I say “no thank you” and then immediately hang up the phone - I don’t give them a chance to pester me for three no’s or some such bullshit.
You can tell the scammers because they’re trying to tell you something or sell you something that you know isn’t right - like my example with the viruses. We have only Macs in our house - when someone calls me up to tell me our PCs have viruses, I know they’re scamming me.
Survey: “Other.”
I take the survey!
This^.
If I do answer, as soon as I realize its a telemarketer or similar I just hang up. Before I had Caller ID, I screened calls with my answering machine.
Salespeople get a polite “No thanks, I’m not interested”, and then I put the phone down, because the conversation is over.
I’ve never had someone call me for a survey or a scam that I know of. Some of the salespeople may have been scammers, I’m not sure.
I hate getting sales calls (love the ‘Do not call’ list!), but that just makes me want to end them immediately. I don’t see the point in getting all worked up in anger, or wasting any of my time on them. Maybe if I got several per day I’d start getting angry about it - I haven’t had one in years.
I don’t have caller ID at home, so they do get through. On my cell, they get ignored and leave a bunch of empty messages.
I rarely let them talk long enough to tell which category of telemarketer they are, so I didn’t answer the poll. I can always tell it’s a cold-call of some sort, though. There’s the characteristic dead time before they respond to my first “Hello”, the awkward phrasing of someone reading from a screen, and usual mispronunciations of my name… when we get that far I usually throw them an “I don’t want it, please take me off your list,” and hang up as they sputter the first “but wait, please hear us out” reply from their script.
I’ve been on the other side so I try very hard not to be mean to them. But when a number has called my cell twice a day for a week, I’m going to answer, and I’m not going to be cheerful. Those are usually the ones that won’t give me any information about the company name. And if they refuse to take me off their phone list, I call back again, raise hell, and file a report with the FCC.
Thanks to caller ID, I can ignore most such calls. Occasionally, I’ll pick up, but mostly that results in a hang-up. The way I see it - if the call is really for me and is important, the caller will leave a message. Otherwise, I ignore it. No need to be rude - I don’t let it go that far.
I have no landline.
My gf has a landline and we live together, but her landline is mostly for the convenience of house sitters/pet sitters and is not answered.
CallerID. If I don’t recognize the number, I don’t pick up the phone. Can’t remember the last time I’ve spoken to a telemarketer, survey-taker, or charity collector.
I don’t answer calls from unknown numbers. But if I somehow accidentally picked up the phone for a telemarketer, I’d just hang back up.
I put down that I hang up but in reality I usually don’t pick up any number I don’t recognize.
I have never received a call from a scammer.
I use google voice as my main phone number, pretty much never give out my actual cell phone number to anyone. Google automatically filters spam telemarketers for me and sends their voicemails to a special spam folder. I can’t remember the last time I talked to one.
Another one for never answer calls from numbers I don’t know. And I’m on the do not call list so I get very few.
I normally just let it ring if it’s an unrecognized number. If i accidentally answer, I’m not really rude, just say in a neutral voice that I’m not interested and please take me off your calling list.
The weird one is a local Ford dealer. I did not buy my car there, but took it to them for a smallish repair once. I wish I’d never done that. Every single week I get a robo-call that begins with a female voice saying “While you were away, our sales manager left this important message for you”. Then it cuts to a very hearty and upbeat guy shouting about the great deals they have this week. What??? I wasn’t away. What are you talking about, lady??
I usually just let it fill up my voicemail box. I know I could call them and tell them to stop, but I doubt it would work. I do know I’d NEVER buy a car from these inconsiderate boobs.
Another vote for this. If I don’t recognize it and they aren’t willing to leave a message then I figure they’ve got nothing I want to hear.
Generally: I let them talk until they get to the point where they ask me a question. This can take several minutes. Then I say, “Not interested, thanks,” and hang up. If I’m really in a mood, I might say, “I’m sorry, what was that?” in a distracted manner, so they have to say it again.
Telemarketing will only stop when it becomes unprofitable, and to that end I’m willing to spend my time taking up as much of the telemarketer’s time as possible. If you just hang up on them, they can make another call right away; every minute they spend with me is a minute they lose when they could’ve been making another sale.
It’s been said a few times already, but I don’t answer if I don’t recognize the number. If it’s an actual attempt to contact me for a legitemate reason I expect a message, which I listen to immediately.
If I accidentally find myself talking to someone and thus subject to the OP, I politely decline further cnversation and then hang up. Their number is then programmed into the “Spam” contact on my phone so I know not to anser it again. The ringers on the landline at the house are turned off.
What’s weird here is I can’t remember the last time I got a legitimate telemarketer. We get a couple calls a week from criminals trying some sort of scam. I usually don’t answer unless I’m in a mood to mess with them. I’ll put them on speaker while I’m cooking or something so I’m wasting their time and not mine.
With the “legitimate” ones, I point out we’re on the Do Not Call list. They always have a reason why they don’t have to adhere to it (I know people taking surveys are exempt). I then point out that I don’t care, there’s a list out there saying I don’t want to be called, and for some reason you thought calling me was a bright idea.
Sellers I’m polite until I’m not - if I’ve already said “not interested”, the proper response is along the lines of “thank you, have a nice day” (which will get “you too, best of luck”) and not “oh but you really, really have to try our product!”
If I get a call regarding a INE survey (National Statistics Bureau of Spain): I get their surveys periodically, we’re actually required by law to answer them. Sometimes I get a call back requesting clarification on an answer - and small wonder, since apparently the questions are designed based on general economic theory without realizing that said theories don’t match the Spanish legal landscape at all. Anybody else can kiss my ass.
Since I get a lot of work-related calls from unknown numbers, I can’t use that as a filter.
I used to be a telemarketer, so I let them get their pitch out. Quite often they are “scored” on how long they keep the average customer on the phone. I’m not buying their shit but I can give them that much. If it’s my cell, I just hang up.
If I don’t recognize the number on caller ID, I answer the phone then immediately hang up.