Massachusetts Law Enforcement Network

Massachusetts Police News, Information and Discussions on MassCops

Posted by: kwflatbed

By Sara Ledwith

LONDON, Nov 23 (Reuters Life) - Congratulations! You can win the holiday of your dreams - a break from telemarketers -- if you're willing to moo, fake a murder scene, or follow a list of other diversonary tactics.

Those calls that always come when you're sitting down to dinner, with a robotic script to give you the secret of solar-powered hot-water bottles, can be a thing of the past with the Web offers many escapes from what Time Magazine has dubbed one of the worst inventions of the last century.
Some are practical - others frivolous, but tempting.
The Web site: http://www.junkbusters.com encourages people to "bust the junk messages out of your life" by registering their phone number with a national do-not-call registry -- or downloading an "out of service tone" to confuse telemarketers' computers.
"We believe that 'the right to be let alone' ought to be a fundamental human right, and that nobody should ever have to pay to maintain it," says junkbusters, declaring its mission "to free the world from junk communications."
Including detailed guides and links to other resources to help cut down spam email, junk mail and junk faxes, junkbusters is a toolkit -- for people with the time to mine it.
But for more instant relief, http://www.sorrygottago.com hosts a battery of pre-recorded audio clips, some to play down the phone to cold callers, others just for fun.
Many offer the satisfaction of giving corporate callers a taste of their own call-centre manners.
"Your call is very important to us," says one. "That's why we have you on 'hold' with almost no chance of someone coming over to take the call. But if you would like to hold for an indefinite period of time and have nothing better to do, be our guest. Thank you for calling."
Other clips offer softer exits -- cows mooing, or lots of sneezing. A male voice making "I'm listening" noises including a random "Oh I'm here, I'm here," and a "That's unbelievable, you are just unbelievable," before hanging up.
But http://howtoprankatelemarketer.ytmnd.com scales surreal heights.
A comedy clip from American Tom Mabe, "the comedian nationally recognized for getting revenge on those annoying Telemarketers" according to his website, was recently one of the most popular on the user-generated content site.
Mabe turns the tables on the caller who is offering "a complete digital satellite system for free" by saying he is a detective and the caller is trying to contact a man who has just been murdered. Where was the telemarketer last night?

---

Posted by: SOT

I did one a while back where I pretended I needed to call 911.

A lot of the cheaper and older systems wouldn't let the telemarketer hang up. So I just kept yelling, HANG UP I need to dial 911,. My MOTHER IS DYING!...HANG UP....PLEASE OOOOOHHHH GOD HANG UP....the lady was frantic on the other end and started crying and was like I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...and you could hear her yelling release line 48 (ostensibly her extension on the predictive dialer system)

Ohhh what a hoot.

---

Posted by: justanotherparatrooper

I just start talking dirty to em...Hey babe, what color are your panties? Are you getting wet? etc. downside is SOME like that shit

---

Posted by: OCKS

I have used that I was just layed off and broke. The guy calls me back three months latter and asking if I was able to get work. Hanging up works best.

---

Posted by: KozmoKramer

Quote:

Originally Posted by justanotherparatrooper I just start talking dirty to em....

---

Posted by: 94c

Not realizing that it was my Sears Credit Card calling, I told them I was dead.

They sent my wife a letter offering condolences and also advised her that she was now responsible for the bill.

But overall, it has cut down on the calls.

---

Posted by: CJIS

I tell them to take me off the list and if they call again will sue for harassment. Works every time. BI have not got as many as a used to thanks to the Do Not Call List.

---

vBulletin Copyright ©2000 - 2008, Jelsoft Enterprises Limited.
vB Easy Archive Final ©2000 - 2008 - Created by Stefan "Xenon" Kaeser