Lady, you are not entitled to my time!

[ols386]

We have a peep hole in our front door and if I don't recognize the person on the other side I don't answer the doorbell. One day the salesman must have heard me coming and when I didn't open the door he flipped the bird right in front of the peep hole. I still didn't answer. And now I tip toe to the door.

Wow! Unbelievable. It's like he thought you owed it to him to answer your own door.

 

[Squirlz]

We have No Soliciting signs on all our doors but the Michigan Clean Water people seem to think that doesn't apply to them. The other day one came to the door and and I just said "No soliciting" through the window. He replied "I'm not soliciting I'm from Michigan Clean Water and I'm..." I yelled YOU DO NOT GET TO DECIDE WHAT SOLICITING IS! He walked away grumbling.

 

[Jennasis]

I hang up. I just simply hang up. I am not obligated to even say good bye or try to extricate myself from the conversation. JUST. HANG. UP.

Coincidentally, I saw this posted on FB the other day...a sign up on someone's door that essentially said:

This household charges $50/minute to listen to any solicitations, salespitches, proselytizing etc. Payable in cash only. By ringing the doorbell or knocking on the door you are agreeing to abide by the terms set forth above.

 

[marthachick]

Sometimes when I answer the home phone and it's a telemarketer, I just lay the phone down and go about my business until they hang up.

 

[mummabear]

Sometimes when I answer the home phone and it's a telemarketer, I just lay the phone down and go about my business until they hang up.

I like that joke:
They asked for the person who runs the house so I gave the phone to my 3 year old

 

[Disney Doll]

Landline has caller ID which displays on the TV. If I don't recognize the name I don't answer. We have an answering machine so if it's someone who knows me legitimately they can leave a message.

Cell phone same thing. On occasion I will answer the cell if it's a local number or a number from the area where our headquarters is located. If that ends up being a telemarketer I just block the number on the cell.

A couple of weeks ago I read about a scam where they try to get you to say "yes" in the conversation, tape it and use it to do other scamming illegal things. Two days after I read that article someone called the cell. Local number. I picked up and she asked me a couple of questions that she thought could only be answered by the word "yes". Finally I said "So you're a scammer who is trying to get me to say a specific word so that you can record it and use it in other scams, right?" She tossed out a few profanities and hung up.

I've always thought that if dishonest people spent as much time figuring out how to earn an honest living as they do being cheats, they'd do a lot better in the end.

 

[Magpie]

Landline has caller ID which displays on the TV. If I don't recognize the name I don't answer. We have an answering machine so if it's someone who knows me legitimately they can leave a message.

Cell phone same thing. On occasion I will answer the cell if it's a local number or a number from the area where our headquarters is located. If that ends up being a telemarketer I just block the number on the cell.

A couple of weeks ago I read about a scam where they try to get you to say "yes" in the conversation, tape it and use it to do other scamming illegal things. Two days after I read that article someone called the cell. Local number. I picked up and she asked me a couple of questions that she thought could only be answered by the word "yes". Finally I said "So you're a scammer who is trying to get me to say a specific word so that you can record it and use it in other scams, right?" She tossed out a few profanities and hung up.

I've always thought that if dishonest people spent as much time figuring out how to earn an honest living as they do being cheats, they'd do a lot better in the end.

Yes, we experienced a very early version of this scam when my husband and I were a young married couple.

Basically, the idea is to call back later and claim that the other half of the couple agreed to some contract or the other. And by way of "proof" they can play back the sound of them "agreeing". In my case they even told my husband I'd given them my social security number! What they didn't realize, however, is that my husband memorizes numbers almost as soon as he sees them, so he said, "Oh yeah? Read it back to me!" He knew right away it wasn't my number, of course.

This sort of scam works on two kinds of people - couples in conflict who don't communicate or trust each other, and old people with dementia who can be convinced they agreed to something when they didn't.

It's ugly. It's been around for decades.

And even if you do say yes to everything on the phone, it's still not a legal contract.

 

[GaryDis]

Am I the only one who hangs up immediately whenever there's the telltale beep at the start of a phone call indicating that it was made by an autodialer and only transferred to a live person after the call is picked up? When I answer the phone, I expect the person at the other end to be there immediately.

 

[tvguy]

Landline has caller ID which displays on the TV. If I don't recognize the name I don't answer. We have an answering machine so if it's someone who knows me legitimately they can leave a message.

Cell phone same thing. On occasion I will answer the cell if it's a local number or a number from the area where our headquarters is located. If that ends up being a telemarketer I just block the number on the cell..

I have caller ID on my cell phone, I can't see paying to have it on my landline since everyone I want to talk to has their ID blocked, as do a lot of people I don't want to talk to.

 

[sunshinehighway]

I only have a mobile phone. When i don't answer calls from numbers I don't recognize unless I'm expecting a call from a number I wouldn't recognize.
In the last year it seems there's been a huge uptick in spam calls to my phone.
I read an article recently that said the best way to deal with those calls is to ignore them. If you answer then it confirms your number is active and you'll just get more calls. I don't know if that work because my voicemail eventually picks up but I never answer.

 

[Magpie]

Am I the only one who hangs up immediately whenever there's the telltale beep at the start of a phone call indicating that it was made by an autodialer and only transferred to a live person after the call is picked up? When I answer the phone, I expect the person at the other end to be there immediately.

I do that, too! Like I said, I fumbled the phone when I picked it up and missed the beep/delay.

I ignore unknown callers on my cellphone, but my landline is old and doesn't have call display. (Getting a new one soon, though, as one of the charger stations has died.)

 

[soccerdad72]

Am I the only one who hangs up immediately whenever there's the telltale beep at the start of a phone call indicating that it was made by an autodialer and only transferred to a live person after the call is picked up? When I answer the phone, I expect the person at the other end to be there immediately.

Same here - when I do answer (which is infrequently), if I have to say 'Hello' more than once, I hang up. You're right, there's that telltale delay that indicates an autodialer.

 

[kimmar067]

(For the record, I do not want my ducts cleaned, I don't believe I've won a cruise, no, you're not from Microsoft, and to the ones who claim to be calling from the Canada Revenue Agency, may you roast in hell, you elder-abusing scum.)

....can I interest you in getting your chimney cleaned.....

 

[tnkr_bell]

My SIL got a telemarketing call one time and she hung up on them. They called her back and said "Don't you know it's rude to hang up on people?", she told them "Don't you know it's stupid to call back." and hung up on them again. LOL

 

[kimmar067]

And as I'm hanging up, I hear, "I haven't even said anything yet! Cow-dung!" (Only not so polite.)

Seriously, lady? You're calling me unsolicited from a call center and you're offended because I hung up on you?

....which is why I'm so happy I still have a land line with an answering machine....

 

[kimmar067]

....and, speaking of, there goes my phone now....

 

[Jennasis]

My phone is with T Mobil and I have been getting "scam likely" on unknown numbers from off area codes for weeks now on my call I'D. It's great!

 

[mom2rtk]

We've been getting sales calls on our landline for my father in law who died 15 years ago. He never in his life lived here or had our phone number. Just wild. I just tell them he died 15 years ago and hang up. Seriously? HE'S DEAD. FOR A VERY LONG TIME. Ugh.

 

[DaisyJ]

I love NoMoRobo. Seriously people, sign up for it. It is awesome. Anytime a robo caller calls you, your phone rings once and stops. It doesn't even come up on caller id.

https://www.nomorobo.com/

 

[lovin'fl]

I got one recently at my house where the lady said "sweety, can I talk to your mom"...i am 44 and my mom lives in her own house, lol.