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cletedius

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Per the thread title, has anyone found an effective way to stop being hassled with this annoying practice? I have registered my # on so many so-called "do not call" lists over the years, that I have come to the belief this probably does just the opposite. Following the instructions "press such&such to be placed on our do not call list" obviously doesnt work. I have tried all of the following:
-Following the key prompts to reach a live person, treating the person with respect & courtesy & politely asking how to get whoever it is they work for to remove my # from their list
-Following the key prompts to reach a live person, & then telling this person what low-life scum I think they, their mother & canine father are.
-playing along with the call, & when they inform me of my good fortune that I can indeed save 25% on my com ed bill, eventually giving them the intersection of the bridge where the refrigerator box that i live in can be found under, so I can take advantage of this savings.
-after answeing the call, apologetically asking if they can hold on for just a minute while I get a pen/paper & seeing just how long they will hold the line in an attempt to waste as much of their time as I can.
All of this is an addition to countless other futile strategies. Answering unrecognized #'s with silence, answering & hanging up instantly, allowing to go to voicemail, etc-etc-etc.

The obvious answer of not fielding calls from unrecognized #'s is unfortunately not an option, as this is how some biz referrals come my way. This has gotten so annoying with as many as 7 or 8 of these coming a day at times, & usually at times when its at its most disruptive & inconvenient.

So, what says you? Has anyone found a way around this plague?

*As a side note, 2 robocalls hit my phone in the time it took to make this post!!! :crazy:
 
Discussion starter · #2 ·
And just for the record, no, I have not used my phone to check in with Ms. Cleo to consult on my future, or to chat with live lonely women looking to meet with me after dark, or to verify the code on my publishers clearing house sweepstakes form, or to get approved for money "NOW", because after all, its my money....
 
#3 ·
Not a clue how to stop it. Usually I don't answer unrecognized numbers but I don't have a business to worry about.

If I do answer an unrecognized number I'll answer in Italian and continue the conversation in that dialect. That gets them to hang up. If you don't know another language just make one up.

There are all kinds of ways to mess with them. I like yours about" the hold on a minute."

So I was no help. Sorry.
~JOE~
 
#6 ·
Wish I could help. I had to keep two old business numbers forwarded to my most recent number. 90% of the people calling the old numbers are telemarketers. Each one that does is billed as an outgoing call from me due to the forwarding. Bottom line is these creeps cost me about $150.00 a month. The latest scam aside from them changing numbers every week is they are now using names and prefixes from where you live making a business, especially, more likely to answer.
 
#7 ·
My wife uses the reverse look up via Internet. If it looks like a tele-marketer, she blocks the number. For me, cell phone is strictly for personal use. If I don't recognize the number, I don't answer. If its someone legit, they will leave a VM.
 
#8 ·
threeats407 said:
Wish I could help. I had to keep two old business numbers forwarded to my most recent number. 90% of the people calling the old numbers are telemarketers. Each one that does is billed as an outgoing call from me due to the forwarding. Bottom line is these creeps cost me about $150.00 a month. The latest scam aside from them changing numbers every week is they are now using names and prefixes from where you live making a business, especially, more likely to answer.
Click to expand...
Why not port the numbers to new lines. Better yet, port one to Google voice, you'll have both numbers on the same phone.

Re: telemarketers - I don't pick up calls from unknown numbers.
 
#9 ·
I reached out to my Facebook friends for advice on this about two weeks ago. The verdict? Nothing helps. I've been blocking numbers as the roll in, but they call from a different number every time. A lot of them will start with your area code and the first 3 of your phone number too I notice. They also spoof numbers. I've had people call me and say "you called?" When I definitely didn't.

The blocking numbers thing seems to have slowed things down. I went from about 4-5 calls a day to 1 or 2 and some days (like today) with none. I know newer Samsung phones have a number blocker built in, not sure if iPhones offer the same.
 
#10 ·
Since it's a cell phone try downloading Truecaller. I have it on mine & it helps. It allows you to block nuisance #s and has a database of spam #s. Not perfect but better than nothing.
 
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#12 ·
badger75 said:
Rambler: My service, T-Mobile, does something like that for me.
Click to expand...
I have T-Mobile as well. I'm happy to report that with my flurry of blocking numbers and whatever they might be providing me, I only received ONE of these calls this week. Good ol' Susie from Health Services or whatever.
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Woohoodude11 said:
badger75 said:
Rambler: My service, T-Mobile, does something like that for me.
Click to expand...
I have T-Mobile as well. I'm happy to report that with my flurry of blocking numbers and whatever they might be providing me, I only received ONE of these calls this week. Good ol' Susie from Health Services or whatever.
Click to expand...
I, too, have t mobile. That Susie sure gets around. She called me 2x the other day(from different #'s, though).
Tried a new 1 on 3 or 4 calls this week, followed the robo prompts to reach a live person, & when getting a live person(for lack of a vulgar word), I politely informed then that this call was being recorded for quality and legal purposes. In every case the line went instantly dead....go figure? Anyway, Ive only had 1 robo call since, which is a drastic reduction. Who knows, maybe they scratch your # from the list, seriously doubt it, but a man can dream......
The 1 I did get, I told them how happy I was they called because I had been meaning to get a hold of them to see if they were interested in going on a fishing charter this week. Told him the kingfish & tuna have been going crazy, & this was a cant miss opportunity for him, & if he wanted to give me his CC info for a deposit, I could lock him in on my special rate!
 
#14 ·
cletedius said:
The 1 I did get, I told them how happy I was they called because I had been meaning to get a hold of them to see if they were interested in going on a fishing charter this week. Told him the kingfish & tuna have been going crazy, & this was a cant miss opportunity for him, & if he wanted to give me his CC info for a deposit, I could lock him in on my special rate!
Click to expand...
Gold.
 
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Woohoodude11
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