It puts a new meaning to “answering the phone” when you find that:
A medical insurance company has accidentally published your home phone number in their Physician provider directory. They were “off” by one digit.
Your new number once belonged to someone who has “skipped-out” on their student loans. The collection agencies will not accept the fact that Miss XYZ is not at this number.
You pickup the phone and hear a woman screaming at you in (mostly) another language, using cuss words, innuendo, racial slurs, and some stuff even I’ve never heard before, thinking that I’m the “other” woman. (I’m male.)
This has all happened to me over the last few years.
I’m seems to me that it should be easy for a “digital wiz” (not me) to come up with a true call screener; one that upon receiving a call, goes “off hook”, and advises the caller to “enter your code”. That code could be a simple two digit number such as 3-5. If entered correctly, the handset will ring, if not, the call will go silently to an answering machine.
A medical insurance company has accidentally published your home phone number in their Physician provider directory. They were “off” by one digit.
Your new number once belonged to someone who has “skipped-out” on their student loans. The collection agencies will not accept the fact that Miss XYZ is not at this number.
You pickup the phone and hear a woman screaming at you in (mostly) another language, using cuss words, innuendo, racial slurs, and some stuff even I’ve never heard before, thinking that I’m the “other” woman. (I’m male.)
This has all happened to me over the last few years.
I’m seems to me that it should be easy for a “digital wiz” (not me) to come up with a true call screener; one that upon receiving a call, goes “off hook”, and advises the caller to “enter your code”. That code could be a simple two digit number such as 3-5. If entered correctly, the handset will ring, if not, the call will go silently to an answering machine.
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Unfortunately, my phone provider only allows up to nine entries on the block list. It's always full and ever changing to keep up with the worst offenders, some of whom will use different numbers to harass their marks.
Mike
Mike
I used to be a business consultant specialising in small businesses especially in the building and construction sector including double glazing firms.
My phone is ex-directory and I have also been placed on the UK "no cold call" register so I do not get many cold calls now -- maybe 2 per month.
I once received a call from a double glazing company whose first question, after the usual preamble, was " Have you ever considered having double glazing ??"
I replied "Yes" and then the salesman went into a scripted 5 minute or so sales pitch before concluding with " So, when can a surveyor call to measure up ? "
I replied " what for? "
"For your new double glazing "
"But I have double glazing "
" You said you didn;t have it !!"
" No, You asked if I had ever considered having it. I must have as it was fitted last year!"
End of call.
My phone is ex-directory and I have also been placed on the UK "no cold call" register so I do not get many cold calls now -- maybe 2 per month.
I once received a call from a double glazing company whose first question, after the usual preamble, was " Have you ever considered having double glazing ??"
I replied "Yes" and then the salesman went into a scripted 5 minute or so sales pitch before concluding with " So, when can a surveyor call to measure up ? "
I replied " what for? "
"For your new double glazing "
"But I have double glazing "
" You said you didn;t have it !!"
" No, You asked if I had ever considered having it. I must have as it was fitted last year!"
End of call.
I have a phone solicitation call I will never forget...I bet the solicitor will never forget it either! I was in the garage one day about 10 years ago when I had found a jar of old firecrackers. I lit one and threw it on the floor and BANG! Ok, they still work...back on the shelf they go. All of a sudden the phone rings and I see the caller ID and I know it is a sales call. I decide to play with them and answer the phone. The young woman on the other end of the line wants me to buy new windows for my house. (let the game begin). I start speaking to her in a very depressed monotone voice and I tell her that I don't need new windows but instead I need a reason to go on. She starts in with the spiel and I interrupt her and say that it is funny she called when she did because she will be the last person to hear my voice. I tell her that life has lost all meaning and it is the end. I then light another firecracker and as soon as it explodes I drop the phone. (Now it gets good!) I very quietly pick up the phone and listen. I can hear the woman saying "Sir, sir, are you alright? Sir?!?" She sounds panicked and I hear her talking to what I assume is the person in the cubicle next to her. All I hear is "Oh my god, I think this guy just killed himself!" I then hear the other person say "Hang up, don't call back!"
It was awesome. I probably scarred this broad for life.
It was awesome. I probably scarred this broad for life.
re: "Your new number once belonged to someone who has “skipped-out” on their student loans" - once my new number had previously been used by a lady of the night, who had moved on to greener pastures.... for about a year I kept getting calls from a couple of desperate guys....
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