Fighting Telemarketers with Technology

prostoalex writes "According to an MSNBC story, 104 million telemarketing calls are made daily in the U.S. alone and technology is on the way to fight those special offers and incredible credit card rates. Zenith EZ HangUp, The Phone Butler, TriVOX VN100 and ScreenMachine are quoted in the article as new gadgets that allow phone owners to avoid the plagues of telemarketing."

Comments

Re:Privacy Manager

[Kamel Jockey]

I use my phone company's Privacy Manager feature

Isn't it funny how the same phone company which sold your number to everyone and his brother now charges you so that you don't receive calls from these guys?

Re:It's simple

[ergo98]

Turn the answering machine on, but set it so that you can hear the messages people are leaving. Then, screen every call. Period. If people start to leave a message, and it's a message you want, pick up the phone.

Just so you know, most people ABSOLUTELY HATE THIS: If you made me listen through your bloody inane message, then give me the courtesy of leaving the message that I've already thought through and am in the process of leaving as you stumble on the phone, blessing me with the sacred pick-up. If you want to screen calls use call display, but it's considered incredibly rude to overtly screen calls by making people do the lame ass "Hello? Hello? You there...it's me". On the flip side, now I have to deal with people leaving messages on my real answering machine (not used to screen, but rather when I'm not answering the phone) always starting it off with 30 seconds of pleads for me to pick up. Grrr.

However, I otherwise agree with your philosophy: Many people have been brought up to consider the phone some god like communication device for which everything else must be dropped.

Re:Privacy Manager

[michaelwb]

I also like how the phone company charges you a monthly fee not be listed in the directory.

Imagine if companies you did business with - charged you a monthly fee not to distribute your contact information!

(Don't even get me started on how many phone companies still charge for touch-tone service each month, even though that is the standard now!)

Another angle not often considered

[fishbowl]

Employement.

Nobody likes telemarketers. But we're talking about a *lot* of jobs. It sucks that people don't have actual skills, literacy, insights, money to invest, etc. But the bottom line is that call center jobs are sometimes the only game in town.

The real problem is that the telemarketing industry is part of our welfare system...

Tyranny of the ring- Don't pick it up!

[mekkab]

Chicago fan is RIGHT on the money with this one.
I'm not gonna go into a mini-rant about how we interrupt EVERYTHING for the phone and have become slaves to communication technology, cuz I don't believe it.

But if it REALLY bugs you you can screen your calls. Have a very short Outgoing Message.

My parents do this, My wife does this, I sometimes do this (or I'll just wait 3 rings and pick up- usually those multi-calls just drop the trunk when they get someone ELSE to pick up!)I don't need the WAshington Post to call me up on a sunday morning, twice, when I already get 7 day service! Infact I won't even answer a doorbell ring if I'm not expecting anyone.

But mekka b! What if it is your long lost friend and they had an accident just down the road in in their last dying breath they crawled to your door?
Hmmm, possible, but not probable. More probably, it is some schmuck trying to sell me something door to door. Empirical evidence states that you are probably someone who I don't want to waste my time on becuase I can't bill my lost time to your account. Fuck off.

But for some reason many (like the guy before me) will SLAM you for how inconsiderate it is to force him to suffer through your message! Well I got news for you buddy, if you don't want to listen to the machine, don't leave a message and don't call. I'm not crying over it.

Besides, if you want instant communication, send me an e-mail! I'm always on line!