When a Telemarketer Calls Me When I'm Eating Dinner...

... I HANG UP.

I'm not being rude--I don't call THEM when THEY'RE trying to eat Dinner!


How do you handle it? :)

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Yes, Rath.

But many telemarketing firms are sneaky SOBs and my Caller ID often displays "Unknown/Unknown" when they call.

I'm just too curious NOT to know who might be calling--so I answer the phone!

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That is what the answering machine is for.

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Mary, I used to work for a non profit that did telemarketing (but only to those who said they'd like to receive calls) so I know that all you have to do is simply ask to be put on their do not call list. By hanging up, your name is put back in the pool to be called at a later date. Also, if you're rude or whatnot chances are your name will be thrown in the same pool again.

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It really is. Bill collectors (who I've gotten to know all too well this year, unfortunately) are now saying "Hey, can I talk to Matt?" If I don't know who it is I just say "He's not here, can I take a message" and they say "Yeah, tell him Mike called"

Sneaky bastards.

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Oh, so if you hang up they take that as a sign of interest and keep on calling you?

I've never worked in telemarketing, but I'm not sure I understand the logic behind that.

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No, they don't take it as a sign of interest, but if they don't speak directly to who they are calling the call was never technically completed. Just ask nicely to be put on their do not call list.

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just say the person is dead and you don't want to talk about it

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I agree with the "use caller id" attitude. If my phone rings with no ID, I just go with the attitude "If it's not an autometed dialing program, they'll leave a message"

That's been my sig now for about two weeks and you're just now commenting?

On an episode of SEINFELD, Jerry gets a call from a telemarketer while he's trying to eat dinner.

Jerry: "Well, gee, I'm sorry, I really can't talk right now, but if you give me your phone number, I'll call YOU back later on tonight... Oh, you don't like getting calls when you're at home from strangers?

NOW you know how I feel!" (hangs up)

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I simply despise telemarketing. A few years ago I received a call from someone selling me one thing or another. The actress in me decided to fake an orgasm [not that I ever had to} while the guy was talking to me on the phone. He went right on talking as I moaned and kept shouting, Yes ! Yes ! A little higher, OHHHHHHHH. This is a true story. And no! I am not giving my phone number out to any of you.

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I haven't answered my phone without screening the call first in over a decade -- and everyone who knows me, knows to leave a message if I don't answer. None of my friends or family block their numbers anyway (with the exception of one friend who comes up as "Private" and he knows to leave a message) so their names and numbers pop up on my caller ID when they call. If "Unknown" or some 800 number (or other number I don't recognize) comes up, I just ignore it and let the machine get it (this also applies to call-waiting -- my caller ID box pops up numbers for that as well, so if a beep and "Unknown" comes up while I'm talking to someone else, I never click over).

Since no telemarketer calling my number has EVER gotten to speak to a live human being, just my machine, I don't get too many of those calls -- after years of trying, I think most of them have given up and have moved on to bothering other people.

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