I had them call me today. They were quite polite... When you don't speak English to them. I ALWAYS answer the phone from a number I don't know in Spanish. Hell, my Spanish sucks too, any High School first year Spanish class student is better than me; But that's besides the point here. I always answer the phone with a 'Hola' and say nothing more. Let them do the talking. All you need to know is two more words, 'No' and 'Si'. They figure it out real quick that you don't speak their language(those racist b@stards!) and quickly hang up.
DO NOT PICK UP OR ANSWER YOUR PHONE!!! This is the final phase of the alien abduction and implant agenda. The device within you is triggerred and you receive your final instructions. Prayer is our only weapon. Good Luck.
I know this is like 3 yrs old...but I felt the need to respond.
These people HAVE a real job. It's 3rd-party market research, so it's unbiased. The people calling are at a call center (you know, like the ones you call when you have CUSTOMER SERVICE questions?) and don't always know what company they're calling for.
So yes, it's going to show up on your caller ID as the actual company - Duke, Comcast, Walmart, etcetc. - but the (812) area code is the UNBIASED call center where average Americans are trying to eke out a living.
Give this Do Not Call sh*t a rest. They ARE NOT TELEMARKETERS.
You can't put them on the DNC list... It's not telemarketing because they aren't selling you anything. It's a simple survey. You can decline it and they'll stop calling -- or you can accept it and do the whole thing.
It's an unbiased 3rd party call center calling on behalf of any number of companies that are trying to get better market research.
Doesn't matter if your # is unpublished -- at some point, YOU gave out your number to the company or its competitor that is calling. Call Blocking only works AFTER you register the # that's calling.
They ARE NOT telemarketers. They are a call center for a number of companies that are interested in better market research -- whether to open a new store in a certain area; if people are liking a new product; if the product/service is being targeted at the right audience; etcetcetc.
Then stop putting your phone number on lists. You don't just *magically* get your # on a list without ever doing anything. At some point, you gave out your phone number. Maybe it was to get a rewards card with Best Buy, maybe it was a VIP grocery card, anything.
These companies are doing market research through an UNBIASED 3rd party, Stone Research Services.
Either decline the survey (requires actually picking up your phone), or accept it and do the whole thing to help with market research: determining if a product is working in a certain area; if a franchise store should open in a new market, etcetc.
Their website is www.stoneresearchservices.com. They have a (317) Indianapolis area code and *GASP* you can call it.