This is the national "Do Not Call" registry.   It takes around 2 minutes, total, to enter up to three phone numbers at once.   It doesn't cost anything (We paid for it with our taxes already, might as well use it)  Help me put telemarketers out of business!  Seriously, i can't think of a drawback to being on this list.


[url]http://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx[/url]

Are you in the communications or networking industry?  Are you somewhere in the supply chain of products or services that sell a significant percentage through telemarketing efforts?  Don't kid yourself that there will be no negative impact.  

I don't necessarily have a problem with the concept of a do not call list, but some people seem to be happy as little girls for the power of big government in this example.  Remember this when the EPA and OSHA effectively shut down local electroplating companies, because 'the public has a right to clean air and water'.

Remember that the only people that have little to economy behind them when telemarketing, have been exempted from this legislation (politicians and charities).

[img]http://www.hyperbooks.com/images/11035.gif[/img]

All evening when I'm trying to spend time with my family, watch a movie, clean guns, practice my guitar, etc., I'm being called by people wanting me to refinance my house or change my long distance company.  These people are intruding into my home, my sanctuary, my life.  If it causes telemarketing companies to fold, I'll not shed a tear.  Let 'em find a real job (Annoying me is NOT legitimate employment, IMHO)!

someone should create a program that takes a few phone book cd roms as input and starts registering all of the numbers

done!

i hate those f*cking whores that relentlessly call me. even worse are the ones that leave epic messages on your machine while you're at work.

i wonder if the numbers the have now are pre-ban, and i'll still get calls?

I can live with Big Government doing something about this for me, even if politicians are exempt.  I can't ever remember getting a call from anyone other than county voting "telemarketers".    Charities- i'm pretty neutral on that one.

As far as your help the economy spiel,  I see this as moving more towards a market economy than not.  I wish those companies could be put out of business, but i have no clout.  with the government's assistance, maybe they will lose their "telemarketer jobs" and have to go out and get real ones.



ps there are tons of actual solicited check up calls that they can go get a job with, its usually called customer service.


pps   What did you think of the legislation that made junk faxes illegal?   throw  a big hissy fit over that one?   Hrrm

Kentucky came out with their own "do not call" list quite awhile ago.  I signed on, eliminated virtually calls.

Yeah, Oregon has its own, costs 6.50 for  the first year, first number.  I signed up for that one, as well!!

You know what I think would be a good Idea?  Something like the telezapper.  Instead of sending a signle that removes the number from the database, this device should send a power surge that destroys their equipment and KILLS THEM with electrical arcs.

On second thought, someone might get mad at me for doing that and holler at me.  Really loud too.

Bilster

You don't have to answer the phone, ya know. Get caller ID. If you don't recognize it, let the machine be your buffer.

Put the three "number out of service" tones on the front of your outgoing message and the telemarketer's computer will take you off it's call list.

The fact that your phone number(s) become public information.  One of my customers is just drooling at the chance to get his free copy of this list from the government so he can start using it.  Another friend runs a call-center that usually works for charities and the GOP, and he claims this list will really help his business.  BTW, the second guy can legally use the list.z

Umm, Huh?

You missed the point.  There are goods and services being sold through telemarketing.  While those industries will not fail, their sales will most certaintly drop.

 Yawn!  You can be sure my number will be on that list.  My point in responding was to counter the inevatible posts stating "F-em", "Let'em get real jobs", or similar responses.  If you have a 'real job' in an aluminum siding fabrication shop, you may have a slightly different tune.

Any discussion is unhealthy if someone doesn't point out potential problems with any issue.

Well if this isn't effectively the same as "Registering your phones" then I don't know what it is![:O]

The next step will be to confiscate our phones!

They can have mine when they pry my cold dead fingers from the handset!

BigDozer66

I'm on Kentucky's no call list, and I got my first telemarketing call of the year this morning.

The only downside is that I lost my touch and just let this one go.  I did manage to let him waste some time running through his prepared speech though.

Yup, this is exactly what the TeleZapper does, in case anybody wondered how this thing works.

Uhm, my phone _is_ registered, or it wouldn't work.

I accually kind of enjoy messing with them, to sign up for this would be to take away a significant portion of my fun on the phone

Exactly - notice the exceptions for political organizations, charities, and surveys.  It seems that when I got on our state do-not-call list, most of the telemarketing calls stopped - but the campaign recordings started - continuously.  I'd get the same recorded message at least twice a week.  Everyday when I got home (around the last election), there'd be at least 3 lengthy recordings on my answering machine.  This only started recently.  Hmm, I wonder how I got on THEIR call list...

CR

Does anyone else think having to PAY to get put on that list is blackmail or legalized extortion?  I usually just keep an airhorn by the phone.  "This is So-and-so from the yackety smackety corp, is B_E there?" "Why Yes he is, one moment.....
::BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMP::"

::Click::

And those tones would be.....

I hope there is a negative impact.  If a product is so useless you can't sell it without sticking in the face of the consumer via annoying, invasive telemarketing calls, the manufacturers and marketers of that product deserve to go out of business.

As far as telecom companies losing business supplying telemarketing firms, that would be like Glock complaining they were losing sales to convicted felons.

I've got nothing against vinyl siding, mortgage refinancing, or 2 day, 3 night vacations to some rotten shithole; but I would rather decide what I need and select a vendor myself, rather than sit at home hoping one the right one calls.  These assholes think just because I have a phone they have the God-given right to pull my chain, in the middle of dinner, when I'm taking a crap, or otherwise inconvenienced.  They also have filled my answering machine with stupid sales pitches, keeping people I actually want to talk to from leaving a message.



Government is a force which I gladly apply to keep these telemarketing jackasses from pulling my chain.  Don't people have more right to be left alone by these jackals, than the jackals have to harass their prey?  For God's sake man, people voluntarily sign up for the list.  It doesn't apply to calls from someone with a "business relationship".  It doesn't stop  less abusive forms of advertising (magazines, TV, direct mail, radio, web sites, sky writing, billboards.)  These rotten snakes started telemarketing for the same reason people send spam; low cost to them and it generates some directly measurable sales.  They completely ignore the cost of pissing of 98% of the people they call.

Since signing up for the Oklahoma do-not-call list, I have received almost no telemarketing calls (save the NRA and charities).  That's my preference and without the bigger hammer of Government I wouldn't be enjoying this lack of harassment.  If telemarketers were sensitive to people's wishes they'd self-regulate and do this themselves.  They've failed to exercise basic politeness and a little arm twisting is the order of the day.



I'd like them UNexempted.  Nothing against politicians and charities, but quit calling my damn phone.  There's a lot of charities out there, I only donate household goods and money to ones that don't call.  Now if I could just get the NRA off my back... (I like many things about NRA but their fundraising is not one of them.)

Usually, when the telemarketers call, I say that the person they are calling for died less than five minutes ago.  I then ask them so stay on the line with me until the police arrive.  I then start to cry and tell them "he was such a good dog, why did God make that pickup truck run him over?"

 I pay for unlisted phone #'s. Sounds like it  would be pretty stupid for me to put them in a registry.
 With the hours that I work, I have the ringers shut off so I can sleep and let the answering machine take care of everything.

As for the telemarketers, screw'em. Let them get a job with the TSA harassing people at the airport.

telemarketer = phone spam

DNC lists don't always work. They still call your number, and are able to get these lists. Pass them outside the U.S. and now they can call you.

Here's the main problem: it does not block most of the calls, only certain types.

Q: If I register my number on the National Do Not Call Registry, will it stop all telemarketing calls?


A: No. Placing your number on the National Do Not Call Registry will stop most, but not all, telemarketing calls. You may still receive calls from political organizations, charities, telephone surveyors or companies with which you have an existing business relationship.


Basically, they can still call you since they can claim they have an existing business relationship, etc.!

There is no downside to the do not call list.

Unlisted numbers are still called now, and are only useful for keeping people looking for you in particular from calling.  Most true telemarketers(random callers, and not companies you have purchased from in the past) use computers to randomly dial all numbers in a prefix until finished and continue to the next prefix.  They dial multiple numbers at once, and when a human pickup is detected, it routes the call instantly to a waiting telemarketer who see's your number, and name if the number is listed in the phone book, appear on their monitor.  This is the cause for the delay before the telemarketers talk, better known as the "be ready to get pissed off pause."

If your number is unlisted, they see no name, and that is why your telemarketers always say something like are you the decision maker in your household, are your the owner of the home, are you authorized to make decisions on your long distance plan, etc.

Now, the catch for telemarketers for all this is that they pay, at least for the states' "don not call" lists, a decent amount of money annually, quarterly, or monthly for access to the states' "do not call" list.  I couldn't care less about them paying, as the only companies that have to pay are one's who randomly call, but the government sure does like its money.

I'll deal with the telemarketers.  I'm not registering jack-shit with the fedgov.

I keep them on the phone , lead into where they are calling from, whats it like hows the weather ect. Then when I have a little info
I usually ask them intimate sexual questions and try to get their number, ask them out, offer to pay for their role in a hard core sex action flick. If its a guy I tell them they sound nice and that my homo 2nd cousin is getting out of prison soon and is looking for a nice boyfriend, since they sound sweet they should meet yata yata yata.
I dont even talk about the product they are hyping. I look foreward to these calls, and have a heck of a lot of fun why would I want them to stop?
Lebrew

yah, it is important to make sure the government doesnt have your phone number

see also posts above that said something about my phone number, the fed or state gov, registered, etc.

I must be really confused about this.  I always had this sneaking suspicion that the phone company was in bed with the government.   I never thought for an instant that the phone company would ever protect my personal info that they have on me bacause of billing, etc.  Also, aren't phone books public information?   Wouldn't that already have your info registered with the fedgov if they cared to input it into some data system?

ps- anyone notice what i said about junk faxes?   anyone remember how a significant portion of fax machines were rendered useless because of spam fax?

Yep, the registry takes all the fun out of messing with the telemarketers. I love to hassle them...

Especially when you talk nasty to the women who call....

Just the other day I got a call from NY Times wanting me to subscribe. I told them I would never subscribe to their newspaper. The guy asked why and I told him they are a socialist piece of liberal crap..he didn't know what to say...

I told one woman that I had huge hemmeroids and had to buy prep-h and that my ass was burning up really bad and couldn't afford what she was selling.

"We'll` be in your area"..."Oh yeah, where's my area?" -click-

I love telemarketers...They're more fun to mess with than anti gunners. Anti's just piss me off.

Your right DriftPunch, discussion is unhealthy without both sides of the story.   You make some points from the other side of the story.  I don't have to believe they are valid, do I?  [;)]

Yes, I see that you noticed my fax comment, and after thinking about it, hissy fit wasn't the right thing to say.

Does Aluminum siding have alot of sales generated by telemarketers?   I don't think i've ever heard of someone getting a call from them, in my area.   I don't think a whole lot of aluminum siding gets sold in my area, either.  Not that any of that has to do with the discussion/ argument

[sarcasm] Yeah, ok, the conspiracy/JBT nuts have [b]almost[/b] nailed it this time...this is actually a conspiracy to link email addreses with phone numbers and names!  Since it requires an email addy to register, I conclude that this is a devious conspiracy to get our email addresses and all phone numbers...yes, the 'gubment' wants your name, email, and the phone numbers to reach you and your family at. [sarcasm]
[rolleyes]
BWAAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA Thanks for the late-night laughs!  

No.  No conspiracy here.  Yet however benign it might be, I will refuse the gub's "help" at any given opportunity.

Does the "Do Not Call" list work on freaky, psycho ex-girlfriends too?

[url]http://www.webwithwes.com/defeat.htm[/url]

That's a web site that explains how the Tele-Zapper works and has the 1 and 3 tones from the "disconnected" recording as WAV files.

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I'm not going to sign up for this DO NOT CALL list.  I don't really get that many calls from these people, and besides, it's a great outlet for any anger that built up that day.

Not if you've done "business" with them in the past.[:D]