telezapper
I hate telemarketers so freakin' much. Why on earth would they call before 9 on a Sunday morning? Yesterday, it was 9:01, today 10 minutes earlier. Luckily, yesterday I went back to sleep for a while, and today, I was already up, but the call kicked me out of PCAnywhere. Grrrr...
So yeah, I’ve heard of the Telezapper, that sends a signal to them to take them off your list. I am skeptical of that. So what I’d really like is a zapper. You push this button when the call comes in and it actually sends a small electric shock to the person making the call. That would get their attention, don’t ya think?!!!!
Comments
I told Matt that I wanted a regular zapper yesterday!
I know the telemarketers are just doing their job and trying to make a living, but they’re driving me batty in the process. They just keep getting worse.
Posted by: Brandy | January 5, 2003 09:09 AM
Does your state have a *Do Not Call* registry? We just got one here in Massachusetts...it goes into effect April 1, but people can sign up now. They even have it so you can sign up online...cool! The signups started on January 1, and already, thousands have signed up...I know I did!
Check your state government’s website to see if there is such a thing.
Also, I heard on the news that Congress might pass a law for a NATIONAL *Do Not Call* list. I hope so!
Posted by: Christine M. | January 5, 2003 09:33 AM
I really like that idea! Where can I get one?
Have you heard about this "no-call" registry? I think it’s different state-to-state, but I know that here in MA, as of Jan 1, you can start signing up. (You’ll be put on a list of numbers that the telemarketers supposedly can not call). My parents (in NY) got on the one there (which has been open before Jan 1), and said while they got a lot less calls, they didn’t go away completely. Still it’s better than nothing.
Posted by: Jennifer | January 5, 2003 09:54 AM
Woops! Had the window open for awhile before I hit "send" on my comment - so I didn’t see Christine talking about the same thing. LOL!
Posted by: Jennifer | January 5, 2003 09:55 AM
LOL
Put me down for one!
You know, if you patented one... you’d make billions! ;)
Posted by: GeekGrrl | January 5, 2003 10:07 AM
LOL...I was just fussing about telemarketers yesterday! Don’t they just drive ya crazy?
Posted by: stacey | January 5, 2003 10:53 AM
I thought there were laws about what time telemarkers could call? Before 9am on a weekend is, well, absurd. A way to zap them would be GREAT.
Posted by: rickie beth | January 5, 2003 12:40 PM
i love the do not call registry. we really don’t get any telemarketer’s calls anymore.
now, if i could just figure out how to get the stinking red cross to stop calling! they’re worse than the telemarketer’s calls we used to get!!
Posted by: C. | January 5, 2003 12:44 PM
One thing you might want to look into is to see if your phone company offers privacy detector (or something like that) You dialin *87 or something into the phone and then if someone who has their number blocked calls (like 100% of telemarketers do) they have to identify themselves first or put in their number, which few ever do. We use it and it works pretty well for unwanted disruptions.
Posted by: lynda | January 5, 2003 12:56 PM
I really like your new design, Kristine! Just wanted to let you know that. Hope you’re having a great start to 2003!
Posted by: Lisanne | January 5, 2003 01:40 PM
I get almost no telemarketing calls at home. Here’s how I did it.
1) Hang up on them before they get on the line. This is easy. There’s a pause after you say "Hello". This is the telemarketer phone equipment switching you to a free telemarketer. Just hang up.
2) I live in NY, where there’s a do-not-call registry. Sign up for that if you can.
3) Don’t give your phone number out if you don’t have to. Use your work phone if you must.
4) If a telemarketer does get through, tell them "Please put me on your 'do not call' list". By law they must not call back or else risk a fine.
Ken Beer
Posted by: Ken Beer | January 5, 2003 01:48 PM
I’ve actually been fighting them because they’ve been calling my 11 year old daughter!
You can go here for more information on how to get off their lists. They are assisting me in getting Julia removed from all the databases.
But.. not too quickly as we just got her very first credit card the other day!! OMG. It wasn’t even an application, it was a CARD! And anyone would have been able to just activate it in her name. Luckily the husband dealt with that one.
Posted by: Gina | January 5, 2003 05:25 PM
My parents have the telezapper and it seems to work so-so ....
we don’t get a whole lot of telemarketers, but we do get a lot of calls for "Levittown Lanes". I swear, we are just going to start booking people for lanes when they call....
Posted by: Amy | January 5, 2003 08:25 PM
Statia and I have both been hit early mornint this weekend, too—they must be out on the warpath this year!
Posted by: robyn | January 5, 2003 11:44 PM
One thing that’s really nice... A and I both have cell phones. I have NEVER received a telemarketing call on my cell. Neither has he.
Get a cell girlie. ;)
Posted by: GeekGrrl | January 6, 2003 07:16 AM
I found a way to stop telemarketers in their tracks. It is an audio call screener called SelfAnnounce. It requires callers to announce themselves over a loud speaker so you don’t have to get up to answer the phone if you don’t want to. Haven’t had one commercial interruption since I got it. Read all about it at SelfAnnounce(dot)com.
Posted by: phil | March 1, 2004 01:53 PM