# Telemarketers ARE DRIVING ME CRAZY **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 5, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348 "2015-05-05T23:47:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Potestas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2015, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/1 "2015-05-05T23:47:57Z")
So I keep getting telemarketer phone calls on my phone and its everything from dentures to hearing aids (I’m in my 20s…) to computer repair. Is there any way to get them to stop calling my cell phone? I’m on the do not call list but still they keep calling and its literally every single day and when I ask them to take me off their list they hang up before I can finish my sentence ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/2 "2015-05-06T00:05:34Z")
It’s happening to me, too. I never answer my phone unless I recognize the number; if it’s important, they’ll leave a message (telemarketers _never_ leave messages). If I get a few from the same number, I add it to the block list on my phone. Usually keeps them at bay for a few weeks. ---
**Author:** ![Potestas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/3 "2015-05-06T00:07:34Z")
The problem with not answering is that at least for me they are leaving me voice mail messages with their whole spiel ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/4 "2015-05-06T00:11:50Z")
I use [PhoneTray Pro](https://www.phonetray.com/) to screen my calls. It checks every incoming call against an online database of reported telemarketers, as well as your own black list. A match will ring one time, then hang up. Very satisfying, like swatting a mosquito. You will need a PC or laptop that is on all the time, plus a voice modem with Caller ID capability. Works great though. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/5 "2015-05-06T00:13:31Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > You will need a PC or laptop that is on all the time, plus a voice modem with Caller ID capability. Works great though. And you have to put up with many “one ringy-dingy” calls. Yeah – works great. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/6 "2015-05-06T00:16:18Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > And you have to put up with many “one ringy-dingy” calls. Oh, the humanity!! ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/7 "2015-05-06T00:17:58Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Oh, the humanity!! One ring is enough to wake me up from a nap. Oh, the inanity! ---
**Author:** ![Potestas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@Potestas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Potestas)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/8 "2015-05-06T00:19:09Z")
Ive thought about caling the FBI to report them for harassment but i dont know what good that would do me ---
**Author:** ![fisha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@fisha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fisha)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/9 "2015-05-06T00:20:49Z")
I don’t get any personal sales calls on my cell. My company does, however, do emergency services 24 hours a day, so we forward the phones on a revolving schedule. Occasionally we’ll get sales calls for the business, I just add the numbers to a contact called ‘solicitors’ and that contact is blocked. No rings, no messages, nothing. Works well. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/10 "2015-05-06T00:22:15Z")
> [@Potestas](#): > > Ive thought about caling the FBI to report them for harassment but i dont know what good that would do me None. The feds (FBI, FTC) aren’t interested in investigating or prosecuting telemarketers, especially the ones in India. the Philippines, or the Caribbean. Believe me, I’ve tried. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/11 "2015-05-06T00:28:16Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > One ring is enough to wake me up from a nap. Oh, the inanity! I will leave you to curse the darkness. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/12 "2015-05-06T01:10:38Z")
> [@Potestas](#): > > The problem with not answering is that at least for me they are leaving me voice mail messages with their whole spiel Curious. I have never had a telemarketer leave a message. Occasionally they leave a single “click”. I use Google Voice for voicemail. Makes it easy to check and delete useless messages. ---
**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/13 "2015-05-06T02:55:01Z")
The robo-telemarketers do that sometimes. Answering machine answers, and the robo-telemarketer just blindly plays its pre-recorded script. Since your answering machine plays a greeting first before it starts recording, and the robo-telemarketer doesn’t wait for that to finish, the message is often missing its first few words. Lengthy messages can quickly fill up my answering machine! Some incoming recorded messages that aren’t telemarketers do that too. My mail-order pharmacy, for example, calls me with an automated message when they have put a prescription into the mail. It always shows up in my answering machine with the first few words missing. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/14 "2015-05-06T03:44:13Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > And you have to put up with many “one ringy-dingy” calls. Yeah – works great. :rolleyes: Have I reached the party to whom I am speaking? ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/15 "2015-05-06T05:05:04Z")
> [@fisha](#): > > I just add the numbers to a contact called ‘solicitors’ and that contact is blocked. Rename the contact “Fuckheads” like I do. You’ll feel just a little bit better when you add a new number to the list. ---
**Author:** ![bardos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bardos/32/1069_2.png) [@bardos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bardos)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/16 "2015-05-06T05:34:30Z")
I usually ask: “What are you wearing?”. They usually hang up pretty quickly. ---
**Author:** ![upend](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/b3f665/32.png) [@upend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/upend)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/17 "2015-05-06T12:12:12Z")
y’know nothing offensive but it’s great fun. What’s your name? where do you live? what are your life ambitions? just answer every question with a question. I’m sure it has a negligable effect but it’s great. Reveal the man behind the annoying call\*. - probably won’t happen \*\* less effective on recorded messages ---
**Author:** ![SanDiegoTim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/85e7bf/32.png) [@SanDiegoTim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanDiegoTim)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/18 "2015-05-06T12:26:27Z")
Check out the following: [www.nomorobo.com](http://www.nomorobo.com) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/19 "2015-05-06T12:32:05Z")
> [@Potestas](#): > > So I keep getting telemarketer phone calls on my phone and its everything from dentures to hearing aids (I’m in my 20s…) to computer repair. Would you like to have catheters delivered right to your door, in a discreetly labeled package? ---
**Author:** ![JerrySTL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e274bd/32.png) [@JerrySTL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JerrySTL)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2015, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348/20 "2015-05-06T12:38:29Z")
I have an Android smart phone and use the Call Blocker app. It’s a blacklist app that’s pretty effective and easy to use. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/telemarketers-are-driving-me-crazy/719348.md?page=2)