Yesterday I was sitting with a wonderful idea i my head, setting up figures, props, and the phone rang.  I hate the phone to begin with, but when the caller is listed to someone or thing I don't recognize, that's even worse.  In the course of an hour, three calls, and three times the idea went poof.  Worse.  Cardholder services, the republican party, then cardholder services in that order.  How does one get that pest, which I think is nothing but a scam, stop calling?  The first caller got a string of less than noble language, which I won't feel sorry about.  The last one, I tried to keep him on the line as long as possible, even though I couldn't understand his broken English.  After a minute and a half, and he was showing some frustration answering my questions and I was giving him no information, I hung up suddenly. 

How does anyone else deal with these worthless turkeys?  I know they can see the phone number, I know they probably have my name, but two calls per day is sometimes not unusual, I've gotten four in the same day, nothing will make them quit calling.  Is taking their time and giving them nothing going to do anythine?  If so, then I need about four million others to do the same thing.

D.

There is a do not call registry in the US that you can enroll in to keep advertisers from calling your phone. Might wanna try it. I've been on it for years and I never got those calls anymore. And I do mean never. LOL.

As for dealing with them, my grandmother used to blow a police whistle into the phone...lol. You can however immediately request that they never call you again. They have to comply.

Good luck.

Laurie

I've been on the do not call list for years, both Wisconsin and federal.  Somehow, they get past that, so I'm switching tactics, maybe they understand paying someone to answer questions for as long as possible, getting nothing, isn't profitable.  More ridiculous, my CC balance is more often than not zero, I don't carry anything month to month, haven't paid a service chargte for over fifteen years.  The political calls, and they're getting pretty heavy now are exempt from compliance.  When the people that would be affected are the ones making the laws, wellll.  Doesn't make me like them though.  There is a reason politicians are banned from the annual Burlington Liars Club competition.  Professionals are not allowed to compete with amateurs.

Which doesn't make it any less irritating.

D.

Put the phone hand set to the side of the main unit for about 10 minutes.

Why?

Because it costs them money and they cannot disconnect the call.

After 10 minutes, put it back on the main unit.

It doesn't stop them calling, but it does cost them more in the long run! LOL.

if you are on a mobile, just turn down the volume and put a cushion over it, it will do the same but cost them even more!!! LOL.

All the best.

LROG

I get calls from Rachel with Card Holder Services all the time. She seems to move around a lot because her calls keep coming from different states.  So do their other callers..LOL . Whoever they are, they've got a long wait if they expect me to push any numbers on my phone.

Sometimes I just hang up & other times I lay the phone down & let their spiel run on. Ties up their lines for a little bit anyway.  I've ask telemarketers for personal info & got it sometimes.  Also, told them to hold on while I tended to something or other & just never picked the phone back up again.  Surprising how long some of them will wait..

I've been wondering how they're getting around the do not call list too.

What I do is be extremely rude...DO NOT CALL ME...I AM HANGING UP NOW!

Next time try this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kAb8vGSRBoE

A lot of businesses are ignoring the do not call list. I have voice mail. If I don't recognize the number, or the ID is blocked, I don't answer. If they want to talk to me, they can leave a message. The junk callers and "survey" people won't.

If it's your cellphone in USA, you pay for it. Hang up. Only american cell service  "doubledips" and charges both ends. afaik. I give out an old number connected by landline to an answering service to the public who ask for it.

Worst still,,, I've been clearing my grandmother's answering service for the last ten years (she has alzeimer's). The scumbags who try to talk old people out of their money would astonish you. And the scare tactic politics to get votes... It's just not a big enough crime yet.

I screen calls. If someone can't be bothered to leave a 10 second voice mail, they aren't worth talking to. Ever. If someone I know is calling with an emergency, they can talk to the answering machine for 20 seconds while I get to the phone. It will get my attention much faster than the phone ringer (which I turn off anyway).

I refuse to be a slave to my phone or to answer it automatically. If I pick it up, it's a conscious choice.

When I had a cell phone, I was paying by the minute. If anyone I didn't know called me, I simply hung up immediately or never answered. I will not pay to listen to telemarketers and scammers.

I answer my evening phone calls with "Good Evening, 7 Eleven, how may I help you?" .... then... total silence from the callers followed by an ughh or umm

Rachel from Card holder services? She and I go way back. She calls so often I might have to invite to the next family reunion. My husband won't hang up on telemarketers because he did it once and doesn't want to be rude. Instead he sits there and tries to tell them how the company should be run. Like these people have any say in it. It's been bad enough that even my son, who doesn't use the phone has started complaining. On consolation is that the election is in a few weeks and then the politicians will be done for a year or 2.

I rarely answer the phone, unless it's someone I know.  All my phones have caller number display.  If it's a withheld number or one I don't recognize, it don't get answered.  On the very few occasions I have answered an unwanted call, the response I give them is always "Fuck right off and don't call again".  Really.

That said, very few unwanted calls get through.  We're registered with the UK's version of the "Don't call" thing, which is better than nothing, and our number is ex-directory, too.

My phone is for my convenience, nobody else's.  Besides which, I'm an anti social old bastard anyhow.

Ah Rachael..Card holder services...I get her too!

Will tell you something. Older you get less crap you take..lol..

Quote - ...

Worst still,,, I've been clearing my grandmother's answering service for the last ten years (she has alzeimer's). The scumbags who try to talk old people out of their money would astonish you. And the scare tactic politics to get votes... It's just not a big enough crime yet.

You are SO right. It's so disgusting.

Laurie

One day back in the mid-1980's, about 8 years after my Mom had died, I got a phone call from "Mrs."  My Mom was "Mrs", I am "Miss" or "Ms."  So the first thing that popped out of my mouth was "Oh, I'm sorry! She's dead!"  The person on the other end was so flustered, that after stammering an apology abruptly hung up!  LOL

Now when I get a call for the "Lady" of the house, I just tell them that they are dead.  That ends the call pretty quickly.

I spent the first few years of married life in a battle with charities, phone scammers and cold callers.

all wanting to talk to my mother in law. I had every tactic used, they spoke to her the day before, they were family (even had one trying to say they were my Sister!!! yeaaaah that went well ;) )

took a coupla years but..

* *

as to cardholder services... the do not call won't stop them. they are a scam outfit that operate out of rented offices that the cops have been trying to shut down for years... law? whats that? ...oh you have won a cruise..... or the shops are full of insert season clothes here, so have these coupons to claim... sound familar?

* *

tho I DO like the ones that ring up and try to scam me into tech support for my PC .... I haz fun there....

Quote - One day back in the mid-1980's, about 8 years after my Mom had died, I got a phone call from "Mrs."  My Mom was "Mrs", I am "Miss" or "Ms."  So the first thing that popped out of my mouth was "Oh, I'm sorry! She's dead!"  The person on the other end was so flustered, that after stammering an apology abruptly hung up!  LOL

Now when I get a call for the "Lady" of the house, I just tell them that they are dead.  That ends the call pretty quickly.

Someone called my grandmother and asked for my grandfather more than 10 years after he died. When they asked to speak with him, my grandmother (and I am NOT exaggerating) said "Hold on while I go dig him up"

click

Laurie

My sister is the wicked one. When she got a call for my Mom, who had died 5 years earlier, she requested info in the mail and gave them the address of the cemetery. It was for life insurance.

OH.. I forgot about all the home security systems, the cruises & disney vacations that I've won recently. All I needed to do was push a button to get it.. LOL..  I never, never push buttons.

There's also the recorded messages that tell me they have an important business matter to discuss & to please call them at this number. If it's so important, why isn't it a live person calling to begin with.

Someone called my grandmother and asked for my grandfather more than 10 years after he died. When they asked to speak with him, my grandmother (and I am NOT exaggerating) said "Hold on while I go dig him up"

click

LMAO I toast your gramma. I called mine "grambo" when she was still with us mentally... tough as nails.

Quote - What I do is be extremely rude...DO NOT CALL ME...I AM HANGING UP NOW!

Why are you so polite? Acadia,  I wish I had the talent to pull that off, priceless!

Putting the handset down doesn't work like it used to.  Once they hang up, disconnect is in about 30 seconds, which would tie up my phone, and not theirs.

I don't have voice mail, answering machine, call waiting or any of that, I have one straight phone, not a cell phone.  As I also have a daughter in a nursing home, kinda important that I have a phone, and I dread the day when the call from the home isn't her on the other end.

My usual was a long string of things that would have me banned here, until I hear they've hung up, then I wait until I have the dial tone before I hang up, for that time, their line is hung up, small consolation.

NO calls from Rachel lately, maybe they fired her and hired someone else.  I'd like to get the phone number to their parent company, and see how they like having their lines blocked by as many people as I could have flood them.  Right now, I'm just happy to cost them what I can by keeping them on the line.

D.

Ask them what they're wearing.

Just. Hang. Up.

If its on an android cellphoen, there are numerous apps to screen and restrict calls coming in.

I've tried letting it ring if it's a telemarketer but that makes Mom worry.

Sometimes when a number like that "unknown caller" shows in caller ID it turns out to be my brother in Illinois and for some reason their calls get mied up.

So I answer and as soon as they syart talking, I hang up...lol.

You can file a complaint with the National Do Not Call Registry.

https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2

Coldrake

After my grandmother died my brother moved into her townhouse. Months later he was still getting phone calls for her. He would pretend to cry and go on about how he couldn't get over her death will all the telemarketers continuing to call.

Breathe heavily into the phone's microphone....LOL.

Laurie

What a coincidence, as I've recently discovered the telemarketing pranks of Jim Florentine. Some very funny stuff.

Quote - Breathe heavily into the phone's microphone....LOL.

Laurie

you may end up with a date.....

Quote - > Quote - Breathe heavily into the phone's microphone....LOL.

Laurie

 

you may end up with a date.....