Make your own telezapper equivalent to stop telemarketers

[bcmind]

Here is the site for more States Do-not-call list.

hope this help!

[*]http://www.the-dma.org/government/donotcalllists.shtml[*]

 

[tops2]

i usually just hang up
once in a while, i'll just put the phone down, and let it sit there for like a minute or two...then they hang up

next time, i wanna just mess around with them and just talk to them and pretend like i'm interested, then just hang up on them after talking to them for like 5 or 10 minutes

 

[MowSow]

Very good info here ...!! thanks all

 

[ChurchOfSubgenius]

After reading a HUGE thread about this a while back I just started telling them to take me off their calling lists and believe me, it works! I even got "legal" letters from two companies about respecting my request. My wife wouldn't do it until she saw the letters (I wasn't expecting the letters or anything) now she says it to any that call and we are hardly getting any calls these days.

 

[insite]

FYI, the cheapo device that looks like a telezapper you see for $2.99 at Big Lots and the like actually has a microchip recording that states something like "This number does not accept this type of call. Please place this number on your 'Do Not Call' list."

I decided to save the money and do this myself- works like a charm. My speech: "I believe that telemarketing is an invasion of my privacy and therefore I do not purchase anything offered over the phone as a matter of principle. Please place me on your 'Do Not Call' list." Also, a nice added touch is to ask for their name and extension, which scares them into actually doing what you asked.

Since we sharing fun ways to get back at telemarketers, one of my favorites is to convince them you have no need for their service. This can be straightforward, like telling a carpet cleaner that you have hardwood floors, or hilarious, like telling someone selling replacement windows that you have no windows (my wife actually did this).

The most fun (in a warped sort of way) is to make them feel bad for even calling you... this can mean shrieking "How can you call me at a time like this?" into the phone, telling magazine sellers that you have just been blinded in an accident, etc. etc.

Have Fun!

 

[peterframpton69]

for texas residents, www.texasnocall.com

It will cost about $5.00

 

[hunt3r]

I will say the STATE no call lists are very effective. Indiana's call list has reduced our pest problem to almost nill. Finally some legislastion that is worth a d4mn.

I will warn of this though, some still make it through. Of course this is where the fun begins because I calmly ask for the info I need and then promptly turn thier a55 in!

The ones that have been slipping by are some of the large ones that use randomly picked numbers. The person usually tries to argue, we have no way of knowing we are calling a person on a no call list. To which I reply, not my problem, but your going to have to figure it out.

 

[Nucleus]

A while back I got a call from a lady wanting me to join the book of the month club. I let her go on for 2-3 minutes
then asked if this was a joke: She replied very enthusiastic "OH no sir this is for real" yada yada. Then I said again
this has to be a mistake: Again she told me all about it so after about 5 minutes I told her I was blind and was
deeply offended yada yada. Well after a 30 second pause (she is crapping her self) she went on to apologize like
crazy at that point I was about to die laughing so I hung up

 

[Elric428]

Heres how I handle telemarketers. When they call I simply sound as if I'm interested. Then when they start their speech, I simply place the phone down on the table and let them continue to talk to themselves. After awhile they eventually realize nobody is responding at the other end. Its such fun to hear them go on and on ad nauseum. Eventually they hang up.

 

[GooberedUp]

Crap, this is some of the funniest stuff . . . I'm laughing like a moron sitting at my desk here at work.

Are there any telemarketers on here to comment?

 

[alyosha]

Ohh, and to save the tone on your hard drive - right click the link, and choose - save as...

 

[wfay]

<< Heres how I handle telemarketers. When they call I simply sound as if I'm interested. Then when they start their speech, I simply place the phone down on the table and let them continue to talk to themselves. After awhile they eventually realize nobody is responding at the other end. Its such fun to hear them go on and on ad nauseum. Eventually they hang up. >>


that's generally my technique as well... though i really think the "take me off your list" bit will be my new plan... but i get almost no calls at this point so its not really affecting me much, thank god. (knock on wood...)

--wayne

 

[iansir]

I sort of am a telemarketer, but its for a good cause - my college's annual fund for scholarships...so I just call old alumni.
Anyhow, the tone does work. On my system, it comes up with a screen that lets you choose "Bad telephone number, No telephone solicit..." and some other crap when it hears the tone. We're told to hit bad telephone and then call information to look up the number. If we get the same number from information, we just leave it and make a note of it. They're still going to get called again.
Anyhow, the other telemarketers may have better systems, this is just a small one run by a group of students.

 

[TBC]

Telemarketing Fun http://www.chris.com/telemarketing/index2.html
(although I don't have the personality to do something like this... I usually will hang up soon as they don't let me get a word in).

 

[RevJim]

<< He sells his own telezapper but you can just download the SIT tone and record it to your answer machine! >>



The SIT tones that are on his site are the full, three-note "do-DO-DOOO!" tones you hear when you call a disconnected phone number. I imagine putting those on your answering machine would be pretty annoying.

I recently called a friend who had bought a genuine Telezapper and was surprised to hear only a tiny chirp when he answered the phone. I asked about it, and he said it was a Telezapper and that it had worked very well for him. The chirp was only about 1/10th of a second or so.

That's the advantage of buying a genuine Telezapper -- you don't have to play the full, annoying SIT tones every time you pick up the phone. You might be better off getting Caller ID and, whenever you get a call that is unidentified, play the MP3 of the SIT tones into the phone when you pick up. Predictive-dialing computers have a pause when you first answer to decide whether you are a person, an answering machine or a telco tone, so that might do the trick.

However, I've discovered the 99% solution to eliminating telemarketing calls: Call each of your credit card's customer service departments and ask them not to make telemarketing calls to you. I did that a few years ago, and my telemarketing calls went from 1-2 per day to 1 every month or two. Your credit card company can also "turn off" other types of marketing to you -- they can usually stop sending ads in your monthly bill, stop sending you those annoying credit checks, and stop mailing you marketing materials outside of your monthly statement. Since I turned off all the marketing my quality of life has increased dramatically. Try it, you'll never go back!

 

[kof]

I haven't seen anyone mention it but let the phone ring 5 times before picking up, most telemarketers hang up by the 4 th ring.
One other special handling technique to use is a "voice announce" talking caller id machine like this. I love it, it lets me be anywhere within hearing range and if I hear "outside of area" or "unknown" I either ignore the ringing or if I'm near the phone I "rock" it in it's cradle to hangup.
Also it let's me know WHO is calling.

 

[Mani]

I was once a telemarketer, around 4 years ago but it seems not much has changed since then. Man, if you guys think you have a bunch of stories, just imagine how many we have from our end. I got a lot of shlt especially, because being a poor sap looking for a summer job out of high school I took the job with a refinancing/debt consolidation company. So right about the time I was at "would you be interested in our debt consolidation or home improvement programs?" I would get any manner of pissed off remark, a number of which were so inventive I had to keep myself from laughing. What would compounding things is when people with bad credit would go on the defensive, thinking we got their number out of some bad-credit blacklist.

I would say just about every scenario people have described in here about how they treat telemarketters I have been on the other end of at LEAST once.

It paid well for a HS kid but I quit as soon as school started- I can't think of many jobs that would be worse to have.


Edit for spelling.

 

[hudster]

<< I recently called a friend who had bought a genuine Telezapper and was surprised to hear only a tiny chirp when he answered the phone. I asked about it, and he said it was a Telezapper and that it had worked very well for him. The chirp was only about 1/10th of a second or so >>

ok, so, who's got a recording of this sound posted somewhere on the net???


-hudster

 

[Skiracer]

My all-time favorite way to sc*ew with telemarketers that call at or around dinner time (which is most of them). I answer and wait for the inevitable 2-3 second delay then let the moron on the other end start their spiel. I lead them on, saying things tlike that really sounds good, and that it is something I really need. Then, just when they think that they are going to close the sale, I say in a very excited voice "Oh s*it- dinner is boiling over on the stove- hang on..". Then I put the phone down and never return. It's amazing how long some of these people stay on the line waiting and waiting.....

 

[warthogah]

I love playing with those telemarketers that try to sell their credit card services.
I wait till they finish with their spiel and then tell them I have an American Express Centurion card with NO LIMIT and then I ask them whether I should get their NO ANNUAL FEE, UP TO $5000 limit card. Also, I sometimes ask them do I get as much benefits as with the Centurion card, and they hang up faster than me, usually.
Some don't even know about that card.

 

[ghankerson]

I KNOW it's a telemarketer when...

I get that 3-5 second dead silence after saying hello.

They ask for the ""Man or Lady of the house."

They ask to speak to a Mr. Hankerson.

They ask to speak to (my name grossly mispronounced).


That is my clue to butt into their speech and say "No thanks, I am not interested (click)."

I used to be on the phone all day doing tech support and I feel bad for these guys. I can't handle rejection very well, and that is all they get allllll day long. So I try to be nice about hanging up on them.

 

[Derango]

My dad told a window and door telemarketer that we didn't have any windows or doors

 

[bmacd]

bump for making me pee my pants at work while reading this...thanks for the laughs guys.

-=bmacd=-

 

[hudster]

<< << I recently called a friend who had bought a genuine Telezapper and was surprised to hear only a tiny chirp when he answered the phone. I asked about it, and he said it was a Telezapper and that it had worked very well for him. The chirp was only about 1/10th of a second or so >> >>

so does anyone think that this 'chirp' is just a 'compressed' version of the 'normal' SIT? What I'm asking is, do you think that if you edit the 'normal' SIT in a wave-editing app so that it still plays the 3 same tones, just a lot more quickly, do you think that will work? Do you think that's what the telezapper's "chirp" is?

-hudster

p.s. sorry if i'm bothering, but I think the $50 price for one of these devices is equally as obnoxious as the actual telemarketing calls...

 

[OSUdrunk]

I'd suggest everybody gets on Kazaa or Morpheus or whatever and downloads some great elevator-type music. Then when they call, just put them on "hold" with the phone up to your speaker. It's funny watching how long they actually stay on the line.