# Tele-Zapper...Does it work? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 9, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038 "2002-06-09T00:04:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/1 "2002-06-09T00:04:13Z")
A while ago, I caught the end of a commercial about a device called the TELE-ZAPPER that is supposed to somehow zap your name off telemarketers lists. Does anyone have one of these? Know someone who does? Have any idea how they work? If they do work, will it just take ten minutes to find a way around it? As I said, I just caught it at the end, so I don’t know what I missed, but I’ve never seen the commercial before, so I’m assuming it’s a pretty new gadget. Illuminate this po’ ole soul, wontcha? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/2 "2002-06-09T00:22:43Z")
From what I’ve read, it only works on incoming calls generated by computer. The Zapper sends back a signal that makes the computer thinks it’s called a fax machine and removes your number from their files. At least, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. ---
**Author:** ![PlanMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2bfe46/32.png) [@PlanMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlanMan)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/3 "2002-06-09T00:31:40Z")
How will that work with the “Reverse 911” emergency services departments are installing? R-911 is a system where the public safety folks could call, a neighborhood about a gas leak, or put on a be-on-the-lookout for a missing child, or a whole city about incoming space creatures, or whatever the emergency du jour is. Seems the TeleZapper would block these messages, too. Oh well, maybe its just Darwinism. ---
**Author:** ![Gozu\_Tashoya](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7993a0/32.png) [@Gozu\_Tashoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu_Tashoya)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/4 "2002-06-09T00:44:13Z")
From what I heard it doesn’t actually block calls but apparently “answers” with either fax tones (as MBS said) or, as I heard it, the shrill tones that indicate that “the number you are calling has been disconnected.” A pain in the ear to any of your friends who may be calling though, 'cause as far as I can tell, it doesn’t discriminate between callers. ---
**Author:** ![ageless6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@ageless6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ageless6)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/5 "2002-06-09T01:01:57Z")
KKB: It does apparently discriminate, and not affect friends calls. I did what I should have done in the first place and googled just TeleZapper. If it works as advertised, and you are the sort of person whom telemarketers calls drive batshit, it would seem to be a godsend at a one time price of $49.95. Of course, I’m still waiting to hear from someone who has one. Things that sound too good to be true… ---
**Author:** ![interface2x](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c0e974/32.png) [@interface2x](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/interface2x)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/6 "2002-06-09T02:28:44Z")
Well, the joy of this invention is that it’s really really hard to tell if it works. I mean, technically, to know if it really works, don’t you pretty much have to wait for a while and then measure if telemarketing calls have tapered off? How else would you really know if it worked? ---
**Author:** ![Doug\_Bowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df788c/32.png) [@Doug\_Bowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doug_Bowe)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 7:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/7 "2002-06-09T07:11:28Z")
Consumer Reports ran across _Tel-a-Zap_ (for $9.99) but warns you not to confuse it with _TeleZapper_ which is set up differently. This is a floppy with those three tones that indicate a disconnected number. In this case your record those three tones on your answering machine. Possible downside: For this to work you need to refrain from answering your phone and let your answering machine take all the calls. If you already use your answering machine to screen your calls what’s the point? ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2002, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tele-zapper-does-it-work/113038/8 "2002-06-09T21:08:54Z")
I have telezapper, it does seem to work. When you or your answering machine picks up the phone, a short tone is sent. This tone can be heard by whoever is calling, including friends. But if it’s a computer-dialed incoming call, supposedly the computer interprets the tone as indicating an invalid number, and supposedly removes that number from its call list. The only downside I’ve found is that our pharmacy uses computer dialing to tell you when a prescription is ready, and if the telezapper gets the call, the pharmacy will continue to try dialing over and over again. So I just disconnected my zapper. If I start getting lots of junk calls again, I’ll reconnect it.