Posted: 4/24/2003 7:38:48 PM EDT
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They've come down in price about $10.00 since it was introduced last year or so. Radio shack is selling them for about $39.00. Anyone own one and do they work? I'm getting so tired of answering these computer generated sales calls. |
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My own experience. I heard about some guys doing the "disconnect tones" on answering machines. You know "DOH DAH DEE - We are sorry the number you have reached is disconnected...". I decided to try it out. My experience is that my calls in dramatically decreased. The hardest part was to get the wife to leave the phone alone when a number came in that we didn't recognize. She loves to answer the phone no matter what form of torture lies on the other end of the wire. I think this is the same thing that the telezapper does. It's easy to do. find the tones on the web. Record your message with the tones at the beginning. The tones are the important part. For example, mine goes, "DOH DAH DEE It's amazing. The call comes in, the answering machine goes "DOH DAH DEE" and *CLICK* [}:D] It might be worth the $39 to stick it in your line and not have to do anything else. Good luck, marm0t |
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Yes, TeleZappers work. With a qualification. When you - or your answering machine - answers the call, the 'Zapper sends a tone which will disconnect the computer-generated call. That much is certain. I THINK the generating computer might also then delete your number, but I'm not certain. In any event, you will be spared from 80% - 90% of solicitors calls. Some are apparently still manually dialed, as I have talked w/ 3 or 4 over the last several months. BUT ... your phone will still ring, until you or the answering machine answers what then becomes a dead line. I gave 'em for XMas this year to my family. Four adults use 'em, and we all think solicitation calls have decreased. But - like the Orcs at Helms Deep - they still come. |
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In a word... NO. The telemarking autodialers have been updated to work around these units. Why do you think it's come down in price? The only real peace from your phone ringing with unwanted calls is subscribing to call block and privacy manager. Unfortunately, this cost money but my experience with the tones on the answering machine as lead me to paying for these two services. I have peace from phones. |
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The only hope is the law that congress is working for a do not call listing that will put the telemarketers out of business and drive that money into more Internet spam. You can download telezapper the tones off of the Internet and make them the first 2 seconds of your answering machine message. |
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We use the latest and greatest one(as of december), let me tell you IT WORKS GREAT!!! We were getting 3-6(if not more) solicitation calls a day due to stupid sisters filling out crap. it has cut it down to 1-2 a week, and I think it is getting less and less. the one we have has 2 settings, 1 beep and 3 beep, most computers will cut off on the first beep, but some wont, so we did 1 beep setting for a few weeks, then the 3 beep setting for about 1 week...then back to 1 beep where it stays. though it is hooked up on one line, it works for every phone in the house. the only ones it dont get are manual telemarketing...but those are not too common anymore at all. |
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Yes, the telezapper plays a 'phone hampster dance' noise whenever the phone is picked up. It does not use caller ID, or anything similar, and it does not work for manually dialed calls or calls where the system is set to ignore the 'hampster dance' noise... This causes computer-dialed telemarketing calls to hang up because they think the line is disconnected. Further, most pre-zapper software packages would delete the phone number from the database... They're trying to develop countermeasures now, so they can continue to pester you... The only real advantages of the zapper over the answering machine method are: 1) No work to make it work -and- 2) The zapper intercepts telemarketing calls you answer, not just those that hit the machine That's about it... |
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The first tone is all that is needed, however the other two phones are in place for further expansion. As mentioned before, when detected, the automated calling system hears the code and thinks the line is no longer in use, and removes it from it's directory. Does anyone know if the phone companies themselves sell your number to advertisers? A while back I switched phone companies, and my "unavailable" calls went way down. Since then I have privacy manager service, but I'm pondering if I can spend that extra $4 a month on something better, like reloading supplies. |
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Sorry for your guys luck! My telephone company has a $2 a month option. When you call my house, it pauses and say that telemarketers cannot call this number, if you are not a telemarketer press 1, if you are a telemarketer hang up. Havent had one unwanted call in the last 3 years. Well, a few from the family. : ) It is a co-op phone service, through GTE I believe. |