Does MCI harrass you?

[moose]

It's 8:02am

I'm peacefully asleep enjoying my day off.

The phone rings.

"Would you like a free $50 gift card for changing long distance carriers?"

"No"

*click*
---------

That was yesterday.

They called in the afternoon and also last night again.

And of course, this morning at 8:07

Do they not get the clue?

What can I do besides threaten to bludgeon their children?

I haven't gotten a full nights sleep now in 2 days and I work overnights so I need all the sleep I can get.

[Superfly]

Say "Put me on your Do Not Call list."  If you tell them that, they are legally supposed to stop calling you.

[Ripsnort]

Super, email me at home please before the con!

When I get phone calls of folks trying to sell something, I give the phone to Geeman.  He tells them "We're not interested and please don't call here again"

[SOB]

I switched off my home phone and just use my Sprint PCS cell phone full time now.  About the same price as my home phone + a cell phone, and I can take it with me.  The unexpected benefit is that for some reason, I don't get any telemarketer calls.  Dunno why, but don't care why either.  I even had a 3 month message on my land line advising of my new number.


SOB

[Sandman]

PREMISE

Telemarketers take the brute force approach to making sales.  If you
talk to a whole bunch of people, someone will buy what you're selling.

COUNTER-TACTIC

Waste as much of their time as you can.  Each minute that you waste
means several potential customers that will not be reached.  Make
telemarketing unprofitable.  Hanging up only increases the chances for
them to make a sale.  Don't let this happen

HINTS

Most of the preliminary stuff is done by someone making minimum wage,
reading from script.  Let him/her finish.  It's easy points (see
SCORING below), and besides, you were watching "Star Trek" and weren't
using your phone anyway.  It's easy to keep a telemarketer interested
using attentive grunting, similar to when your mother calls.

SCORING

BASIC POINT SYSTEM
Each minute spent on the phone........................ ......10 pts/min
Getting transfered to someone who makes more
     than minimum wage......................... .................15 pts
Each minute spent on the phone with person making
     more than minimum wage......................... ........25 pts/min
BONUS POINTS
Getting telemarketer to repeat part of the script............5 pts ea.
Getting answers to stupid questions.................... .....15 pts ea.
Changing the subject...................... ......................50 pts
Making the telemarketer angry........................ ..........175 pts
Making the telemarketer hang up........................... .....750 pts
Call back, get his/her boss on the phone, and tell
     him/her the telemarketer hung up on you.................1,500 pts
Getting their 1-800 number....................... ...............10 pts
Checking the number a week later and it's busy or
     disconnected................. ...........................5,000 pts

EXAMPLE

[phone rings]
 You: Yes?
Them: Hi, I'm with Fly-By-Night Carpet Cleaning and we're in your
     area (...)
[start clock->]
Them: (...) would like to know if you're interested.
 You: Sure.
Them: Well, we are currently offering (...) depending on the size of
      the rooms.
 You: Well, how much for the whole house? [15 bonus pts]
Them: Let me transfer you to __XXX___
[transfer]
Them: Sir/Ma'am?
 You: Yes? [25 pts/min]
Them: How large is your house?
 You: Oh, about 2,000 square feet.
Them: [calculates amount] Well, that would be about $xxx.
 You: [duh?] It won't hurt the floor, will it?
Them: Oh, no! We use a [...explanation--this usually takes some
      time...] and is completely safe.
 You: [duh?] Even with my pets?
Them: Oh, yes. The chemicals we use [...]
 You: Do you have to pre-treat, since I have pets?
Them: Yes, and we do that with [...]
 You: [getting a repeat] But the original offer was for $39.95, does
      that include treating for pets?
Them: [...]
 You: [subject change] Well, it *is* kind of dirty.  The guys were
      over for the game.  Did you see the Cowboys vs. the Rams?
Them: Yes.
 You: What a game!  That last touchdown pass!  Wasn't that a great
      play?
Them: Well, back to your house...
 You: Oh, yes.  Well, what about moving the furniture?
Them: [...]
 You: [subject change] Do you clean furniture, too?  Those guys
      spilled some beer.  Have you smelled old beer on furniture
      before?  But what a game, eh?!  I couldn't believe they couldn't
      move the ball in the second quarter... [...]
Them: [getting angry] Ahem...would you like us to come out?
 You: Well, when could you come out?
Them: How about next week?
 You: Hmmm... morning or afternoon?
Them: Either would be fine.
 You: Do you have anything the week after?
Them: Sure.  Can I put you down for Tuesday?
[Okay, let's try for those last big bonus points:]
 You: Well, I don't think it matters, since I have all hardwood floors
      here.
Them: [click!] [Yes!  750 points!]

[/FONT]

[Russian]

lol, i think i might have to use that formula.

[K West]

"I haven't gotten a full nights sleep now in 2 days and I work overnights so I need all the sleep I can get."

 While I personaly detest telemarketers I do think your best best is to turn the phone off. If lately if it's not telemarketers at 8am it's young kids out of school for the summer calling thier friends at 7am to get together for the day. Only problem is they can't remember the right number to call so with not even a 'sorry'  they hang up. Only to call right back again but when they hear your voice once more they don;t say a word but just hang up, again. Bastidges....

 And get caller ID. I don't even answer the phone anymore unless I fecognize the name or tele # that comes up on the screen. If I do get a telemarketer I'm rude. This works just as well as asking them to remove you from thier list.

[Sandman]

Oh... another option.

If you have a toddler, just hand the phone to them. They love to talk and don't mind if it's a telemarketer.

[Russian]

I’m thinking of away to make this fun as well

Ask if they clean carpets.
Ask is they clean bloodstains.
Ask if they clean a lot of bloodstains.
Ask if they can work anonymously  
Ask if there is a limit of how much blood they clean up.
Ask if they are 100% anonymously, no cops must be involved.
Ask if they clean up blood mixed with brain fluid...and brain parts.
Catching my drift
Etc
Etc

[Eagler]

After somehow getting on what seems to be some sort of global telemarketing list, I put this on my answering machine last weekend after contemplating getting a telezapper:

http://www.flash.net/~carlton2/telemark.htm

Let you know how it goes in a few weeks

[Shamus]

Here's the one I use.

When they call I say "man glad you called, been thinking of changing phone service, crap someones at the door hang on a minute", then go watch tv.

Shamus

[stat2000]

Originally posted by SUPERFLY
Say "Put me on your Do Not Call list."  If you tell them that, they are legally supposed to stop calling you.

Bingo thats all you have to do,also ask them what company they work for and what product that they are selling.  If they call you back within 12 months from the same company selling the same or similar products, you are entitled to a law suit.  Most companys wont even bother with a law suit and will settle for at least $500,  just threaten a lawsuit and cha ching instant $$$$$$$.  How do I know all this????  Its a tried and true scenario,  My major in college is Consumer Economics and I just studied this last semester.  Pretty neat eh....so next time dont hang up...keep a log you could end up making alot of money, my professor racked in about $2000 last year doing this.

[Superfly]

Since I'm too lazy to pick up the phone and tell them to put me on the Do Not Call list, I resort to trickery.  My answering machine is a recording of "The number you have dialed is no longer in service".  The only problem with that is that you need to notify everyone you know, so they don't think you're phone's been disconnected.

[Tac]

True. By law they cannot call you before 8am and not after 9pm in your time zone.

If you tell them to remove you from contact list they MUST do so by law.

I usually got ATT and MCI calls every month or so even after telling them to remove me from their call lists... so I got me good old answering machine, put it to record every time they called so I had a recording telling them to NOT call me and remove me from contact list.

2nd time they called I would ask for their name and badge number... then ask to speak with a MANAGER. THIS IS IMPORTANT. If you ask for a manager they HAVE to get you a manager, not a supervisor. Get manager's name and #, record all this of course... and have him remove you from list.

This usually stops them..for about 6 or 7 months. Then its fun time all over again.


If they call a 3rd time do as Stat above says.. you have all the evidence you need in your tapes, SUE their assess off. Its the only way they will stop.

Of course, many companies now are using RECORDED telemarketing messages, which you cant tell them to remove you from list.

[Eagler]

Originally posted by SUPERFLY
Since I'm too lazy to pick up the phone and tell them to put me on the Do Not Call list, I resort to trickery.  My answering machine is a recording of "The number you have dialed is no longer in service".  The only problem with that is that you need to notify everyone you know, so they don't think you're phone's been disconnected.

Don't believe that'll work unless the tones are heard first, see my link

With the tones, the computer dialing software will automatically delete your number from the database -  the database they sell/distribute once they get ANY kind of human answer.