Oh, Woe - We've used up all the blocks allowed on Ooma. I'm still too old and too polite to remember not to answer these annoying calls. We've thinking of buying carrier pigeons for all the people we want to hear from, and toss out all the phones and computers. 'course have to look up "pigeon care" on the net first ....
I just put this on my answering machine using text to speech for the robotic effect.
"hello, either no one is home right now or your caller information came up blocked. Please left a message at the tone. If this is a sales call. There will be a fifty dollar charge for use of our residence as your place of business. Continuation of call will be your acceptance of these terms. If you wish to continue your sales call, please remain on the line to choose your payment option prior to sales pitch. Call will be recorded for accuracy. Thank you."
Usually get hang ups right after the "acceptance of these terms" sentence. Sometimes they might call back once more but that's probably to show it off to the idiot sitting at the desk beside them. But it works pretty good for me.
I hate these unwanted canvas calls from telemarketers, politicians, non-profits and others. I quickly learned that calls from certain area codes often belong to one of these catagories - especially 800 numbers. I never used to be a grumpy phone person but I developed into one thanks to these unwanted calls. So I have several ways of handling them now.
The one that works the best is look at the caller ID and if you don't recognize the number, pick up the phone and put it back down, hang up without a word. Your number will go into a rotational redial and you will get another call at some time in the future. Do the same thing the next time they call. The biggest benefit of this is you don't get upset... ever find yourself cussing out a recorded message? Makes you feel defeated, doesn't it? Don't give them the satisfaction.
If you don't answer, they will simply call back later - I'm told these numbers are on a rotation and a human will only answer if you act interested in what they are saying. If you don't answer, they will rotate your number and you will receive another call. Unfortunately, there is no way to stop the calls entirely. If you give them ANY information at all they sell it and your calls triple.
Who is really responsible here besides the crooks taking advantage of still another way to scam the public? The phone providers! They make money off this, too. They know when a number is roto-dialling because of the level of use. Why we don't hold them responsible is beyond me. There are a ways to plug the holes these worms crawl through but it must not be considered important enough by the phone companies, satellite providers and others.
If you do forget to check caller ID and answer straight away and the caller speaks with an unfamiliar accent, know that our national banks and all kinds of companies now employ foreigners. I got a call that went like this: "Hello Ms X, this is Sanjay calling from ABC Bank". I don't want my bank calling me unless it is my branch manager or I am expecting their call. I simply said, "I do not speak to strangers on the phone. Have my branch manager call me if it is important and requires my immediate attention." I called my branch manager just to be told, they do not 'canvas call' their customers.
I used to say, "please don't call me again, place this number on your do-not-call list". Not now - now I check the phone ID, if I don't know who it is, I pick up the phone and click "end the call". If they continue to call there is a limit your phone company (land line) will allow after that you can report them and the phone company will supposedly follow up and this is helpful if your blocked calls maximum has been reached or if you think you are being singled out or stalked.
Don't get verbally abusive! They put you on a "special list" then and the calls will increase. I always remind myself I am lucky not to have to work that job and that these callers are just trying to make a living. They are often hired to do the calling and they may not get paid unless you buy. The real criminals are the scam artists who hire uneducated, poor, unemployable, disabled people from the USA or foreigners to do the dirty work. So I don't take out my frustration on them. I know the real crooks will get their due justice in time.
Fortunately for us, we have a hard to pronounce last name and human callers will ALWAYS mispronounce it. I simply cut them off in a loud, authoritative voice say, "We are not interested. Goodbye." and hang up - don't give them a chance to reply.
They WILL call back after they have gone through their lists of hundreds or thousands of other calls. Remember to be good to yourself, look at the ID, if you don't recognize the number assume it is an unwanted call, pick up, hang up, forget about it.