What I do is bug each one to tell me what company they work for and why it doesn't show up on caller id (usually it is "Caller Unknown"). I tell them that Washington State has a law about knowing blocking caller id and I ask for their policy on it.
Couldn't get MCI to give me any info beyond a place to MAIL for their legal department. Give me a break.
They'll try and say that they are using a computerized system and that's why it isn't showing up. Bogus. Also they'll say that your local phone company isn't supporting their caller id, which is bogus too.

Have you ever been short of useful things to do when one of those calls comes in and seen how long you can keep them on the line?

You can ask them for their home phone number and tell them you'll call them back later in the evening.

The other thing to do that freaks em out is to ask them what they're wearing!!

"Do you ever pick up the phone and no one is on the line?"

When you pick up the phone, say Hello! If you hear no reply within ONE SECOND, hang up. Works every time.

It seems to take about a second, or two for the telemarketer hardware to respond to a FISH on the Line!

This has the added advantage of costing NOTHING.

STOP THOSE ANNOYING CALLS, LETTERS and EMAIL for "free". Just a little work on your part.

Do a search on the "DO NOT CALL LIST" offered by many states. In Florida, you can download the form from the net - send $10 for the first year, with a $5 renewal thereafter. ...and viola! The calls stop except 2 or 3 in a year. You can also have a SPAM email stopped there as well.

Go to the FTC.GOV site and download the "DO NOT SHARE" letters that go to the three major credit bureaus. That also reduces you SPAM SNAIL MAIL and the odds of "unsafe lettering" with contaminated letters, in case you are concerned about Anthrax or whatever is next. Once you are through with that there is a marketing agency in Farmingdale, LI. research them and send them a letter as well. If you do all of this, you will feel like the Maytag Repairman in no time.... If things are not quiet enough, downlaod MAIL WASHER a free program that BOUNCES SPAM to the originator; reducs email SPAM to some degee as well as the other measures. - The cost? 33 cents a letter.

That won't stop the calls from coming in though because your number gets put back on the "callback-not home" list.

And you still end up answering the annoying calls.

"When you pick up the phone, say Hello! If you hear no reply within ONE SECOND, hang up. Works every time.

Yep...works every time....PLUS gives me time to decide if I want to PLAY with them.

Don't most of these outfits just go down a numerical list of phone numbers? We have an unlisted phone number (why, I don't know anymore!) and we still get calls.

On those occasions when I am expecting an important phone call and find one of these jerks on the other end instead, I try to encourage them to find another line of work by making the call equally unpleasant for them as for me.

For example, if they do state our last name, which no one can seem to pronounce unless they know us, I tell them if they can't pronounce the name correctly, I have no reason to talk to them-many will continue to try to say it right, until I say, sorry and hang up!

Don't forget to use "popup filter" to stop the annoying popup ads.

Yeah if they get my name wrong I say "wrong number"

There is a place at x10.com to kill their ads, which eliminates those annoying camera ads. It just goes on and on. But try to DO NOT CALL lists and the CREDIT BUREAU do not share lists. I DOES WORK....where would I get the time to post to this?

What I do is bug each one to tell me what company they work for and why it doesn't show up on caller id (usually it is "Caller Unknown").

I once got an Pacific Bell customer representative to answer this.

The unknown caller is calling from an outbound 800 number, meaning a phone bank where all the phones bill to one 800 number.

-PJ

Unfortunately, X-10 has led to everyone else doing those ads.

The reason those calls don't show up on Caller ID is that they originate out of a "boiler room" with multiple lines.
I just don't answer "unknown" calls. They go to voicemail instead. Never a sales pitch there!

I have have fun w/ the telemarketers by telling them a sob story. My wife left me, I lost my house and my car and my job. After 5 to 10 seconds of this, they hang up on me.

The most effective response is to tell the telemarketer that you want to be placed on their "Do Not Call" list. See http://www.fraud.org/telemarketing/teletips/action.htm. Some states have their own do not call lists too, but all for profit telemarketers are required to have one by federal law. My experience is that mentioning the words "Do Not Call List" really gets their attention.

The x10.com opt out is at http://www.x10.com/x10ads.htm

Unfortunately, it only is effective for 30 days.

There is a place at x10.com to kill their ads

Here is the link, just scroll down the page and click on the link to disable ads for the next 30 days...