[Stu from NYC]

Originally Posted by Girlcopper

Dream on. Telemarketers are forever whether they get a sale or not

They are in business to make money.

If they do not sell they make no money and will go away.

[TheMoyers]

I have begun to punch a number that gets me to "an agent", then put the phone down and listen to them try to talk to me. I feel my little delay will at least save a few other people from getting called.

[Eg_cruz]

Originally Posted by LizzieBorden

With a Verizon feature that comes with my service, most of mine now come through as “Potential Spam”. Yesterday I received a text from Verizon that says they will now route those calls to Voicemail for extra protection, this will come with the iOS14 update called “Silence Junk Callers”. This will auto-block potential spam calls and send them to your “recent calls & Voicemail”. Since Verizon started the potential spam feature, it has been much better, and I can only imagine that this will enhance what we already have. Anyone else using this feature?

AT&T has the same. I have had mine for 6-7 months. It does not get them all but enough. I have also seen a downward turn in the spam calls since they started this program.
For landlines there is a device that you can hook to your landline to stop spam calls and to block up to 15,000 numbers. I got one for my dad and it works right on getting rid of the spam calls.

[Ecuadog]

When I am lucky enough to get a live person, I play this for them.

Sick Villain Sounds

[noslices1]

Originally Posted by davem4616

I'm so accustomed to getting daily calls from "Angela", letting me know that this is her final attempt to contact me about an extended warranty on my auto, that I'm almost beginning to think I may miss her when she stops calling.

LOL

I get one or two calls every week from a company that wants to “improve” my Medicare experience. Each call sounds like the same person, but from locations all around the country, but mostly from Southern California. I have told them, at least 20 times to take me off their call list, but when I do, they just hang up. A couple of days later I will get another call. I think I’ll get a loud whistle and blow out some eardrums if it keeps going on.

[Pdesensi]

I get a phone call once weekly alerting me “this is the final attempt to contact me concerning the approval of My student loan”. Every time she calls I block the number. She must have several banks of numbers because the call come from a different number each time.

[FromNY]

Caller ID, if number is unknown I do not answer. Call goes to voice mail. If it is a telemarketer I block it. Why waste time answering a number I do not know. If you are on my caller ID list I answer. Once you answer they keep trying.

[gpk111]

Originally Posted by Number 10 GI

I find it dismaying that enough people buy from telemarketers to make it profitable for them to spend money on it. I have never and never will buy from a telemarketer. If people would stop buying from them they would go out of business and never bother us again.

...but Social Security or Medicare won't go out of business for a while!

[gpk111]

Originally Posted by FromNY

Caller ID, if number is unknown I do not answer. Call goes to voice mail. If it is a telemarketer I block it. Why waste time answering a number I do not know. If you are on my caller ID list I answer. Once you answer they keep trying.

How do you block it if the incoming number changes all the time and call backs answer with "number disconnected?"

[MandoMan]

Originally Posted by davem4616

I'm so accustomed to getting daily calls from "Angela", letting me know that this is her final attempt to contact me about an extended warranty on my auto, that I'm almost beginning to think I may miss her when she stops calling.

LOL

The people who own these companies should receive serious prison time (and be tortured by having to deal with 24 hour calls and salespeople).

Usually I just hang up. Last month I let some girl make her spiel. Then I quietly told her there was no way I was ever going to buy an extended warranty, and was there any way I could be removed from the call list so people like her won’t waste their time. She said she would take care of it. I THINK it helped, at least for a few weeks.

[gpk111]

Originally Posted by Ecuadog

When I am lucky enough to get a live person, I play this for them.

Sick Villain Sounds

They're very good at hanging up immediately. You have to keep them on the phone for a while and congratulate them for being a "supervisor" or ask them to hold while you let your dog in. Then hit them with a surprise.

[gpk111]

Originally Posted by Choro&Swing

The people who own these companies should receive serious prison time (and be tortured by having to deal with 24 hour calls and salespeople).

Usually I just hang up. Last month I let some girl make her spiel. Then I quietly told her there was no way I was ever going to buy an extended warranty, and was there any way I could be removed from the call list so people like her won’t waste their time. She said she would take care of it. I THINK it helped, at least for a few weeks.

Much too kind! I bet they tagged you as kind and made you a bigger target. These people are hard core scum.

[retiredguy123]

Originally Posted by gpk111

How do you block it if the incoming number changes all the time and call backs answer with "number disconnected?"

It's not a good idea to call back a telemarketer. You could be making an international call and your phone company will charge you for it. And, there is no way to remove the charge from your bill.

[gpk111]

Originally Posted by retiredguy123

It's not a good idea to call back a telemarketer. You could be making an international call and your phone company will charge you for it. And, there is no way to remove the charge from your bill.

Most of mine come from my local area code. ...which is why I answer in the first place. ...for example to confirm a doctor's appointment and the call may come from a secondary number.

[Dgodin]

Originally Posted by davem4616

I'm so accustomed to getting daily calls from "Angela", letting me know that this is her final attempt to contact me about an extended warranty on my auto, that I'm almost beginning to think I may miss her when she stops calling.

LOL

She is also calling me. She moves around quite a bit. Sometimes she calls from PA, and other times FL. I thought we had something going but then she started calling my wife too.