Posted on 02/06/2008 5:49:08 PM PST by SmithL
WASHINGTON, (AP) -- Politicians have finally found an issue they all can agree on: Telemarketers calling at dinnertime are a scourge that must be repulsed.
Congress on Wednesday sent to President Bush two bills that would make permanent a program to protect consumers from unwanted phone calls from telemarketers. Its hallmark is the national "do not call" list.
"This initiative has proven to be one of the most popular laws in history," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-N.C. Extending the program was necessary "to avoid the wrath of millions of angry constituents."
The Do Not Call Registry, initiated in 2003, has been widely acclaimed for allowing Americans to eat their suppers in peace. Some 150 million people have listed their phones on the registry, which prohibits calls from telemarketers.
"I remember times we just used to take our phones off the hook," said Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Pa., a leader on the issue, recalling pre-registry days.
"Consumers without exception hate the annoyance of intrusive telemarketer calls at dinnertime," said Chris Murray, senior counsel for Consumers Union. "When nearly every American household has taken the time to register, that says something really strong."
Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, put it in political terms: "With a 10 percent approval rating it is incumbent upon us to continue to pass legislation that is indeed popular."
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
They are collection agencies, probably making calls for the person who previously had your number. The only thing that you can do is to answer the call, listen to their initial line and ask for a call back number before you answer their question. Tell them that you have been a victim of some phone fraud and need to have their call back number and name, before giving out any information. Then call them back and lay into them for calling you. Tell them that it is illegal to bother you with their problems and that if it happens again, you are going to report them to the state attorney general’s office for prosecution.
You seriously need caller ID.
Thank you for your reply. When I answer the call there is no on on the other end, the line just disconnects. Ordinarily, I would not even bother to answer. However, my sister lives in Alaska and sometimes her calls come across as “out of area.” Also, my son is in Army basic training and one of the pay phones he called home on also came through “out of area.”
My phone company says its some type of auto dialer.
Are you registered?
If you register they will quit
CAveAT: Your bank can call
“McCain’s robo-call left a message on my answering machine today (in MD).”
Same with me in Va.
For the stuff that slips through:
NEWS FLASH!
You are under no moral or legal obligation to talk to these creeps.
When some critter I don't know calls ... I immediately demand (sometimes quite harshly) who is calling and what their business is. Also who they're trying to reach, unless they specify me (by both first and last name) up front.
If I don't like the answer, I hang up.
You don't have to "convince" them of anything. You don't have to engage them in conversation for any purpose.
Just hang up.
My son likes to let telemarketers get wound up, then he interrupts with “excuse me, but since you don’t seem to be using your soul, may I have it?”
That usually ends the conversation.
I'll have to try that one ...
Should I try the "innocently curious and earnestly helpful" tone of voice, or the "psycho creepy I-wish-I-was-Alice-Cooper" tone?
He plays it straight, but the Alice Cooper approach might be fun.
Yes, I originally registered when the program was established and re-registered again 6 months ago after I re-located and had a new phone #. Most are bot calls that occur at random times of the day. I’ll follow some of the good ideas here and see what happens.
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