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**glenn514** · 01-31-2013, 08:06 PM

My brewing friends...

You have probably been getting them, too...the calls that begin, "Hello, this is Rachel [Anne/Victoria/etc.] from Card Services. There is no problem with your credit card account..." When we first started getting the calls about two years ago, we'd just hang up. Then, they added an option to push a number "...and the calls would stop." Right! So, we then tried politely to speak to the warm body and get our number taken off their list. All to no avail.

So, I bought an ACME THUNDERER whistle! Is it one of the loudest whistles on the market, and is used extensively by law enforcement, sports referees, and the like. I keep it right next to the phone.

Today, Anne from Card Services called, so I picked up the whistle and pressed the number to speak with a service rep. When he answered, I blew the whistle as hard as I could into the phone receiver and hung up. He called back...and I did it again! Then, I decided to let the answering machine pick up the calls. Call #3 was silent, and he just hung up. Call #4: "Bitch! You're gonna die!" Call #5: "I've got your address now, Bitch!"

So, I now have filed a police report, called AT&T customer service [caller ID and the privacy program begin tonight] as well as their annoyance call line. I was encouraged to call the Federal Trade Commission and file a complaint with them, which I did.

BUT I'M GONNA KEEP THE WHISTLE RIGHT BY THE PHONE!

glenn514

**Punity** · 01-31-2013, 09:11 PM

Win i hate those damn things and my wife works at the friggin bank we have the card with.

**krackin** · 01-31-2013, 09:16 PM

Ain't ya going to tell us where you got the whistle?

**Akavango** · 01-31-2013, 09:20 PM

What i used to do when i got one of those calls. I would tell the person that i was interested but I have something on the stove. Can you wait a few seconds so that i can take it off and I'll be right back. I never came back to the phone. I once had someone wait 19' for me to come back before hanging up.

Another time I got a call and got all the detais from the company befoe telling them that i was on the do not call list and that this call call would cost them at least $500.

I really enjoyed ****ing with them. Fortunately now I no longer live in the US and marketing calls in ireland are far and few and between them. Still using the same tactics when I get one tough.

GarageDweller · 01-31-2013, 09:28 PM

glenn...i like your style man. innovative! haha. what kind of call center employee would make a death threat over having a whistle blown into the phone? guess you hit him in a soft spot there. he must not like his job all that much...

**mcbaumannerb** · 01-31-2013, 09:34 PM

I used to try and make them suffer too but then I realized it was just easier to check called ID and not answering these cases.

**Homercidal** · 01-31-2013, 09:35 PM

I've done the same thing with a guy trying to get me to accept a "free vacation to Florida". I kept him on the phone with uh-huhs and hmmmm....s but never verifying my information. Finally he got his supervisor on the phone and he got mad and asked if I even wanted the free vacation and I said, "I never said I did, but your boy just kept talkin!"

He got mad and swore at me then accused ME of taking their valuable time! hehehehe.

Sometimes I just get them talking and put the phone down. Sometimes I keep the phone near my mouth and pretend to whisper to my wife and say things like, "Sure, whatever you want for dinner is fine. Oh, nobody. Just some @55$%^* trying to sell me something." It's fun to see how they react to that. Sometimes they just don't know what to do and after a couple of moments they hang up, or sometimes they flat out ask me if I'm interested. in an angry voice.

They really don't mind it when you just hang up. They get that constantly and that means they can get on with the next call. Keep 'em on the line and waste as much time as you can!

**iaefebs** · 01-31-2013, 09:43 PM

I do three things, 1) I have caller ID and I don't answer the phone 2) I have call block service and I add the number to that. 3) I have a bookmark for filing a complaint https://complaints.donotcall.gov/complaint/complaintcheck.aspx?panel=2 and I file a complaint every time.

Interesting thing is these Robocallers that supply Caller ID actually receive a fee from your phone service. They can make money by making thousands of calls and collecting fees by providing an ID,

**Airplanedoc** · 01-31-2013, 09:49 PM

After graduation my roommate from college was living by himself for the first time in his life. I called him up one night to catch up and shoot the breeze. He told me that he was so bored living alone that he was actually talking to telemarketers. The night before one hung up on him. I asked how that worked, he said that he would answer the telemarketers questions if the telemarketer would answer his. He started out asking stuff about the job, What percentage hang up on him, How many calls/hour he has to make, How much he gets paid. Then he started getting more personal where he lived, how old he was, and finally what are you wearing? That is when the telemarketer hung up on him.

**SharonaZamboni** · 01-31-2013, 09:50 PM

I try to be nice to the callers. It must be one heck of a crummy job. And you get people being mean to you all day.
I make sure to say the three "no"s, though. Then they will stop talking.