What's wrong with hanging up on telemarketers?

[BookstoreEscapee]

I have a somewhat difficult-to-pronounce last name. Doesn't help that most people think it's either German or Austrian...which usually causes them to butcher it.

I didn't guess it was either of those...not sure what I would have guessed, but I knew it wasn't German (I know it from the CS Christmas card list, for the record ).

As mean as it sounds to some, my family and I always got so much joy out of telling telemarketers "Call back when you can say it right!" or "Nope, wrong name!" when they'd make their attempt at saying it...

I like, "There's nobody here by that name."
(Nobody gets my first name right.)

[Wingates_Hellsing]

I'd say people in general only get my last name right 40% of the time and my first about 70% (I actually have a doctor who's got the same first name but pronounces it differently )

If they botch one or the other, it's usually a telemarketer though it's occasionally a buisness call or the hospital or something like that.

[Sableonblonde]

I don't like talking on the phone period, not even to friends and family. If someone is calling to sell me something...well, I didn't ask to be called and I certainly don't have anything to say. I haven't really dealt with very many telemarketers, and I probably would mumble something like "Um, sorry not interested" before hanging up, but I don't see anything wrong with just hanging up.

When I was 12 or 13, my mom encouraged (forced) me to get into volunteering at the local community center. It was bad enough I had to be there, but then I found out my assignment - calling up a bunch of people and asking if they wanted to donate to the center. Oh my god. At that age, my dislike of talking on the phone was more of an abject fear. Having to call up complete strangers and beg for money? My idea of hell on earth. I think I dicked around big time, and maybe only called two or three people...I blocked a lot of it out, it was so traumatic for me.

[kibbles]

There is nothing wrong with it. You aren't being rude or abusive (blowing air horns into the receiver), the only thing is that merely hanging up doesn't get you off of their list and just gets you a return call.

[MadMike]

A couple days ago, my son got a crash course in just why I don't answer numbers I don't recognize.

I was taking a nap after dinner, and my son was trying to sleep off a migraine. Poor kid has been getting them since he was 10. I didn't start until I was 28 or so.

We were getting calls that showed up as "Arbitron Ratings." As far as I can tell, it's some sort of survey company, which would be exempt from the DNC list, but that doesn't make the calls any less annoying. They had been calling every day for at least a week, and sometimes twice in the same day. I'd either ignore it, or I'd pick up the phone and hang it back up immediately.

This time, my son got up, stumbled over to the phone, and answered it. I figured it was his grandma or someone he knew, until I heard him say, "We will not be participating", and then hung up a few seconds later.

He told me he wasn't really awake when he answered it, and when he did some woman started talking a mile a minute, not letting him get a word in edgewise. Then she asked if he was "at least 16 years old", and he stupidly said yes. Then she went back to talking quickly, and then said, "So we'll go ahead and get started then." That's another thing that annoys me -- when they don't ask you if you interested, they try to tell you you're interested. When he told her we weren't going to participate, she responded with, "May I ask why?" That's another thing I hate -- when they don't take no for an answer. Apparently it pissed him off too, because that's when he hung up on her.

[Fryk]

I was a telemarketer for about a month. That's why I KNOW that yyou should just hang up on them. It saves both of you time, and they're trained not to take "I'm not interested" for an answer.

[kibbles]

I was a telemarketer for about a month. That's why I KNOW that yyou should just hang up on them. It saves both of you time, and they're trained not to take "I'm not interested" for an answer.

I agree but hanging up is just putting yourself in for another call back. It's better to ask to be taken of their corporate call list.

[Fryk]

Meh, there are so many types of organizations that are exempt, and it's a hassle to actually enforce, that it's best for me just to simply not answer.

[Pagan]

It irks me no end that there are exemptions to the DNC. I don't think they should be allowed. Right before one huge election (I think it was 2004 presidential election), I got home one evening and there were something like 30 messages on my machine.

One of our former governors had done a pitch for one of our Senate or House candidates. I'm sure this one pissed off people immensely because the call on my machine had come in at 11:30pm. You know when a lot of people are sleeping?

There's one that I've been trying to figure out where it's coming from so I can complain. Problem is that it's a robocall (which are illegal anyway) and it starts before my outgoing message is done. All I know is it's somewhere here in ABQ and they're "concerned" about my back pain.

We were getting calls that showed up as "Arbitron Ratings." As far as I can tell, it's some sort of survey company, which would be exempt from the DNC list, but that doesn't make the calls any less annoying.

They're do ratings for radio, tv, other media. http://www.arbitron.com/home/content.stm Very much on the up-and-up, but yeah, still annoying as hell.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I'm sure this one pissed off people immensely because the call on my machine had come in at 11:30pm. You know when a lot of people are sleeping?

I agree political calls shouldn't be exempt from the DNC, because they annoy me, but they most certainly shouldn't be exempt from the laws about what time they can call (and I doubt they are but I could be wrong). Even if they are it's pretty stupid to personally piss off the people you want to vote for you.

Problem is that it's a robocall (which are illegal anyway)

I got one of those at work the other day. (And I never get calls at work, even from within the company, which show up with the person's name.) I answered and a recording said "This is so and so and I'm transferring you to whatever"...then it transferred to me to a recorded sales pitch. And that's when I hung up.

[MadMike]

It irks me no end that there are exemptions to the DNC. I don't think they should be allowed.

Agreed. Apparently the reasoning behind allowing them was because non-commercial calls fell under the category of "free speech." But I could have sworn that "free speech" doesn't exist on someone else's private property.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I've had robo spam while at work; not for me personally, but calling the actual store number. The most annoying part of it is that there is no human voice at all; just the spam playing the instant I pick up the phone. And once, they rang back... and the spam started playing from the exact moment I hung up the last time. -.-

[elsporko]

Agreed. Apparently the reasoning behind allowing them was because non-commercial calls fell under the category of "free speech." But I could have sworn that "free speech" doesn't exist on someone else's private property.

No call list only applies to telemarketers. If the person isn't selling anything they aren't considered a telemarketer.

[MadMike]

No call list only applies to telemarketers. If the person isn't selling anything they aren't considered a telemarketer.

I realize that. I just don't agree with it. You don't have a right to free speech on my private property.

[AdminAssistant]

No call list only applies to telemarketers. If the person isn't selling anything they aren't considered a telemarketer.

Actually, any NFP (not for profit) can participate in telemarketing and is exempt from the DNC list. For example, a NFP arts organization can call people selling tickets to their latest show. (I didn't say it was smart, just that it's legal.)