I mean, we all must die, but right now it's telemarketers in particular that I want to do away with.
My phone just rang, and when I answered it it was a recording about extending warranty coverage on "the car you drive" (as if I needed any evidence that it was a random, non-targeted call — DUH!), please press 1 to speak with a sales representative or press 9 to have your name removed from our list.
This is my work number they called, so I wanted to tell them to take it off the list. So I pressed 9.
AND THE FRICKING SYSTEM HUNG UP ON ME.
Gaaahhhhhhh. Where's my phone manual? How do I get it to dial back to the last number that dialed me so I can yell at them? Gaahhhhh!
Given a phone manufacturer and model number, you can find most phone manuals online -- phone repair companies regularly post them so "techies" out in the field can get to them.
(amusingly enough, you can usually get the default admin password and programming guide for the phones as well, and very few places alter the password.. the Borders in Emeryville certainly failed to ;-))
That said, redialing telemarketers doesn't often work, since the number will be part of a bank of numbers.
Good point. A redirect, or an external spam provider. All of the calls I've gotten for supporting the local fire/police department have come from over a thousand miles away.
I've been getting the exact same kind of scam. Or I get a dire warning about my credit card rates going up. I've been turning my phone off during the day because of them. Sometimes I'll hit "1" just to fuck with one of the scammers. They hang up real quick when I ask them how much money they make.
I remember ... twenty-five years ago, answering the phone and hearing a friendly guy telling me that he'd been installing aluminum siding on a house down the block from our house and noticed that our house was due for a paint job. So, said he, he was calling to suggest aluminum siding before we spent money on a paint job that would only last a few years.
I said, "Really? You notice that about our house?"
"Sure did. And I'm not saying your house looks bad, or anything. I mean the plain fact is that pain wears out!"
"Huh."
"What?"
"Well, I'm just wondering which part of the house stood out to you as needing a paint job."
"Oh! It was the front, the part I could see from the street."
"And you're sure it was our house?"
"Absolutely!"
"Interesting. For two reasons: 1. We live on a corner, so you could see two sides from the street. 2. It's brick." (Both of those things was true.)
(amusingly enough, you can usually get the default admin password and programming guide for the phones as well, and very few places alter the password.. the Borders in Emeryville certainly failed to ;-))
That said, redialing telemarketers doesn't often work, since the number will be part of a bank of numbers.
TK
Then I, as politely as I can manage, ask them what the hell they think they are doing; since this is my cell phone, and it's illegal to call me.
Depending (there were a bunch of re-fi offers for my non-exisitent home), I may ask to speak to the manager.
I figure that penalising the bad behavior (by tying up time) and threatening them with legal repercussion, is a moderate disincetive.
And it makes me me feel better, in an atavistic way.
TK
I said, "Really? You notice that about our house?"
"Sure did. And I'm not saying your house looks bad, or anything. I mean the plain fact is that pain wears out!"
"Huh."
"What?"
"Well, I'm just wondering which part of the house stood out to you as needing a paint job."
"Oh! It was the front, the part I could see from the street."
"And you're sure it was our house?"
"Absolutely!"
"Interesting. For two reasons: 1. We live on a corner, so you could see two sides from the street. 2. It's brick." (Both of those things was true.)
I heard a click and that was that. :)
Edited at 2008-05-23 04:17 am (UTC)