The phone rang at 9:50 last night and I was treated to a slimy pre-recorded telemarketing pitch over my answering machine as I tried to watch the climax of that evening’s West Wing. I won’t get into how the shows’ ultra-right-wing horn-bowing and posturing pisses me off every week. This week, it was the slimy telemarketer that annoyed me. The pre-recorded message for some swamp-land holiday get-away was actually sent to my answering machine twice for good measure. The message urged me to call 1(800) 211-7592 each time. They really wanted to talk to me about getting lime disease with a side order of West-Nile-virus at their ramshackle tourist gulag.
Is this something that happens all of the time?? Do other companies actually leave numbers like 1(800) 211-7592 on peoples answering machines?
If someone were to call 1(800) 211-7592 and leave a slimy telemarketing pitch of their own, would that be a bad thing?
Also, if I had actually answered, would I have been treated to the same recording urging me to call 1(800) 211-7592 ?
Yes, if you answered the phone you’d hear the same message. There is actually no real people on the end of the number it gives you to call, either, it’s just a phone tree. 9 times out of 10, they’re offering you a credit card or some such thing.
[sub]I was REALLY bored one time, okay? Gimme a break![/sub]
Well, in the interest of fighting ignorance (specifically, my ignorance about what was on the other end of the line) I called it.
First call: Ring Sound of phone being picked up followed quickly by Sound of phone being clumsily replaced on its holder followed immediately by Boop-boop-boop-boop sound of having been disconnected.
Second call: Ring Ring Ring click Mechanical yet uncomfortably sultry voice: “We are not available to take your call…” wolfstu hangs up
Third call: Ringing, then the click The maschinenfrau: “We are not available to take your call. Please leave a message.” Beep wolfstu:“Oh, dear. It doesn’t sound like this is Transport Canada, but in case it is, uh… no, it probably isn’t. Have a good evening.” Hangs up
So… I dunno who’s number that is. But it’s unusual.
In the time since my original post, the phone message has changed. The machine no longer answers with the “Happy Dancing Delightful Scumbag Holidays” patter. The message is now nondescript (nope, no slimy holidays here) and is delivered by a Mechanical yet uncomfortably sultry voice ™. Perhaps the number was called one too many times by people seeking Transport Canada.
I would just hate it if these people were annoyed. The poor sleazebags might be out the price of an automated dialler & tape machine. Come to think of it, if folks kept calling for non-Flophouse Getaway purposes, their 1 (800) number might be rendered useless as well. Now, that would be a shame.