Robo Calls

[Gary Hodgin]

I hate them. Call-blocking, ignoring, filing FCC, FTC, and State Attorney General complaints hasn't slowed "Rachel from Card Services" down one bit. She always finds me. I'd really like to meet her someday. Does she call you folks? She's not the only one but she's the one I've had the longest relationship with.

[John C Lawson]

Tiffany, too. Have you ever listened to the message all the way through? There is an opt-out option at the very end that seems to have worked so far.

[David Dockstader]

I just decided that if I ever have a mistress, her name will have to be Rachel. My wife hangs up as soon as she hears the name!

[Gary Hodgin]

Tiffany, too. Have you ever listened to the message all the way through? There is an opt-out option at the very end that seems to have worked so far.

Yep, tried it several times. Sometimes they hang up, sometimes they give you a cussing, and sometimes they tell you they'll take you off but don't. Tell them you'll report them in violation of state and federal Do Not Call and they pretty much laugh. State's attorney general's office basically told me they can't do anything.

These guys aren't legitimate businesses. They're after names and credit card numbers. I just hate to be disturbed by the darn phone ringing. For personal reasons (medical condition of 2 uncles), I can't ignore calls.

[Joel Goodman]

Guy (or gal) who invented Robo call has a special place in hell.

[John Coloccia]

These days, I answer the phone, put it on speaker and go about my business. When someone picks up, I keep going about my business and let them talk. Occasionally, I say something like, "Can you repeat that?"....and I keep going about my business, trying to stifle my laughter. Sometimes, I'm in a cross mood and I abuse them a bit. Other times, I pretend I'm interested for a good 10 or 20 minutes or so. In no case do I let it distract me. It's become a source of great amusement for me, and kind of breaks up the drudgery of sanding or carving. Sometimes, I'm doing machine work and I just pop in some ear plugs, turn on the dust collector and go about my business. Not sure what they think of that because they're never around when I finish.

I should mention that I get very few robo calls anymore. It seems like everyone has taken me off their list for some reason. I kind of miss them, actually, but no one wants to talk to me anymore.

[Jim Koepke]

I have found that the card service calls seemed to have been reduced by pressing 3.
I used to press 1 at the beginning to get a human. They were just troglodytes who would hang up as soon as I started to ask them to stop calling. So instead, knowing they are wearing a head set, I would press one of the number buttons. There is a bit of satisfaction hearing them scream in pain while pulling the headset off.

At least then I could hang up. If you hang up on the recording, it still holds your line until their recorded message plays through.

Unfortunately this is a political year and we are bound to get more of these calls.

I tend to pick up the phone and not say anything for a second and just clear my throat. A human will know someone is on the line. If it is a machine calling, they are set to recognize a few greetings before starting. If the machine doesn't hear "hello" or some other programmed response, it hangs up.

On my computer is a sound file, sit.wav (special information tone) that is the signal the phone company attaches to unused numbers. Playing that tone sequence into a machine dialer will usually get your number removed from the data base.

If you search > sit.wav < you will find more information. The problem with having it on your answering machine is most scam callers only let it ring three times. Most answering machines answer on the fourth ring.

jtk

[Shawn Pixley]

These days, I answer the phone, put it on speaker and go about my business. When someone picks up, I keep going about my business and let them talk. Occasionally, I say something like, "Can you repeat that?"....and I keep going about my business, trying to stifle my laughter. Sometimes, I'm in a cross mood and I abuse them a bit. Other times, I pretend I'm interested for a good 10 or 20 minutes or so. In no case do I let it distract me. It's become a source of great amusement for me, and kind of breaks up the drudgery of sanding or carving. Sometimes, I'm doing machine work and I just pop in some ear plugs, turn on the dust collector and go about my business. Not sure what they think of that because they're never around when I finish.

I should mention that I get very few robo calls anymore. It seems like everyone has taken me off their list for some reason. I kind of miss them, actually, but no one wants to talk to me anymore.

And I thought that I was the only one that liked jerking them around.

[Curt Harms]

We have cordless phones from Vtech that in addition to caller ID try to 'speak' the caller's Caller ID info. Some of the 'pronunciations' are pretty amusing but "unavailable" is quite understandable and ignorable. I think when the political calls start and there's a flesh and blood person on the other end, I'm gonna tell 'em "Whoever calls last before the election, I'm gonna vote for the other guy. I would never want as my <office here> someone with so little respect for my personal space".

[Myk Rian]

A few months ago there was a thread about these calls.
My comment was to write your Legislators, and tell them to put some teeth into the laws.

I got my ass chewed out by a couple people here.
Heck with it. We're getting rid of the house line.

[Jim Laumann]

Add July / Julie / Jullie / Jullee to the list - always on my cell, not to mention the ship's whistle from one the cruise ship companys - again on my cell.

We got caller id added to our land line, and now, we just don't answer the phone unless its some one we know - other wise the machine gets it. A unknown person w/ a legit reason will leave a message, the telemarketers & politicans hang up when the machine kicks in.

[Matt Meiser]

They "can't" do anything about the rachel calls because they are spoofing the caller ID. And the rachel recording is widely available so it not a company using it but many different scammers.

The Michigan Attorney General seems serious about going after them. I have a letter sitting on my desk from them where they contacted the caller and made them provide a bunch of information. I apparently put the wrong phone number in the complaint, but in the email the company accidentally admits to calling my other number and claims its not on the Do Not Call registry which it is, and I have the email proof so I intend to follow up.

The BBB doesn't appear to take kindly to even Accredited level businesses violating telemarketing laws too.

[Gary Hodgin]

A few months ago there was a thread about these calls.
My comment was to write your Legislators, and tell them to put some teeth into the laws.

I got my ass chewed out by a couple people here.
Heck with it. We're getting rid of the house line.

I missed the previous thread but I've contacted both my state reps about violations of the DNC lists but haven't heard anything. I did speak with the State Att. General's office and when I drilled down on him he basically admitted there's nothing they can do but accept complaints. I've probably filed 100 FTC complaints and about as many FCC complaints.

We need stronger laws and better enforcement. I always google the robo-caller number and see what's on 800notes.com. I found a link to a bogus public utility that operates in a few western states. It seems alot of the calls go through this utility's network and the utility is entirely set up to allow scammers to evade the DNC laws. I don't know how much of the information on the utility is true but it seems like law enforcement ought to look at it. It's not that the guys are just violating the DNC law but some are criminal conspiracies engaged in id theft and fraud.

http://telemarketerspam.wordpress.com/

[Brian Elfert]

I must have a special phone number because I get very few telemarketing calls since the DNC was enacted. I very rarely get a call that isn't from a business I already deal with.

[Gary Hodgin]

Brian,
I don't understand why some get these calls almost daily and others don't get them. I rarely get a call from someone I've had a business relationship with. I do get survey calls, political calls, charity calls, and maybe some other calls that aren't violations of the DNC law. I can deal with these. It's the credit card services, cruises and other such stuff that I'm objecting to, although I'd rather not have the legit calls. I haven't run a balance on my credit card in 20 years.

It's a nuisance to me, but it's worse for some others. I've got an uncle whose wife's is in real bad shape in a nursing home. He spends his days there but occasionally has to go up at night when she's calling for him. He doesn't have caller id, call blocking or even a computer. The guy's 86 years old. These people hound him every evening. Borders on domestic terrorism.