Phone solicitation rant

[shardian]

First off, I do not have a land line. Me and the wife have cell phones. The nice thing about cel phones is that phone solicitation just never happens.

About a year ago, I started getting a solicitation from some company called 'Capitol Rewards'. They would call me by name, say they were calling about my credit card, and even state the last 4 digits of my card. Then they would try to send me a gift if I would just confirm my address.

I would politely decline of course. The same people would occasionally call back though with the same storyline. One time I got the same exact lady! Anyways, I got pissed and gave the whole
"don't ever call me again" tirade. Also put my cell on the cell phone DNC list.

Well yesterday, I started seeing an 866 number popping up on my cell again. I ignored it the first 2 times, thinking maybe it was a fluke. Well I picked it up today and it was the same people again with their b.s. line.

The guy started his speech, but I cut him off, and informed him I was on the DNC list. I then told him I should have already been on their company DNC list because of my previous conversations with them. I concluded by asking the fellow once again to add me to their list and not call me again.

After a pause, the guy said "Say please." UN----smurfing----BELIEVABLE!!! I just hung up and started laughing my butt off.

[shardian]

This is my amazon visa.

If you let them finish their speech, they will recite your address then say "so if you'll just confirm your address we'll get this out to you". If you aren't paying attention, it is quite easy to get suckered. That lady got pissy with me because I had to be like you and blatantly state I do not consent. She kept saying "So is that your correct address?"

[RayB]

Thanks to internet telephony, these calls are not even necessarily who they say they are. They can be calling from any country on the planet, and with good enough english, fool people. And since they are calling from outside the USA, it doesn't matter one bit if you're on the DNC list or not.

[Hoopz]

I don't wish anyone ill will, but those types of jobs need to be the ones being eliminated....

I rarely answer any number that isn't in my phone book or that I don't recoginize.  Hell, I don't answer for some people even if I do know who they are!  

I don't think I've ever agreed to anything from a telemarketer and probably never will.  The only calls like that I deal with are from Goodwill or Amvets etc.  

At work, I'll get some calls and they generally end up in the penalty box for either a two minute minor or five minute major.  After being on hold that long, most of them get the point.  

[SavannahLion]

Thanks to internet telephony, these calls are not even necessarily who they say they are. They can be calling from any country on the planet, and with good enough english, fool people. And since they are calling from outside the USA, it doesn't matter one bit if you're on the DNC list or not.

That's not even the whole problem. Cell phone companies filter a lot of additional data out with the calls. It's already been well established that Caller ID's can be spoofed. Have been for years. What most people don't realize is that with the right tools (on a land line) you can get under the Caller ID and see where the call is really coming from. That data must be there, phone companies need to charge the caller. On a cell phone, all of this data is stripped. It obviously doesn't work with VOIP calls. If the ---uvulas--- are calling cell phones, it's all moot.

What pisses me off is that phone companies have made no effort whatsoever to protect their callers from this kind of crap. They offer half-assed solutions that can be cobbled to work, but nothing real. Why bother? Cell companies don't care who the caller is, they get the money for it regardless. Wanna know how many calls I got for the expired 2nd warranty on my car?

I don't wish anyone ill will, but those types of jobs need to be the ones being eliminated....

I have absolutely no problem wishing them ill will. Would you like me to take up your slack?

[shardian]

My father-in-law donated to the State Troopers fund. Last time they called, he happened to ask how much actually goes to the troopers. The phone guy responded by saying 'a guaranteed minimum 14%'. It may have been 7, but I'm pretty sure 14.

Long story short, F-in-law no longer donates to the fund. 

[ChadTower]

My father-in-law donated to the State Troopers fund. Last time they called, he happened to ask how much actually goes to the troopers. The phone guy responded by saying 'a guaranteed minimum 14%'. It may have been 7, but I'm pretty sure 14.

Long story short, F-in-law no longer donates to the fund. 

I get calls from two of those places every year... one is a "MA Police Fund" that seems to be one of those groups that barely gives any to them.  Then there is the actual local Police group where 100% of the money goes to their outreach and they come pick the money up themselves and drop off tickets to their ball as a thank you.  I donate to the local one every year... I can't get the other one to stop calling me.

[SavannahLion]

My father-in-law donated to the State Troopers fund. Last time they called, he happened to ask how much actually goes to the troopers. The phone guy responded by saying 'a guaranteed minimum 14%'. It may have been 7, but I'm pretty sure 14.

Some of those numbers are pretty shocking when you actually see where the money goes. One so-called charity my parents used to be members of was in the single digit range. So of all the millions (billions?) this charity received each year from all over the world, less than 10% actually goes towards any good. Most of the money went towards the head members fat wallets (I used to visit one of their houses. It's astonishing how much luxury these ---smurfs--- live in) and the lobbyists in D.C.

[ChadTower]

You can usually separate the good ones from the bad by asking them to send you print materials for review.  A good charity will have no problem with it.  A scam charity won't ever want to spend the money or they don't even have any brochures.

[Ginsu Victim]

I just hang up on every solicitor the moment they say who they are. One time I had a guy with AT&T call me back....twice!

"Hi, I'm calling on behalf of AT&T..."--CLICK!
I go back to sleep...

RING!!!
"Hi, I think we got cut off."
"No, I hung up on you."
CLICK!

RING!!!!!!!
"Sir, I'm calling from AT&T, not the FBI."
"You called back AGAIN?!?"
CLICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Dartful Dodger]

[SavannahLion]

You can usually separate the good ones from the bad by asking them to send you print materials for review.  A good charity will have no problem with it.  A scam charity won't ever want to spend the money or they don't even have any brochures.

Part of the problem with that is that that is money down the drain. Money which could be applied towards whatever that charity is targeting. Look at Child's Play. AFAIK PA doesn't print up any materials for CP, it's all viral marketing carried on the shoulders of those willing to leverage their printers and copiers to produce any real world materials. 

[ark_ader]

I get this from time to time on my cel.   I have a facility on my phone that allows a different ring tone from a number called regularly.  I have one for friends or a special Star Wars one for my Mom.

When I get these cold calls I just figure out the incoming number and associate it it a empty mp3 or vibrate.

That way I am not inconvenienced, and the caller goes away eventually.

[ahofle]

Back when I had a landline, I did that trick with the disconnected number 3 tone  and put it on my answering machine, and set it to answer after 1 ring.

So it'd do it's "do dee DEET, hi this is James, please leave a message" and would confuse legit callers a little the first time it happened, but they got used to it.

It cut down the telemarketers substantially in 2 weeks.  I've heard you can simply do the first tone, too.

LOL that is such a great idea.

http://www.payphone-directory.org/sounds.html

[ChadTower]

Part of the problem with that is that that is money down the drain. Money which could be applied towards whatever that charity is targeting. Look at Child's Play. AFAIK PA doesn't print up any materials for CP, it's all viral marketing carried on the shoulders of those willing to leverage their printers and copiers to produce any real world materials. 

Could be but wouldn't be.  9 out of 10 times the telemarketer hems and haws their way through the call and gets no money.  A 20 cent pamphlet and a stamp, though, could get them a decent donation.  You have to spend a little money to get some.

Child's Play likely spends a good amount on bandwidth and web development (donated or not, still has to be accounted for).  Probably more than other charities do on trifold pamphlets and some college student to cold call people.

[Singapura]

Just use this