Odd phone solicitation

[chas]

I got a call this evening from someone purporting to be representing oil and gas interests polling people about tax breaks. She said it would be a very short poll with only two questions. First question: Do I live in (where I live)?

"Yes."

Second question: Do I make more than $200,000 a year and is my net worth over $1,000,000.

"None of your goddam business."

"But we don't want to know the exact figure, just if the range matches our records." (Beer shoots through my nose.)

Has anyone gotten a call anything like this? I was totally creeped out. I called the FCC and gave the number from my caller ID. They said they don't do anything for individuals, but gave me the number of the office of the state Attorney General. Whose office only takes calls from 9 to 3 Monday thru Friday. Yep, crime only happens during bankers' hours.

[Cayden]

Chas,
Good post and highly illustrative of the ongoing degredation to the privacy of the American citizen. Could be a legit poll, it could also be a scam / set up. Not sure how Jepsen would handle it? I do think he would follow up on it. His predecessor would have been all over it if it would get his mug in front of a TV camera.

You did the right thing. I like to ask them if they could please hold for a moment and when they agree, just place the phone down, then go make a sandwhich or something else productive. Another great tactic is when they say, "would you be willing to answer a few short questions"?, say absolutely, and as they ask the questions just rapidly repeat everything they say.

I once had a phone solicitor badgering me about a "home freezer plan". I told her I did not have time to talk and that I was not interested. She replied " well you don't even know what I am selling". I said, " yes I do, you are selling meat". She then asks, " so, how do you get your meat now"? I responded, "I shoot it". Dead silence on her end of the phone, I hung up.

Some consider telemarketers to be a real irritation, I view them as sport!

Cheers,
Cayden

[I.D.10-t]

I find all cold calling/spamers/junk mail/etc. as parasitic. Polls are either trying to get something for nothing, manipulate, or both. I cannot think of a poll that has called me that has been actually trying to learn something. I don't understand why the college dorms seem to be able to filter out junk mail, But I am forced to sort through the "current resident" mail that my taxes are used to support even though I have gone through the do not call list, do not mail list and other hoops. About the only other thing that we haven't done is place a "No Solicitation" sign out front.

I'll accept my neighbor's right to place signs, flags, flyer stand, etc. as his right and freedom of speech right, but it annoys me to have others use my time property and resources to advertise, beg for money, and fish for information. One should have to "opt-in" rather than opt out, and that should apply to every one including "non-profit" groups.

Of course the real problem is that this kind of thing has a low cost to benefit ratio for the sender and the people that respond to them pay for their campaigns. Wish I could transfer them to a 1-900 number after they called me like a cannon printer helpline, or return to sender all of the junk mail.

[Innocent Bystander]

"I'm not interested."
"You don't even know what I'm selling!"
"That's how not interested I am."

[I.D.10-t]

Usually the conversation goes like this.

"Hi! I'm Jennifer calling on behalf of The Make a Wish Founda..."
"Remove me from your list."

[ytliek]

Some consider telemarketers to be a real irritation, I view them as sport!

Nowadays, I don't waste my time... often don't answer phone if I don't recognize number, or if I can see the organization on caller ID.

I have done like I.D.10-t and opt out of everything, no call list, etc., and I have put up the "No Solicitation" sign right below the "Beware of Dog" sign out front. I don't own a dog.

On my sporting days, when I need a little pick-me-up (not alcohol) and I do answer the phone, if I can tell they are reading from a script in a monotone voice, I let them read it all and at the end, I ask if they could repeat that, pause "the whole thing?", why yes, I don't think I got it all first time through. When they start again or after reading it twice, I hang up.

On better sporting days, when the caller asks to take poll or whatever crappola they're selling, I reply my time and opinion is extremely valuable and I want to know in advance how much cash I'm going to be compensated with. "Are you serious?", yes, time is money, everyone knows that. HOW MUCH CASH are you paying me?

ps I hope that last one doesn't ruin me on the forum, as I've asked for alot

[chas]

The problem with just not answering is that there are so many robocalls, and it's easier for me to hang up right away than it is to delete them all from the box.

I don't mind answering polls. If it's a poll that sounds like it might be slanted, I'll ask if there's a number I can call to find out who's paying for it. If they won't give me that information, I opt out. If it's a real solicitation, even from an organization I support, I say promptly that I don't take any phone solicitations. If they give the "we're not soliciting, we just want you to pick a magazine" crap, then I hang up. The way I look at it is that the actual caller is just someone trying to get by, quite possibly someone who's been downsized or finally climbed his way out of fast food; no reason to shoot the messenger.

[I.D.10-t]

...no reason to shoot the messenger.

It was real hard to remember that when I was trying to cancel DSL service from Quest. After we spent a week waiting for technicians (and burning time off from work) we started the phase of trying to have service cancelled (withing 30 days no penalty) My wife tried to call and have service dropped and had to stop after 30 minutes of run-a-round. At that point she had the designated jerk call (me). I must admit that it was even difficult for me to get through it simply repeating "I want to cancel my subscription." Finally had to change to "May I talk to your manager."

For marketers I hold the consumers (the ones that participate), transmitters and the businesses responsible, not the callers and postmen.

[burnsbyrne]

After we got our home phone bundled with our internet and cable service we found - to our delight - that the phone rings differently when telemarketers call. I don't know how it does it but I like it. And if we are watching the TV when the phone rings a message appears on the screen with the caller ID info so we can decide if it's worth putting down the popcorn to pick up the phone. I love technology when it works for me!