OT Telemarketers

[Instar]

I was being harassed by Cloud Visa (4 calls in 2 days even after I said "Not interested"). So I gave in....


And gave them fake info. Apparently, all their data in the database was wrong. I happily provided the "correct" data (I live close to the Whitehouse, 1400 PA ave).
I hope they stop calling, I even had a fake phone number to give.

I can see how what I did was wrong, but come on, they were breaking the law! Sure, they will waste their money on a completely nonexistant person, but my time is more valuable than to have it wasted by annoying as hell telemarketers. I just wanted it to stop.
Anyhow, I guess even with fake data I can get approved for a visa card.

[PvK]

Nah, what you're doing was right!

PvK

[Suicide Junkie]

Ooh, fake info, get a fake credit card, and then take a cash advance of fake money!
You can then use that to help the Nigerian guy get all those millions of dollars out of the country! With that kind of money, think of all the enlargements you could have done!

My goodness, think of the spammariffic possibilities!

[Parasite]

Tell them to put you on their "Do not Call" list. Write down the company name and date time person info. If they call you back in a year they are liable for penalties and fines.

[edit:] Don't just say "Not Interested"

I have not been called back after doing this, so I don't know they really will pay you or not. It even worked for a SnailMail spam, but a little over a year later I got another letter that my (nonexistant) wife wanted the floors redone.

[ November 04, 2003, 21:51: Message edited by: Parasite ]

[Instar]

Heh, my problem was not laughing. That and the girls across the hall thought it was a riot so the one had to listen in.

[Atrocities]

The "Do not call list" is being widely ignored by companies such as AT&T. They will challenge the legality of the law in court and if they loose they will appeal the decision and drag it out for years. In the mean time they will keep making calls. Ultimately when they do loose, they will negocate a settlement for one percent of what it is they owe in fines.

In time many other companies will follow AT&T's example and begin to ignor the list entirely.

The one thing the list does not protect you from is collections. Those blood sucking MthrFkers will use the list, sold to them by the US Government, to hunt down any dead beat they can and begin calling them.

Also my phone compnay just charged me $5.00 fee for placing my number on the no call list. I have filed a complaint with the Attorney Generals Office over that.

[PvK]

AT&T was in the local news Last night - they're gettin' sued, and supposedly claim that they try their best to use the do not call lists.

PvK

[Erax]

I just screen my calls. When I do pick up the phone and it's a telemarketer, I tell them I'm happy with my current newspaper subscription / auto insurance / credit card.

We've had some trouble with telemarketers at work, but it's fallen off lately. Someone must have threatened to tell the Big Boss about it.

[Parasite]

Each company has a "Do Not Call" list for that company. They must call you, and then you must say "Don't call me again ( http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/rolleyes.gif please http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif )". This also works for charities you don't want to support and others. It is not the Texas or the National list.

[primitive]

Just some info on no-call lists. We have had a similar system going over here for about 5 years. It took some time to start working, but after a while its all good stuff.

The bloodsucking telemarketing companies http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon12.gif , will soon learn that it is not economic to pester people on the no-call list. They do track their sales, and will probably have to make 10 times as many calls per sale with the no-callers as with other people. As soon as they realise this, the no-call list will go from being an enemy to an important sales tool. To bad each company need to learn this for themselves though, instead of trusting experience learned the hard way elsewhere.

I love the no-call list. I have not had a telemarketer call me in 3-4 years http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

BTW:
We even got an option to block beggars (charities). That is still not working 100 % though, but its getting longer and longer between calls.

[Erax]

I don't know if we have a no-call list down here. But we don't have too many telemarketers either, so it evens out.

[mottlee]

I like the fake info....when they send a bill say thats not me!...as to snail mail use there postage paid envlope to send it back http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Ragnarok]

Before we got on the 'do not call' list I would always have some fun with the marketers that called. They would ask if they could have my info and I would just simply say 'no' in a clam voice. They would ask why and I would say 'I don't know', and they would remain silent. They would then proceed to tell me about the product they had and I would be like 'hmmm, that sounds nice'; or 'WOW! I can't believe they made something like that!'

Pretty much anything to mess with their heads. They would eventually hang up on me instead of vice versa which made it that much more fun.

If I ever get called again I'm going to pick up and say 'Hi, my name is (fake name) and I was calling you on behalf of (fake company) to offer to you this new product we have...' I was then going to list off whatever it was and see what they'd do. I can just see them saying, "Ummm sir, I called you..." http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[Atrocities]

Around Dinner Time;

Phone rings:

"Hello?'
"Hello is the Mr. Christopher in?"
"Speaking"
"Hell my is Joe and I am calling on behalf of Sears-"
"Sears? Hey do you have a number I can call you back at, perhaps an address too?"
'Excuse me?"
"Ya you see you just called a number on the Do Not Call List."
"I see Mr. Christopher. Um our understanding is that the matter is not legal therefore we, as well as many other companies, are going to await a legal rulling on this matter."
"Nice, so in the mean time you are just going to call peoples house regardless of the no call list?
"Yes."
"Well I am still going to file a complain."
"That is your call."
"And so is this."
I hung up.

That was Last night. (Not entirely per vabtum, but close enough)

[Renegade 13]

Another option:

One time my dad was phoned by a telemarketer from Quebec trying to sell, of all things, pens. Not just a few pens either, 900 pens. Now I don't know about you, but I have no use for 900 pens.

Anyways, my dad had some time to waste, so he strung the guy along for a long time, asking about this and that, pretending he was actually interested. Finally, about 45 minutes later, he says, "I don't need you damn pens" and hangs up.

Why is this a deterent? Well, as they were calling from Quebec, and we live in British Columbia, (a distance of about 2000 km) the long distance charges would be horrendous. That automatically put us on their do not call list. I guess they don't like spending lots of money on long distance for someone who was just going to jerk them around http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[narf poit chez BOOM]

We even got an option to block beggars (charities).
<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">remember, there but for the grace of god...

[Baron Grazic]

Now this has given me some thoughts on the matter.
Next time, instead of just asking them to hold, while I go back to doing what ever it was I was doing, I'm going to have some fun. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[CNCRaymond]

The ones I hate are the bill collectors calling for people who had the phone number before me. I just changed my phone number after two years, because all day long all I would get were calls from some bill collection company. Finally I downloaded a phone call handling system onto my PC and recorded the calls. I told them that I was not the person they were trying to reach and polity asked them not to call me back. They continued calling.

Each call I would talk to them and each time I would get a bit more angry. They would say things like;
"Well if you want the calls to stop, then pay this bill." or "We know who you are and where you live, so you had better pay this bill or else." They would go on and say things like:
"We can have you arrested for not paying your bill."
"Do you own a car? We can take that too."

Generally they were all just plain nasty folks.

Finally after I thought I had enough proof to prove that they were harassing me, I contacted my lawyer. (They don't come cheap boys and girls so don't do this unless you have too.)

He sent them a nice letter detailing the calls and such and how they violated state and federal law. He informed them that I had a case for harassment since I was not the person they were looking for. The calls continued. I changed my phone number and had my attorney file a suite against them. That got a response in a big hurry. They counter sued stating that I had no legal right to record my phone calls. (Um yes I did, you see the answering machine on the PC picked up before I did and clearly stated that the conversation was being recorded.) The case went on for most of the year and was about to go to court when the collection company offered a "resolution" to the matter. It would seem that they were under the impression that my state laws did not apply to them since they were not in my state. They were wrong and if the matter had gone to court, they would have lost big time. Additionally they were being investigated by the State for doing to others what they did to me. Threatening them.

It was not much, but enough that it payed off my new car. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

So yes, if you have the money, you can go after harassing phone callers. But you had better have a lot of proof.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

i just got computer telemarketeered. it's evil. telemarketeers aren't nessasarily, but spammed by a computer...totally impersonal and one-sided.

[Instar]

Good one, heck, I bet you wouldn't need a lawyer if you knew the applicable laws and such (wait, then you'd be a lawyer). Oops http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon7.gif

[Jack Simth]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
i just got computer telemarketeered. it's evil. telemarketeers aren't nessasarily, but spammed by a computer...totally impersonal and one-sided. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Called up and given a recorded message by a computer? If so, that is illeagal in and of itself in a lot of places. Some even have the company that did it fined for a particular amount, payable directly to the person called, on a per incident basis. You might want to see about finding a copy of your local laws in the library.

[Instar]

Not to change directions but dang, this WinShow browser hijack is still around *after* repeated removals (manually unregistering its files and deleteing them, to using Ad Aware 6).
I don't know how it keeps coming back... I'm really pissed at 8ad.com and 00hq.com
People like that make me sick... especially since I *never* agreed to use their software. I wonder if my startup items were modified to get the latest crapware from them.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Called up and given a recorded message by a computer? If so, that is illeagal in and of itself in a lot of places. Some even have the company that did it fined for a particular amount, payable directly to the person called, on a per incident basis. You might want to see about finding a copy of your local laws in the library.
<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">money is usefull.

[Cosmos]

Just the other day someone show up at my door. I look thru the stain glass door and did not recognize them and they were wearing regular clothing, so they were not Mormons either. I open the door to see what gives! And guess what! It was a salesperson...... AAGGGGGGG..….I hate door-to-door salesmen. No mater what I say, the dude would not SHUT UP!! And when he finally did shut up!… after five f---ing minutes... he ask me for a drink of water, so I told him stay there… and I got him a cup of water and told him to keep the f---ing cup, and then I closed the door.

Well… I did not say keep the f---ing cup... but I felt like saying it.

I hope this not the return of the door-to-door salesmen because of telemarketing. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon9.gif

[ November 06, 2003, 05:19: Message edited by: Cosmos ]

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by Instar:
Not to change directions but dang, this WinShow browser hijack is still around *after* repeated removals (manually unregistering its files and deleteing them, to using Ad Aware 6).
I don't know how it keeps coming back... I'm really pissed at 8ad.com and 00hq.com
People like that make me sick... especially since I *never* agreed to use their software. I wonder if my startup items were modified to get the latest crapware from them. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Does your system auto back up at shut off? I know that on XP and even win2k you have to disable that function before killing a virus or it will come back.

[Atrocities]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
i just got computer telemarketeered. it's evil. telemarketeers aren't nessasarily, but spammed by a computer...totally impersonal and one-sided. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">To bad we can get a port number and send it a virus. What a lovely day that would be when all of the Telemarketers computers crash because of the DONTCALLME Virus.

[narf poit chez BOOM]

yeah. ugh. stomach feel bad.

[Jack Simth]

Originally posted by Instar:
Not to change directions but dang, this WinShow browser hijack is still around *after* repeated removals (manually unregistering its files and deleteing them, to using Ad Aware 6).
I don't know how it keeps coming back... I'm really pissed at 8ad.com and 00hq.com
People like that make me sick... especially since I *never* agreed to use their software. I wonder if my startup items were modified to get the latest crapware from them. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">I think my machine once had something similar - it turns out it was an HTML virus (or something - I just got rid of it, I didn't look at it). Virus scanners didn't catch it. It seems whenever you open certain browsers, it runs html files in certain locations - check your root directory (plural if you use more than one,) your Windows (I'm assuming it's Windows) directory, Program files, and the directory your browser runs in. The thing buried itself on my computer, changed the permissions on for Internet Options so I couldn't mess with them directly, and set my homepage to some website or another. Every time I opened my browser, it ran (either from the page it set my homepage to or through the stored Version) and put everything back the way the virus wanted it. I fixed the permissions through Control Panel, deleted the HTML by hand, and set my homepage back from a bookmark I keep for that purpose. That bug hasn't been back since. However, yours might be something trickyer. What worked for me might not work for you.

Also, you may want to check your startup menu - most of the stuff in there is usually pretty worthless, so go ahead and get rid of it by renaming the directory (usually C:\WINDOWS\Start Menu\Programs\StartUp) to something else - ...\Programs\DisabledStartup, perhaps - to allow revcovery of anything you actually want to start up on startup (for example, I've got a remote control utility for the TV tuner installed into my machine; that, I do want).

[narf poit chez BOOM]

my stomach now feels somewhat better, but you don't want to hear of my recent activity.

[dogscoff]

My favourite trick with telemarketers is to ask if they mind being put on hold. Then I put the phone next to my stereo and play loads of highly offensive punk music. (Snuff's 'arsehole' is a particular favourite)

You can check back 5 minutes later and they'll often still be there, but by 10 minutes they've usually hung up.

[Suicide Junkie]

Originally posted by narf poit chez BOOM:
i just got computer telemarketeered. it's evil. telemarketeers aren't nessasarily, but spammed by a computer...totally impersonal and one-sided. <font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">Did you try dialing zero? That might bump you through their phone system to the operator...

[Wardad]

Spam Song link.

http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_python.htm

Hear it by clickin Spam Song at bottom of the page. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/icons/icon10.gif

[narf poit chez BOOM]

Did you try dialing zero? That might bump you through their phone system to the operator...
<font size="2" face="sans-serif, arial, verdana">thanks.

[Azselendor]

Have some real fun with them, pretend to be a phone-sex operator.