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

don not call list

[alexc]

an effective CHEAP way of eliminating telemarketers is saying "PLEASE PUT ME ON YOUR DO NOT CALL LIST." By law, telemarketers are not allowed call ppl on this list. It has worked for me.

Re:don not call list

[Surak]

I worked for a telemarketer in the IT department. It depends on the state you're in. There is no federal law that I'm aware of requiring telemarketers to have a DNC (telemarketerspeak: DNC=Do Not Call list). Many states require telemarketers to have a DNC but some do not. So check with your state government if you're not sure.

Re:don not call list

[dschuetz]

There is no federal law that I'm aware of requiring telemarketers to have a DNC (telemarketerspeak: DNC=Do Not Call list).

There certainly is! And they're REQUIRED to put you on it IMMEDIATELY! (none of this "it'll take a few weeks to get your number into the list" BS).

Of course, most of the calls we get today are either from organizations exempt from the laws (political candidates, banks or phone companies, surveys, charitable organizations), or they're simply recorded messages (which are, actually, illegal as well).

I've got "put me on your do not call list immediately" as part of my answering machine message -- one of these days I'll start tracking the messages that people leave me and sue them for ignoring my request (if they can leave me a message with an automated machine, I can request to be put on the DNC with an automated message).

Unfortunately, even having state-sponsored do not call lists won't help. As I've said before, laws are only as effective as their enforcement. Until we decide to actually give some police organization real authority to prosecute these people, unscrupulous telemarketers will just ignore whatever "opt-out" laws there are and call you, anyway. What have they got to lose? Maybe .01% of the people they piss off actually haul them to court, and half those cases they get out of on a technicality?

Anyway, I'm rambling.

So, yes, there is a federal law requiring telemarketers to maintain a "do not call" list, but telemarketers' adherence to the law is spotty, and consumers' recourse against people ignoring the law is cumbersome. So they prosper, and we fume.

Re:don not call list

[Greyfox]

The FCC would seem to disagree.

Re:don not call list

[Scutter]

What about the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 (Public Law 102-243 (1991), which amended Title II of the Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. Section 201 et seq.)?

No person or entity shall initiate any
telephone solicitation to a residential telephone subscriber

1. before the hour of 8 A.M. or after 9 P.M. (local time at the called party's location), and

2. unless such person or entity has instituted procedures for maintaining a list of persons who do not wish to receive telephone solicitations made by or on behalf of that person or entity.

Re:don not call list

[kidlinux]

If you're in the US, I bet half (or more) of the calls you get are from Canada. I have several friends who were telemarketers for summer jobs, and they only called the states.
The telemarketing companies may operate here because a) cheaper labour, and b) the laws in the US don't apply. But IANAL, so I could be wrong.

I find the first link above rediculous because their DNC list requires a payment and subscription fee. I recall my friends saying that they have to provide instructions on how a person can be removed from telemarketing lists (or files, as they called them, I guess.) There was no charge for being removed from said files.

Re:don not call list

[BeBoxer]

Unfortunately, even having state-sponsored do not call lists won't help. As I've said before, laws are only as effective as their enforcement.

Actually, Colorado's new state-wide DNC list is working quite well. Since it went into effect in July, I belive I have gotten a total of 1 (one) telephone solicitation. Before, I was getting at least 3 or 4 a week. I had pretty much stopped answering the phone in the evening because the telemarketers were outcalling my friends and family by a significant margin. Keep in mind that I was scrupulous about telling every single company that called to put me on their DNC list. From what I could tell, it didn't make much of a dent. I tried to keep a list of the companies who called and when, but really only got a couple of repeat calls. There are so many companies doing telemarketing (and new ones every day) that per-company DNC lists are an exercise in futility.

Colorado's law allows individuals to file suit in small claims court against companies who call in violation of the law. The state also provides a web site were you can file a complaint on-line with the State AG. So far, I know at least one personal suit has been filed (settled out of court) and the AG's office have notified several companies that they are in violation of the law. At last count, almost half the residential phone lines in the state were on the list!

Say what you want, but at least here in Colorado the list is working quite well. Actually much better than I had hoped. Since I know that I can sue any telemarketer dumb enough to call, I actually sit around and hope that they will call. But they never do. :-)

Privacy Manager

[Frank of Earth]

I use my phone company's Privacy Manager feature. Since we started using it, we hardly get any spam calls anymore. It's definately worth the 4 bucks a month.

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:Privacy Manager

[dochood]

I've used this service, too, and it works great!

We used to get calls from "Out of Area" where you would pick up, you could hear the heavy breathing (and the telemarketers in the background), and then they'd hang up. This would happen 3-4 times a day, besides the other telemarketing calls.

However, my in-laws in Korea got really ticked with the thing, because it took them forever to figure out how to record their names, and when they did, it always added another 4-5 minutes to their call! I tried to explain how to use the direct dial code, but that didn't work too well, either (it's 10 digits!... mess it up, and you got to do it all over again)

So, when AG Jay Nixon of MO got a law passed that requires telemarketers to sign up for no-call lists, I tried it out. Recently, I turned off the screening service, and I still get one telemarketing call per week or so. Perhaps my number just automatically left the lists because the service was on so long, or maybe folks really are obeying the law. (Miss Cleo got socked with several thousand dollars in fines recently for disobeying this law.... too bad she didn't see it coming!)

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!)

Re:Privacy Manager

[mosch]

I've found that using the Junkbusters anti-telemarketing script helps quite a bit as well. It's a little bit annoying for the first few weeks, but after that, the calls drop off quite dramatically.

Easy fix

[Anonymous Coward]

I didnt read the article, but you could insert the first tone of a telecom's disconnected line signal on your answering machine, and automated systems will delist you.

That's great, but...

[Runny]

Does it work for my mother-in-law?

It's simple

[ChicagoFan]

How to avoid telemarketers:

Requirements: 1 answering machine

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.

Let people who you want to talk to, know that you screen your calls for this reason, so that they will leave a message.

You are under no obligation to pick up the phone. Ever. Don't do it unless the call actually matters to you. And even if it does, but you're busy at the moment, let the machine take the call and you can call back later.

The phone is there to serve you, not the other way around. I have let someone leave a message, just because I was in the coding zone at that moment, or enjoying an ice cream cone, or even awake-but-trying-to-nap, and didn't feel like picking up the phone. So I didn't.

ChicagoFan

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.

There are no telemarketers

[Quila]

All those calls were faked by the phone company for years so that you'd get pissed off enough to pay $4 more per month to make them stop.

Don't answer the phone...

[Ridge]

I just don't answer the phone. I have a handy device known as an "answering machine." This device answers the phone on my behalf and allows me to hear what the other party has to say. I then can decide if I want to take call. I call this process "screening my calls." I've found it to be most useful. Previously, I received numerous wrong number calls, or worse, telemarketers. I've found that very rarely do telemarketers talk to my wonderous machine. However, when they do, I've found it effective to quickly "answer and hang up."

I've already applied for a patent on the "answering machine", the "screening calls" process, and the "answer and hang up" process. If you infringe on my patents expect numerous calls from lawyers...

Bloody Telemarketers

[T-Kir]

My brother & family moved into a nice new house last year... and as soon as the phone was set up, BANG! Telemarketers left right and bloody center.

He ended up installing this system (I'm not there so I couldn't tell you what it is) that will reroute all calls without Caller ID to an automated system so calls can be screened, callers have to give their name or business name and then the system literally calls the house itself to say "person or company x" is calling.

The number of telemarketing calls went through the floor, mainly because most didn't want to go through the screening check. They get the odd call now and then, but mostly by those who do persevere with the screening system or those that have valid Caller ID tags.

Originally he did have the system completely rejecting calls without ID, but since the rest of the family live in England, there isn't any ID transmitted - so we couldn't get through for a while, until we got a call from him wondering why WE hadn't called!! DOH!

Ever tried audio caller id?

[dmorin]

I love this feature of my phone. I can attach sound bytes to known numbers, so that when the phone rings and we're at dinner the phone might say "It's my parents!" and we know whether or not to get it. MUCH better than standard caller id where you have to get up anyway and go look at the box to see who it is. If the phone doesn't tell me who it is (top 10 most important callers), then we just don't answer it. Not to mention if it's my wife's parents then I don't have to get up. :) Who was it that asked for a mother-in-law screener?

Plus, the machine also has a feature to send caller-id-blocked numbers right to voice mail (after a special message). The neat thing is listening to the different kinds of response -- some hang up during the "Your number is being sent to voice mail..." which tells me that it's a human calling. Some wait through the message, and then there's a pause, and then a click and a dial tone, which suggests to me that it's a machine that waited a certain amount of time and then gave up.

Don't do it with an automated gaget

[Sc00ter]

It's been said before, but ask to be put on a do-not-call list. Keep track, and if they call you back, SUE!

You don't think you can get money from these scumbags? Think again. Friend of mine has gotten $1500 (if not more). See here: http://osiris.978.org/~brianr/telemarketing/

Most of the time they're in another state and it's far more expensive for them to send somebody to represent them in small claims court then it is to just pay you the $500.

Doo-doo-doot gadgets also stump public libraries

[vaxer]

I work for a group of public libraries that uses a computer to call and say "Someone at this telephone number" -- we won't say who, because if you use a public library we consider it your own damn business -- "has an item waiting to be picked up at the So-and-So Public Library".

Unfortunately, if you use one of those gadgets that sends a "this number has been disconnected" message, the library's computer takes that at face value. You miss picking up the book, and then the library staff asks you to verify your phone number the next time you're there.

So, yeah, it works, but sometimes a little too well.

Why it's good to live in PA

[plazman30]

Pennsylvania recently passed the "No Calls Please" law, where, if you register with the state, you are added to a do not call list and Telemarketers have to download the list and remove you from their database if you're on it. Adding yourself to the list is free!
When a telemarketer actually does call me, I explain to them about the law. A lot of telemarketers actually tell me they don't believe me. I then ask to speak the supervisor on duty because I need to get the companies name and address in order to report them to my attorney general so they can be fined $5000 for disturbing me. They usually hang up real fast and don't bother me any more.

What we really need is an active law NO ONE in PA can receive telemarketing calls unless they ADD themselves to a list.

Getting rid of them

[hoagieslapper]

The best way to get rid of telemarketers? Tell them a joke.

You "What has a small penis and hangs up side down?"
Them "I don't know"
You "A bat. What has a big penis and hangs up?"
Them "I don't know"
You *click*

Since doing that our telemarketing calls drop dramaticly.

A Quick Summary of These and Other Solutions

[dschuetz]

Okay, I've glanced at the boxes in the article, and here's a quick run-down of what they look like, and why they still don't solve all the problems:

• EZ Hangup - an annual-fee "opt-out" list, and a single-point device that tells telemarketers to fuck off
  
• The Phone Butler - a device that lets you, from any phone in the house, tell telemarketers to "piss off" (British accent, donchaknow)
  
• TriVOX - call screening device that requests callers to enter a code to "ring through" to the hosue
  
• Screen Machine - not quite sure, looks similar to TriVOX. The linked site (and the manufacturer's site) are pretty skimpy on info.
  

These are not, of course, the only solutions to the problem. Some other approaches (discussed here and elsewhere):

• Do Not Call Lists - State, Federal, Industry, and Company-specific -- a list of numbers wishing to be left alone
  
• Interrupt tone generators - The idea is to generate the "booo-dee-dweep" sort of sound you get when you call a number that's out of service, and the belief is that telemarketer dialers will hear that and remove your number from their DB. Nobody knows how many call-generating systems actually do this (it's probably a small number).
  
• Call Screening with an Answering Machine - you still have to run downstairs to listen to the machine, and many telemarketers will just hang up and try again later
  
• Caller-ID Rejection - Most telemarkters don't pass CID information (thanks, FCC, for dropping that requirement!), some legitimate organizations (some college dorms, for example) don't pass the info, and other telemarketers deliberately pass "appealing" names to entice you to answer.

And what list of potential solutions would be complete without a list of why they all suck?

1. Opt-Out Systems - They still have to call you once so you can tell them to leave you alone. Not all telemarketers follow the rules, and fighting back is difficult. Not all telemarketers are even bound by the rules (there are a lot of exceptions). Not all subscribe to industry-based lists (like the Direct Marketing Association). Proposed national Federal "opt-out" lists are riddled with exceptions, too, and still rely on callers actually bothering to obey the law. It's difficult to tell a recorded message (illegal, by the way) to place you on a do not call list.
   
2. CID, Interrupt tones, answering machine screening, etc. - discussed above
   
3. EZ Hangup - see #1, plus you gotta run to the phone where the EZ Hangup box lives
   
4. Phone Butler - see #1
   
5. TriVOX - Would be nice to have the ability to manually place numbers on the system so that friends, family, etc., calling from recognizable numbers can ring straight through
   
6. Screen Machine - ??? Probably similar to #5.

Of all these possible solutions, the TriVOX comes closest to what I've been hoping to find for about the last 10 years. The ideal solution, for me, would be:

• Hardware solution that sits in my basement, between the outside world and all my inside extensions
  
• Connects to a computer for inbound CID logging and configuration (including setup of whitelist and blacklist phone numbers)
  
• Passes whitelist numbers straight through to internal extensions
  
• Blocks blacklist numbers immediately with "do not call" request
  
• Interrupts unrecognized numbers, before ringing inside the house, with user-recorded announcement giving callers the option to "hit 1" to ring through.
  
• Tone-sensor to allow any extension in the house to interrupt a caller who has rung through and is still a telemarketer (ala Phone Butler)
  
• (optional): capability to do multi-extension ringing ("hit 1 for david") or multi-mailbox voicemail (extra credit: record voicemail to computer and make available for software to include in email or web interface)

I've always thought that this would make a great open source hardware project -- complex enough that it doesn't already exist, simple enough to be within the reach of hobbyist hackers.

Like I said, the TriVOX comes VERY close to this, but is missing some key features (like the ability to whitelist friends and family). It is, however, very encouraging that we're finally getting close to being able to truly solve the problem. At least as well as can ever be done.

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...

Part of the problem...

[Andy Smith]

... is the people who answer the questions.

I get very few telemarketing calls, maybe a dozen or so a year, but I object to them on principle so a couple of months ago I decided not to accept them in future.

About a month ago I got a call and a very polite guy explained briefly who he was, what his company did (market research) and asked if I had a few minutes to answer some questions.

I told him: "Actually I don't like taking part in these things, sorry."

His reaction told me so much. Slight pause, then in a surprised tone: "You don't?"

I imagine lots of people make excuses not to answer the questions, or they just say they don't have time or whatever, but judging from that guy's reaction I bet I was the first person to just say that I didn't want to take part.

Maybe if more people make it clear to cold callers that they aren't welcome, they'll quit doing it. It's not like spam where the sender is pretty much anonymous. The cold caller is right there on the phone! Just tell them that their call isn't wanted.

But remember that the person on the other end of the phone is just someone paid to sit at a desk and dial numbers and ask questions. No need to be rude to them. I'm sure they'd be doing a better job if they could get one.

Understanding telemarketers

[Rebar]

IANAT, but it's a seriously lousy job. Turn-over average is two weeks (from my memory of a local telemarketing firm). Mostly they are college-aged looking for some well-paying temporary work. The stress levels are incredibly high, between the call quotas and the hostile people being called.

Here's what YOU can keep in mind, to avoid the need for any high-tech solution:

• The people calling you have to be able to not take your comments personally, or else they will not last as a telemarketer. You are wasting your time trying to be cute. If they have a thin-skin, they will realize that it's not the job for them in short order, without your help.
• You are doing them a FAVOR by saying "not interested" or "put me on your do-not-call list" and HANGING UP. They can then get on with their list and you can get on with your life. You can even be rude with a clear conscience since you are doing them a favor by terminating the call as soon as possible. You don't have to say anything at all; just hang up. My suppertimes got much easier once I realized that cold-calls don't have to be a source of stress for me.
• Telemarketing isn't cheap, and the telemarketing firm doesn't want to call you if you aren't going to buy. There's a FREE(*) telemarketing opt-out list in the U.S. run by the Direct Marketing Association, and it works. Use the Google to find it; it's well worth your time if you don't want to be called by long-distance or credit-card companies at supper time.

Before you flame me, realize I am not apologizing for telemarketing. I wish I could make the entire concept disappear with a wave of my hand, but I can't; telemarketing is too profitable to just go away. "There's a sucker born every minute", after all.

(*)Well, last I checked it was free if you sent them a letter for the cost of a stamp, and $5 if you register on-line (to keep you from registering all your friends and family and the phone book presumably).

The EZ Hangup link you provide is a scam

[bobtroy]

The link in the posting for EZ Hangup links to a site that's running a scam. Zenith's EZ Hangup is a $10 product--I have one. For $49.00, the site hangupnow.com is offering you one Zenith EZ Hangup device and a "free" listing on the "national do not call list" (a $39.00 value). On top of that, there is no national do-not-call list--they're advertising a private service that contacts telemarketers to have your number removed, and it is doubtful they even do that much (particularly since their FAQ highlights that you may still receive calls, and the service has no guarantee).

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!

Telemarketer Response

[msheppard]

I take one of the following tactics, depending on my mood:

ONE The legal approach, which could probably make you some (odd todd voice) Money.
Ask this question:"What company do you work for?"
Write down the answer, or don't... unless you want to try to get them, write down the date as well.
Read this to them:
"In accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 I formally request you put me on your do not call list. Any repeated calls to this phone number will result in legal action against your company. Do you understand?"
Then hang up

TWO The fun approach, start asking them random survey questions, and expand on the answers. The goal here is to find out what kind of people are in the world with no worry of their opinon of you. Keeping them on the phone raises their long distance bill too I guess...
What kind of computer do you own?
What operating system do you have on it?
Have you heard of linux?
How much memory does your system have?
What type of internet connection do you have?
What browser do you use?
Do you own or rent?
What type of car do you drive?
Do you smoke cigarettes?
-Or any slashdot poll...

THREE Make them listen, If I am doing something like playing the piano/guitar or listening to music, I usually just put the phone down without hanging up. I've had people listen to me play the piano for about 20 min without hanging up. Pathetic part is they go right into the pitch after that, as opposed to, "That really sucked, why don't you take some lessons"

FOUR, Two year old, Give the phone to my two year old, she doesn't have a credit card yet.

FIVE, Porn Read them something from the Penthouse Forum, or make something up along those lines.

SIX Turrets syndome, don't hang up, listen to response.

M@