OT caller-id

[Ed Pawlowski]

My grandson uses WalMart pharmacy. When his prescription is ready for pickup, they call and it shows as a toll free number. I guess you'd never know if your prescription is ready.

[Higgs Boson]

Ed (and other victims)

I am going nuts these last few months with ***daily ***robotic calls. Over & over, the same few numbers. Always when I'm cooking or in the garden or in the bathroom or otherwise occupied!

After a while, I started screening calls, figuring that real people will leave a message - I hope!

At first I called the incoming number back to tell them to stop bothering me. But I always got a message that it's not a working number, or out of order, or words to that effect.

1. So how come a number shows in the window of my phone, if it doesn't exist?
2. Is there any way to track them down?
3. Would the state's Public Utility Commission be the place to complain? I don't want to start making my through the bureaucracy if members of this NG have tried that one w/o result.
4. Is there ANYBODY a victim can turn to?

Thanks for any wisdom.

HB

[G. Morgan]

No big deal.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per Higgs Boson:

Increasingly, no.

Some years back, the do-not-call lists seemed tb effective.

But now the solicitors have gone offshore and/or hide behind VOIP and multiple relays. I've got a small collection of lame-sounding letters from the Penna DNC list people to that effect.

I think the only answer is challenge-response - plus a willingness to forgo whatever occasional useful information may be communicated by a robocall instead of email.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Well, you don't know if you missed something or not.

It is not always the business that is hiding the ID, the phone companies don't seem to be doing such a good job. We have size lines at work. Four show the company name, two show "unknown". Those two lines were new about 6 years ago. Maybe they just go behind a little.

[Ed Pawlowski]

don't want to start making my through the bureaucracy if members of this NG have tried that one w/o result.

From everything I've read, you are pretty much screwed. I was getting some repeat calls from a couple, like "Card Services" so I'd just ignore them.

Hartford Courant had an article where a company was spoofing and using the name of a local resident and his phone number. People would be more likely to answer that way. You can make any name and number appear.

[The Daring Dufas]

don't want to start making my through the bureaucracy if members of this NG have tried that one w/o result.

I have a lot of fun with telemarketers by answering the phone as a crazed Chinaman screaming at them, "Who are you?! Why you call here?! Why you bodda me?! You don't call here no mo! and on and on. ^_^

TDD

[micky]

over, the same few numbers. Always when I'm cooking or in the garden or in the bathroom or otherwise occupied!

a message - I hope!

But I always got a message that it's not a working number, or out of order, or words to that effect.

don't want to start making my through the bureaucracy if members of this NG have tried that one w/o result.

P&M

I usually get calls from Cardholder Services. The calls annoy me so I press 1 so that I can talk to them. When they want to know how much money is on my credit card, I think of a big number. $6000. I know some owe more but I'm embarrassed to say I owe that much.

I think once I said I owed on two cards and they said they couldn't help me, so now I say only one card.

When they want my account number (which isnt' the same as the credit card number, but I still wouldn't give it to them.) I say I have to go upstairs to get it. They say okay, so take a while.

Then I do a variety of things. I say, My father-in-law is here and he said I shouldn't do business with you. That's not enough to get them to stop. He said you were violating the do-not-call list, so you can't be trusted.

I went away for 8 days and none of these numbers called me while I was gone.

A couple weeks later, Cardholder Services did. When I brought up the do-not call list, she reminded me that she had told me that the credit bureau had given them my name and number. I pointed out that the credit bureau doesn't do things like that. She seemed honestly confused, so I told her her boss was lying to her. Later I admitted I owed no money, and I said, You lie to me so I lie to you. She didnt' deny lying to me.

She claimed I wouldn't actually be doing business with them, that they would just get my credit card bank to lower the interest rate. I said, So you're doing this out of the goodness of your heart. She said, Oh no, and I guess was going to tell my how they made money on it

My goal is to keep them on the phone as long as possible, either talking or especially waiting for me, and then have them get nowhere. If everyone would do that, they'd stop calling.

Anyhow, only that one last call in 3 weeks, instead of the two or three companies that used to call me.

Next time I'll eventually ask them why they call me again when I wasted their time the last time. Your boss is wasting your time. They know you can't sell me anything, but they don't bother to take my name off your list. What's the point of your calling anyone 3 times in a month. If we did what you wanted before, we can't do it again (you've already "lowered my interest rate"), and if we didn't do what you wanted before, you can be sure we won't do it this time either.

[(PeteCresswell)]

Per The Daring Dufas:

I heard a standup comedian say "When a telemarketer calls, I tell them that my wife left me, the dog died, my son is on drugs, my unwed daughter is pregnant, I've lost my job, the bank is going to foreclose on the house...... and eventually THEY hang up on ME."

[micky]

That's a good one. I can't wait to try it out. I hope some nudnik calls soon.

[nestork]

How do you say " retarded monkey-f*ck" in Chinese?

[The Daring Dufas]

I could ask one of my Chinese pals but I'm not sure there is a way for them to say "*" asterisk. o_O

TDD

[Wes Groleau]

Another comic answered a call trying to sell windows.

(pause) "Is this some kind of cruel joke?"

"No, sir, we have ..."

"My house just burned to the ground and you're trying to sell me windows for it?"

[Ed Pawlowski]

Sure it would. One call to the phone company and in minutes, your calls are forwarded to another phone. I've done it.

Part of the building where we leased space for our company burned down and took all the phone lines out for multiple businesses. That was Saturday. Sunday we had our numbers ringing at our other building a mile away.

[Stormin Mormon]

My goal is to keep them on the phone as long as possible, either talking or especially waiting for me, and then have them get nowhere. If everyone would do that, they'd stop calling.

[Stormin Mormon]

This one is a classic.

Mr. Mabe is no longer with us. Want to ask you a series of questions.

I heard a standup comedian say "When a telemarketer calls, I tell them that my wife left me, the dog died, my son is on drugs, my unwed daughter is pregnant, I've lost my job, the bank is going to foreclose on the house...... and eventually THEY hang up on ME."

[gfretwell]

A friend of mine was laid up from a shattered ankle and foot. He was just rattling around the house bored to death. He loved telemarketing calls. He would let them do their whole pitch and then tell them he missed part of it and make them do it all again He would string them along as long as they were willing to keep explaining things to him.

Tom Mabe goes another way

[micky]

People forget how good the phone company is about doing certain things, the basic phone things.

Of course, they forget partly becaue of the 10 letters a month I get trying to sell me FIOS. And other annoying things they do.