I just got off the phone with a very pleasant young lady - gave her lots of, uh, "information" about me and my credit card for about 10 minutes before mentioning the DNCR...
The National Do-Not-Call Registry was a good start and 90+ percent of legitimate companies respect and use it. The remaining scum telemarketers will keep changing tactics and dancing around the DNCR and will only ever respond to what hurts their bottom line. My solution requires a bit of time and effort, but so do most things worth doing... These tactics are satisfying and have the added bonus of helping to fix one of life’s perpetual annoyances:
1) ALWAYS answer the phone – if we are running away, the “terrorists” win. ALWAYS “press 1” to talk to an Operator.
2) When you get an actual person, express reluctant interest in whatever product or service is being hawked. Talk slowly and ask lots of questions. Always give phony personal info like CC#, SS#, address, heck even change your name slightly. Keep them on the line as long as possible.
3) Try to get as much info about the company as possible and file a BBB complaint (“Unethical Sales Practices”). A national energy company recently revamped their entire telemarketing policies in regard to the DNCR in response to a BBB complaint I filed – this CAN work.
4) If the product involves your home, set up an appointment for a time that you are not home, or just don’t answer the door. This can cost a company a LOT of money and resources.
Remember, the goal is to cost these companies time, money, and maybe more importantly, to make it impossible for them to know if they are talking to a sucker, or just another Phone Punker. Be creative, have fun, and feel proud that YOU are helping to eliminate one of life’s many intractable and seemingly un-fixable problems.
I overode my call block and answered and it was "This is final notice to lower your credit card. Press 1 to speak with a rep . I did then a voice said I was caller # 33, then I was # 9 and then some lady who sounded white answered, I was expecting a Hadji from India.
Anyway the first thing she said was"Do you have over 2 thousand in credit debt? "I replied "First you will tell me who you are and what company you represent." She hung up.. no argument no wise azz comments back. I decided I will call her back how dare these scumbags hangup on the person they are trying to scam ..the nerve!!
Anyway when I called the # back I could not reach a person just a recorded message "If you wish to placed on a do not call list press1" That message repeated about 5 times and then disconnects.
My guess is that these scammers have technology that prevents call backs and many will not stay on anymore they just hang up. I guess they realize that they are better off calling the next # rather than being messed with and OWNED. They hate being Owned.
invest in a phone/answering machine that blocks numbers. After 1 ring my calls disconnect on every one that is on the list. Unfortunately the call block I had been using with my phone co. only let them know it was a good number by having a message to the blocked number that the number was not currently available to answer.
I am soooo sick of credit card services. Why can't someone once & for all stop them ? Lawyers are all too happy to jump on crazy stupid law suits - why can't one of them be a stand up guy and go after a legitimate Pain in the consumers [***] like Credit card services ?
I got this today and signed up from consumer reports to stop these calls, spread it around a petition I signed this morning !
This link will take you to the page .Give it to every one you can!
I just sent a quick demand to AT&T, CenturyLink and Verizon, the nation's largest phone companies, to stop the unwanted robocalls that interrupt our evenings.
https://consumersunion.org/end-robocalls/
If necessary cut and past .