Annoying telemarketer phone calls
 

I finally had the presence of mind to annoy the telemarketer! It went like this:
My phone rang and I answered, "Hello." A voice with a heavy accent said, "Is this Ms. Wendy R?" I said, "How may I help you?" He said (and I kid you not!) "You had bladder mesh surgery." I replied, "I did?" He repeated his statement and I said, "Did I? When?" He said, "No no no ... You had bladder mesh surgery." And I replied, "I did?!?!" Well, after about six times around, he just hung up!! And I did a happy dance! After all the years that we have had to deal with these annoying phone calls, I finally got to turn the tables.

And before someone jumps on me about it, I know he was just doing his job, but it still felt good. :-)

I would've done the happy dance too. And I have!

Best one I've done, because I usually think of what I could have said *after* the call is over! Years back, a psychic hotline network called and she said her thing, then asked me if I would be interested in a psychic reading over the phone.

I replied, "well, don't you know?" hahahahahahaha!

I got one the other day at 8:15. Some one must have put my name on a list, b/c i'm getting about 5 calls a day now.
now when i answer i say "start talking, i don't have all day" and they hang up on me now.

When I get application in the mail for a credit card with a postage paid envelope...I fill that envelope with as much junk paper as I can and send it back them, let them pay for that postage. I was getting them weekly not anymore. When I get those annoying sales calls, as soon as they start talking I lay the phone down and let them talk, eventually they hang up but I don't. They can't make another phone call until I hang up so I let the phone sit for about 10-15 minutes. The phone calls are getting fewer. They have removed me from their lists because I cause them problems.

Debbie Marie - This is hilarious - a lady after my own heart!

I have done the same thing with the credit card thing or anything else that comes with a postage paid envelope. I stuff the envelope until it won't hold anymore and send it back to them.

I have never laid the phone down, but my late 92-year-old father-in-law did that all the time - just let the telemarketer talk until he realized no one was listening!

My mother used to do that, too. We all thought she was very clever.

What ever happened to the do not call list! I have found if I lay the phone down just right it feeds back on them with a screech -- Sorry, I don't care if they are "just doing their jobs". I don't want their calls!

The do not call list is useless for many of these calls. They are calling from outside of the US using spoofed numbers. I received a call a couple days ago that caller ID listed as my own phone number. I'm am also tired of thieves harassing me via the phone trying to steal my personal information. Yay to those of you who fought back!

My solution to the problem is to just not answer the phone. I have every number associated with us listed with every do not call list. There is also a service - free - called 'nomorobo' which also helps. I was having particular issues with a specific telemarketer tonthe point I finally took the time to find a person to speak with at the FCC. His advice was to not even answer the call. If you engage them, they are more apt to call repeatedly. I also have my caller id visible on the tv screen so it is easier for me to see. If its not a number that is familiar, I don't answer...it goes to the machine. If it ends up that I do need to speak to that person, I can still pick up the call.

I have not had a home phone land line for over 12 years and I never receive these kinds of calls on my cell.

I *have* noticed I've received a few text messages from weird #s, usually with weird random letters in the message. I just text reply with "remove" and they seem to stop.

Jan in VA

We keep our phone on MUTE, so we don't have to deal with them. They never leave a message of course!

Wow! I've gotten some good ideas from this thread. LOL

I tried to sell him insurance , all I. Heard was click.

I had a telemarketer tell me I had filled out a card for some dumb prize in Myrtle Beach on a day when I was in Ohio. He kept telling me I was mistaken. I kept saying no, I know where i was that day because blah, blah, blah.

It would have been funny except for how incredibly stupid he thought I was!

This is the best response yet!

I have one.... I got a call from a woman asking for Steven ***....i said, "sorry, you have a wrong number" and hung up. The phone rang again immediately. I answered and the woman said "you hung up on me- i want to talk to Steven ***" I said "yes, i hung up because there is no Steven here."
Her reply...."Well I think there is !!"
I won't tell you the rest - suffice to say it went down hill from there before I hung up again.

I mail back junk mail all the time, however, I find that I still get advertising. The other day, my husband got a letter that would give him better health coverage than he has now. I called their company and told them "I don't think so - my husband died last year and is Heaven and they don't worry about health insurance anymore. They don't have to worry about anything anymore. Please take his name off your list AGAIN!" Edie

A friend recently told me to tell the caller "Well, I can either buy my medications or do what you want, what do you think I should do?" So far it is working for me. hehehe

All my telemarketers are recordings that you have to punch a number to get to a real person. Get a call most everyday if not twice. I've punched the number a couple of times to tell them to take me off their list and that I'm on the "no call" list but doesn't seem to help. They're also somehow rigging their phone line thru another person's phone number so it looks like they are calling instead of them. A couple of times my own phone number showed on the Caller ID but they miss spelled my last name. I've had to block my phone number now. Even had one come up as Skype user and a 000-000-0000 too. What will they think next? Can't report them cause you can't get their real phone number. I usually just let the phone ring these days.

Had a friend who let them go through the whole spiel and then hesitated, stammered, and said, "I don't know what you want I'll have to ask my guardian." They quickly hung up.

how fun -- good for you -- my husband's favorite is the one where they say that they are in our area and he asks what area that might be -- I finally got a real info call about the fact that some agency would be spraying for mosquitoes to cut down the spread of West Nile virus in our area and I listened instead of politely refusing their services or hanging up if it is computer generated, my usual actions -- I know that they are trying to do a job, but it is irritating to get so many of the calls every day

I love caller id. If I don't recognize the number I don't answer.

It took me a little time to find this on youtube but it is hilarious and a terrific way to deal with a telemarketer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cpzLxYnpG4

Sometimes I answer and just keep saying who? Who? What? Then they hang up. These calls are so annoying.

When I answer the phone "hello" and there is a slight delay....that is my clue this is a telemarketer. I say "hello" again and again and again, by that time you have determined who it is because they keep repeating who they are each time you say "hello". After the 4th time, I usually say "Oh this phone isn't working" and hang up...they don't call back.

I have been plagued lately. I' very won money but I have to buy magazines on my credit card to get it. I told them I don't have a credit card but send me the magazines and my monetary prize and I will pay them...click

Microsoft calling that my computer is sending out data....I told them I have an Ipad....click

If they persist I tell them I am on do not call registry (I jot down any info they provide #from caller ID, name of person and company) and am reporting them

And if I don't feel like messing with them I hang up. It might be their job but NO should be sufficient for them to back off.

I read an article, I believe in the Reader's Digest, written by telemarketer's
and one of the things they said is never engage them in any conversation. They said the best way to have them take you off the list is to say "hello" and nothing more. Let them continue to say "hello", "HELLO", until they finally hang up. I've tried it several time and find I get a kind of savage amusement from hearing them trying to figure out why nobody is answering them.

THIS is the BEST!!!!! LOL

Phones here are becoming obsolete. Mine rings 1ce a mth. I have turned the ringer down, it goes voicemail. Tele don't leave messages. I use phone for dialing out only, not intake. Their is nothing worse when I am sewing and have to get up to answer tele.. They usually bombard on internet because cable company and employers sell address.. Internet is deleted, easy.

And now we are getting political calls, the worse!! I'll see them in Nov, don't need them in Aug!!

This seems to have cut down on our annoying calls....when you get these calls and you see by ID that it is telemarketing, pick up the receiver, don't say anything but start pushing the # key over and over and over....with some phone you can just hold it down, others you have to push it repeatedly about ten times. Then when you listen, they have disconnected. Some automated systems will read your # key sounds as a bad number and kick it out.
I have to share a response with you on a call I answered. Credit Card bill reduction, I pressed the key to talk to someone, I said I have told you repeatedly that I am on the do not call list....his response....it doesn't matter...I said don't call here again,,...he said, we will continue to call you because you can't do anything about it! I said, Oh, then I don't have to answer your call, do I? Every time I see your ID you can listen to my phone ring. You can't do anything about making me answer. You will loose money and I will continue to read my book.

Opportunity missed! You should have told her that "Steven just left on his honeymoon, so stop calling"! Lol!

Some fun responses, techniques here. :-! I am one to always let the answering machine get the call if I do not recognize the number , if it turns out I do want to talk to the person I can pick up, if its one of those scammer calls I have a recording of it when I report it (and, yes, I do take the time to report any threatening, or asking for financial info calls) most of the time the telemarketers just hang up without talking.We had one at work a week ago, a foreigner claiming they were working for the IRS & issuing an arrest warrant immediately for (my client who is 90 with Alzheimer's) for
tax fraud (and, have a nice day) I listened to it then used my cellphone to call the FCC - that way I was able to play the message for the investigator.
Always remember folks, the IRS does not call you, they send you letters.... Then, if necessary, a federal marshal will just show up, they don't call & give you opportunity to get away. :-) the FCC investigator said to never return the call, or call back a number that the scammer leaves, that verifies your number for them. And, of course never give out any personal information - don't even verify your name or phone number.

Greatest all time invention: Caller ID!!!!!!! I use it every day, some days, all day long, [sigh]. DH has finally started using it also.

Love the funny way you all are dealing with these numbers!!!!:D

I did answer one a long time ago, and the woman was very rude when I told her off, so she kept calling everyday for a few days, but I recognized the number and didn't answer.

I too love caller ID and the answering machine. I seem to get at least 5 calls on average every day starting at 8 AM and going until 10 PM. If I don't recognize the number I rarely answer. BUT I do love some of the ways you handle the calls.

The only ones I answer and not always these, are people calling for organizations to whom I have contributed and am no longer able to do so. Even then I sometimes need to hang up on them. I was taught never to be rude, so it's difficult but sometimes the only answer. I'm answering fewer and fewer of these because they are truly stressful.

When I get really irritated is when I get letters to send contributions when I know I haven't made the pledge. My shredder is getting lots of use. maybe I'll try the envelope stuffing method; that's a good one.

Thank you everyone for sharing your methods. Even though it must be really frustrating at the time, some of your methods of coping gave me quite a giggle. Thank you for that. Joyce in Delaware

Years ago when I lived in El Paso with my first husband, right after he shipped out to Germany had a phone call, some guy wanting to know if I wanted to F. I said where and when, he slammed the phone down and never called back. I wasn't afraid he would show up at house as we had two 90lb dobermans and a 22. And I do not have a hard time asking what part of NO don't they understand, so our calls have been slacking off, except for political and I hang up on them if I even answer. Thanks for the good laughs ladies, love some of the answers and the murder was a real belly laugh, I can see the poor guy in Colorado.

HaHa! They think you are a senile old lady.

You all are too funny! Great answers to an annoying problem! One more to share with you ... we kept getting mail from a couple of organizations addressed to my husband's ex-wife, well after we were married. I called them and explained that she was no longer at this address and they should stop sending mail here, especially if they wanted her continued support. I still got her mail. I finally started writing "deceased" on it and returning it to them. They stopped mailing her stuff here.

I've had 2 of those. One was a collection agency that kept calling and asking for Larry *****. I'd say there is no Larry ***** here. I"ve had this number for 15 years and there has never been a Larry ***** here. Finally, I just said "You've been calling here and this is not Larry *****'s number. Please don't call anymore" and the guy says "Okay, but do you know Larry ******'s number?" I gave up. All I could think of was "I don't know Larry and if I ever meet him, I may strangle him"

The other one was the woman that called my cell phone looking for some doctor's office. I told her she had the wrong number and hung up. She calls back. I tell her she has the wrong number this is not doctor so-and-so's office. She calls back. I tell her 'this is the same person that you just talked to and it's not your doctor's office' and she says "I know I dialed the right number and this is the doctor's office and I want to make an appointment". My husband told me I should have just said "how is next Tuesday and 9:30?" and made her an appointment. lol