I love the number 000-000-0000. Definitely know that is a political call!

Just a warning...there is a new scam out there. A man or woman calls and says they are your oldest grandchild. You will supply the name. They are in trouble, hurt or in jail in a foreign land and need money. Beware this is a scam to get your money. I know my grand children's names so if they want you to identify them be suspicious. I have gotten called twice, by a male and a female with variations on a scheme. I did not bite and they hung up abruptly. Best to hang up and then if you really think it was a family member call them back. You can always give an apology and explain but you won't get your money back if it is a scam.

It's really very simple. If you don't recognize the number on the caller ID, don't answer. If it's important they will leave a message and you can decide if you want to return the call.

I don’t have a problem with telemarketers but I live in New Hampshire, state of the first primary in the nation, and for weeks leading up to our primary election we were bombarded with political calls, many of them taped recordings.
My phone never rang so much, or my message machine so full!!

I always hang up on them.

I have to add to this: This happened to my grandfather, who is close to 90. My "cousin" called him from Canada and said, "Don't tell mom or dad, just help me out". This guy knew my cousin's name and my granddad's name. Luckily, my granddad is such an @$$ that he didn't care if any of his grandkids end up in jail. But the scammers had done their homework and knew the background information.

About a year ago, I started getting calls from a very hard-to-understand man on my cell phone (that I never give out. Ever.) that my father had taken out a pay-day loan and had put me down as a reference and he was late on payment and I needed to pay his loan or go to jail. I laughed and told him to come and arrest me! I'm still walking the streets, even though he (or someone else in the "call center") continued to harrass me until I changed phone numbers.

I love your dogwood quilt avitar, do you have a pattern for it or did you just make it up?

Some yrs back a friend of mine had a telemarketer tell her that her husband had told him to call back. The funny thing was her husband had been deceased for several yrs at that point.

There is an national do-not call list. Find it o n the internet. It works! and makes life so muc h more pleasant. Do be aware, does not exclude companies you have done business with, political, and charitable organizations.

I try to be polite and say "I 'm not interested and please remove me from your list" but here lately its an alarm system co. calling daily I've been tempted to have them come check out my security system Smith-N-Wesson and my 3 ankle biters But I will be nice and try using the lb key --first

I act like I called them and then ask if they would send a take out order then ask about their family and tell them what the neighbors are doing and they hang up on me.....I don't understand why but it is fun.

it's fun to make them hang up on YOU!! be creative!

Thanks, glad to know that. I have caller ID & if I'm not sure I don't answer. Magazines USA will drive you crazy. I just don't answer & if I do, I immediately hang up.

Another trick I heard of from my DD was to say when they asked for my DH to say to them "Sorry he's not available. Give me your number and I'll have him call you right back." They'll hang up.
Of course, if anyone is at home with you have them stand within earshot of the phone and have them yell, "'Honey, the baby's on fire! Honey, help". you hang up.
I have also acted deaf, which isn't far off, I have a hearing problem, but if you keep saying hello every few seconds, they quilt. Those usually don't call me back for some reason.
I've been on the list for no calls and it doesn't keep you from getting them. Just limits who can call. they also cannot call before 8:30 am or after 9pm. If they do, my DH who is very easy going guy, tells them not so gently that they cannot call at this time. Asks them all sorts of questions. They usually don't call back.

My husband tells them that he is declaring bankrupty in the morning and woukld love to include their company in it.

LOL!! Too funny! We let our answering machine screen all our calls with caller id. We haven't had to talk to a telemarketer in years.

I tell them no twice and I tell them if they persist they will not like it. So on their third try I pick up my playground whistle and blow.

I just lay the phone down and walk away.. letting them talk to themselves and sooner or later they will hang up. Until then they are not bothering anyone else :)

Goofing with telemarketers is fun. I especially like it when they call to conduct a "survey." I tell them, "Just a second while I get a piece of paper." After about a 20 second hold, I say "I'm back. Now first, I'll need your credit card number." They then usually ask why I need that, and I tell them "I charge 50 dollars a minute for taking surveys, and the clock is already running." Often they say "We don't pay for surveys" or somesuch. To which I try to talk them into paying me, telling them I'm a professional survey-taker. Usually, if they haven't left by then, that gets rid of them... :D

The funniest telemarketer call I've ever heard though was this one, done a long time ago...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBfsdkGeMc8

After several requests to be removed from their list after 3 phone calls in two days, I asked for there phone number ( to turn them in) and have not heard from them again!

Or try this: lay the phone down and go about your business; let them talk on their dime.

I had a telemarketer the other day get angry at my because I refused to take their newpaper, I told him I felt it was an opinion paper and not a newpaper. He got surly with me and said it was important to read opinions. I do have caller ID & am on the no call list, but sometimes they get thru without me looking at the id before I pick up

If my "no" answer is repeatedly met with additional attempts to persuade me, I simply tell them that "I choose to give my business to companies who listen to their customers. You are not listening to me. I will not give you my business". Works well.

I think I've had this same newspaper salesman. After I refused the newspaper by telling him that I don't have time to read the paper, he said in a huff, "Well, you don't have to read the WHOLE paper!", to which I responded, "Perhaps not, but I have to PAY for the WHOLE paper." I think I was on his least favorite person list for the day.

We have an unlisted number, so we don't seem to get these nuisance calls. Also, when entering competitions or filling in surveys I use my mobile number.....they don't seem to like calling that:) It's been fun reading the thread....we quilters are a wicked bunch aren't we.

I used to hand the phone to my 2 year old granddaughter. I swear that girl was born talking! She loved the phone from the time she was about 8 months old. I had to call the time and temp line for her to have somebody to talk to so telemarketers were a huge thrill for her. Of course eventually the telemarketers quit calling.

I got so tired of getting offers for credit cards in the mail I finally started filling them out to a point saying I didn't want them and sending it back. They have return address envolopes and it was costing them too much to send them to me. I did that when they kept sending them as manager of the apt I used to manage and it wasn't even the same town. No more card offers from any of them.

List your phone number on the DoNotCall List. https://www.donotcall.gov/

Linda

I'm on the "do not call list" and EVERY time I get a telemarketer call, I report them. You can do it online. Just do a search for "do not call". About 6 months ago, I've had one number/company calling trying to "help" me with my timeshare -- I don't OWN a timeshare!!!! Sometimes they would call 3 times a day....starting at 7:30 AM. I reported them and it took about a week, but no more calls. Now another number is calling.....I've reported them, too. The "Do not call list" does not necessarily stop them, but it will slow them down. Every time you make a complaint, it's recorded and eventually, the feds can nail them..... :)

I DO like the idea of hitting the # button....:) :) :)

We tell them my husband is unemployed. They usually don't waste their time then. Once in a while they persist and I just keep repeating it until they give up.

Forcefully, kindly, firmly, and louder than they are, and dripping sweetness, talk very fast...about anything you want to...when they interrupt, tell them, kindly, that it is your turn to speak, after all it is your phone, they aren't paying your bill, so you get to go first, then tell them whatever you want, about the baby pooping the bed BEFORE you got the new nappie under them, and then ask them, point blank, "Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal savior?" and go into a sermon as fast as you can, and deliver all this in one breath if possible, just as I have written it. Lay John3:16 pm them. Whew! Where did they go? Did they hang up on me? Well, I never...

I guarantee that one won't call you back. If you don't won't to get religious, go into a long-winded tutorial about how to make a log cabin quilt, king size, measuring 105 X 106. I've done that one too. In fact, my avatar is the very one. Hope this helps...:)

I find it easier to just hang up, but hey, whatever floats your boat!!

This is wonderful!

Either don't answer at all or.......................Stutter!!!!!!!!! I-I-I-I-I-I-I or any other word you want; just keep repeating it. Maybe "bankrupt" is the one to use, LOL.

I keep getting "We can lower your interest rate on your mortgage!" House has been paid for since 1994!!!! Another one is reverse mortgage. If you are dumb enough to go for this one be aware that you are legaly adding this company to your deed and you still have to pay closing costs for reassignment and are still responsible for all matinance, insurance, etc. to run your home. And if you have to leave it for anyreason (nursing home, retirement home etc. ) they own your home that you have put so much into! When all else fails read the "mouse" print!!!

I told one telemarketer "just one moment please, I need to turn the stove off." I then turned the speaker on my phone and continued to cook our supper. I listened to him on the other end sighing, and finally said to another person, "she said she would just be a minute." Finally after several minutes, he hung up.

I say no very firmly and if they keep on I tell them no again then if they keep on I just hang up. I don't play - no means no. lol

We are retired people here, and go to bed early some times, so when the phone rings at 8:55P.M, we think for sure a family member is dead. I put our number on 3 nation wide (government) no call lists, and every other no call list there is.
We do have an answering machine, and I assume the hang-ups on there are from them. I tried the # sign & the 6-7-6-7,
and yesterday a (so called police) man asked for a donation, when I said we just gave at Christmas, he asked for more.
I believe we have to live with it. We do not donate to phone requests ever, as we like to pick our chairities.

Do Not Call list cannot stop charities, political calls, or businesses that have a link to you (could be a very thin link). I've questioned the Children's Leukemia lady on her truthfulness, because she always says, "we Want to thank you for your previous generous support of last year." When I say I know we haven't given, (and I could go on and on about the reasons I KNOW we didn't), she gets beligerent and starts arguing with me - nasty-like.

Before caller-ID, we picked up every call. When they asked for "Robert----", I knew they didn't know us. When they asked for "Bob------", I knew it was something he had contact with. When they asked for "Bob" it was a friend, but if they asked for "Bobby", it was one of the large Italian family. If it was a telemarketer or a robo-tele call, the minute they launched into their spiel, I'd gently lay the receiver on the counter. At least they wasted THEIR time talking to my counter.

With the new phone system -- Caller ID and other perks -- I can now block calls. I keep track and can stop a lot of those NEWSPAPER calls and Political calls.

as long as they are not "selling" you anything, they can call all they want. the Do Not Call list doesn't apply to them.
sad but true.