Posted on 12/25/2017 6:39:54 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
He’s harnessing technology to waste the time of telemarketers. Anderson’s vision is to build a world free of those annoying phone calls pitching solar paneling, debt relief, and timeshares...
His service screens out known telemarketers, connecting their calls to robots with names such as Crazy Mazy (“a nice old lady with a couple of screws loose”) and Whitey Whitebeard (“a senior citizen who likes to talk but gets a bit feisty if you waste his time”). After the call finishes, Jolly Roger emails you a digital-audio file of the conversation for your enjoyment. Anderson says Crazy Mazy holds the record; she once kept a cable salesman on the line for three-quarters of an hour.
(Excerpt) Read more at weeklystandard.com ...
I'm impressed, the best I've done is about 25 minutes...
I’ll never forget the time a telemarketer called a co-worker of mine (who had a great sense of wit) and asked if he would like to sign up for a super duper credit card. He replied “Yes, that’s great, my wife just left me and cleaned out our bank account. I need money!” The caller slammed the phone down and never called again.
Shucking the land line over a year ago was one of the best things we’ve ever done since 95% of the calls were telemarketers or robo scams.
If AT&T wanted robocalls stopped completely they could do it tomorrow.
But every seven digit number issued and used represents revenue. And so, like the BP gas station offering an EV charge facility, talk about successful blocking is PR hackery for the consumption by the gullible - including the Weekly Standard writer.
The federal alphabet agencies’ policies and laws are weak and outdated. These are the same agencies, mind you, that we were promised would be benevolent omnipotent cops enforcing ‘net neutrality.’
Hazing telemarketers may be amusing and occasionally effective but until and unless the telcos get serious about the misuse of their networks no large scale change will happen.
Same here.
Getting ready to do the same thing as only a very few calls are from people we know. Mostly scammers who spoof local phone numbers.
Bkmk
Maybe people should just use this method: HANG UP THE PHONE.
“Maybe people should just use this method: HANG UP THE PHONE. “
That been a tried and true method for years ——and today, with caller ID ,who would answer it in the first place?
I’m afraid the very act of answering no matter long the call lasts or if you remain silent, hang up, etc. gives telescum a good deal of information to use and to sell about you, as the article notes. It also virtually ensures additional calls since the number is marked as live.
Probably 75% of the calls to my land line are spoofed local numbers. It's a business line so I am keeping it. But since I don't deal with any vendors or clients locally, I never answer local numbers. I could block my local exchange easily enough, but I do infrequently get genuine local calls.
BTW, they've started doing the same thing with my cell phone.
I’m surprised that no one has filed a class action lawsuit against the telemarketing industry by now.
As far as federal laws, these firms should be licensed by the FCC. First offence for calling a number on the do not call registry should be $100,000 fine, one million for the second offense, with mandatory jail time and 100% forfeiture of all business and personal assets for the third.
Toughen up the penalties to target the owners of these firms and see some real change.
I love to do this with the guys from “Windows Support.” My best is 35 minutes. I was pushed up the line three times. Each person I spoke to on the way up, amazingly, spoke better Engrish than the person before. Their final comment to me was, “You waste me time, goodbye.”
One freeper posted about his suing many times in SMALL Claims court- getting a few hundred dollars a pop. He mentioned having to keep track of the companies and warnings at first.
I had one call for some kind of Medicare item almost all paid for. He was oriental and hard to understand. I kept him on for about 20 minutes so I could locate my card number and I finally told him I would search for it some more and he agreed to call me the next day which he did and I continued to waste his time 2 more days. The next day my wife grabbed the phone and yelled at him, “This a hospice home and all of them are dying very soon and stop calling the patients!”
End of that story.
3 levels was my record as well. Didn’t keep track of the minutes.
I once got a call from myself .... my name came up on the caller ID.
Didn’t answer it, but have did wonder what I wanted to talk about with me.
have did = did
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