http://donotcall.gov/ Yee haw! (and I save that colloquialism for very special occasions). No more telemarketers (mostly). SPAM next?
Man, this rocks. The whole process took like four minutes. I never thought a wide-reaching government program would be so easy to utilize. No red tape -- just type in your phone number and email address. Nice job.
I did 5 phone numbers on the first day, man that site was packed. It took a few days to get my confirmation emails, then once you click the link in the email you are done.
Sorry to bring up such an old thread, but ever since I posted my #s on the do not call list, it seems I am getting more solicitation calls than ever. I've received 5 just this morning. Has anyone else had this problem??
I'm not sure how long it takes for it to go into effect, but I get calls on and off.... But I don't notice since my line is always busy on the Internet
I just read an article about this the other day (and for the life of me, I can't remember where). Apparently, there is a loophole in the do-not-call law that allows telemarketers to continue calling customers with whom they've established a business relationship. So, a lot of companies are now putting on a last-minute press to try and establish relationships with potential customers before their do-not-call status goes into effect. Because of this, a lot of people are getting slammed with more telemarketing calls than usual.
Then I guess telemarketers finally got sick of me pretending not to understand English whenever they called. Being an ass, government lists, whatever works!
So have you (or has anyone else) ever tried any of the following? I always want to, but I lose my nerve. Here are some of the things I've thought about telling the telemarketers: "Look, I'm so sorry you're stuck in that crummy job, having to call people. You must hate it." "Thanks for waking me up, a$$hole. Hope you're happy." "Do you guys have any idea how big of a pain in the butt you are?" "How am I today? I am soooo glad you called. I've had the worst day. I was late to work and I got in a fight with my husband and my boss might be mad at me and I don't have enough money to get the car fixed and, you see, when I went in to work... (on and on, tell long story, do not stop talking)" "You sound hot. I might buy one, if you'd come over here and do some personal favors for me first." (don't worry, I would just say it to mess with their mind) "oh, really... that's so exciting... you're turning me on... don't stop now... *heavy breathing, etc.* " "I'm not wearing anything, you know." (especially if it's true) "Look, we're having [marital relations] right now and you interrupted us. Would you let me get back to it, or should I just go on while you finish your sales pitch?" (especially if it's true)
here's a great one "is mr or ms. so-and-so home?" "no" "do you know when they will be home?" "no, and quite frankly, they don't know that I'm waiting here for them" "when would be a good time to call back?" "they wont live to answer the phone, but thank you and have a nice day." *click*
Haha...good stuff, I'll have to try some of those. I had someone call the other day for my wife, and I told them that she had just passed away. They apoligized repeatedly and said they would take her name off the list
Ahhhhhhh ...........foiled at the last minute!!!! http://www.cnn.com/money/2003/09/24/technology/ftc_donotcall/index.htm?cnn=yes
So, do telemarketers just think they are excellent salespeople to be able to overcome the objections of people who are so hostile to the sales message that they'll seek out solutions to stop the calls? A Dave Barry column on the issue (before the court decision): Posted on Sun, Aug. 31, 2003 Ask not what telemarketers can do to you DAVE BARRY There's just over a year to go before the 2004 presidential election, and everybody in the nation is extremely excited. Except of course the public. The public, shrewdly, pays no attention to presidential politics until all of the peripheral dorks have been weeded out, and it's finally time to make a selection between the two main dorks left over. So what does the public care about right now? Telemarketers. The public hates them. It hates them even more than it hates France, low-flow toilets or ''customer service.'' We know this because recently the Federal Trade Commission, implementing the most popular federal concept since the Elvis stamp, created the National Do Not Call Registry. The way it works is, if you are a member of that select group of people (defined as ''people with phones'') who do not wish to receive unsolicited calls from telemarketers, you can go to www.donotcall.gov and register your phone number. Starting Oct. 1, any telemarketer who calls you will be locked in a tiny room with a large, insatiable man who will force the telemarketer, repeatedly, at all hours of the day and night, to change his long-distance provider. No, sorry, that was the original concept. But the law is pretty strict: For each call to a registered number, telemarketers face an $11,000 fine. This program is a huge hit with the public. Already 30 million American households have registered; this figure would be even higher if it included all the Florida residents who tried to register but accidentally voted for Patrick Buchanan instead. And how has the telemarketing industry responded to this tidal wave of public hostility? It has issued this statement: ''Gosh, if these people really don't want us to call them, then there's no point in our calling them! We'd only be making them hate us more, and that's just plain stupid! We'll try to come up with a less offensive way to do business.'' No, wait, that's what the telemarketers would say in Bizarro World, where everything is backward, and Superman is bad, and telemarketers contain human DNA. Here on Earth, the telemarketers are claiming they have a constitutional right to call people who do not want to be called. They base this claim on Article VX, Section iii, row 5, seat 2, of the U.S. Constitution, which states: ''If anybody ever invents the telephone, Congress shall pass no law prohibiting salespeople from using it to interrupt dinner.'' Leading the charge for the telemarketing industry is the American Teleservices Association (suggested motto: 'Some Day, We Will Get a Dictionary and Look Up 'Services' ''). This group argues that, if its members are prohibited from calling people who do not want to be called, then two million telemarketers will lose their jobs. Of course, you could use pretty much the same reasoning to argue that laws against mugging cause unemployment among muggers. But that would be unfair. Muggers rarely intrude into your home. So what's the answer? Is there a constitutional way that we telephone customers can have our peace, without inconveniencing the people whose livelihoods depend on keeping their legal right to inconvenience us? Maybe we could pay the telemarketing industry not to call us, kind of like paying ''protection money'' to organized crime. Or maybe we could actually hire organized crime to explain our position to telemarketing-industry executives, who would then be given a fair opportunity to respond, while the cement was hardening. I'm just thinking out loud here. I'm sure you have a better idea for how we can resolve our differences with the telemarketing industry. If you do, call me. No, wait, I have a better idea: Call the American Teleservices Association, toll-free, at 1-877-779-3974, and tell them what you think. I'm sure they'd love to hear your constitutionally protected views! Be sure to wipe your mouthpiece afterward.
