the hint and actually remove me from the list. I'm not profitable to telemarketers, I don't buy crap sold to me over the phone.