# "Thank you ..." Anyone know what's up w/ this toll-free number? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761 "2002-07-25T13:49:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/1 "2002-07-25T13:49:19Z")
I was e-mailed this toll-free number. Amusing. I wonder who’s paying for it? Has this topic been covered before? 1-800-397-1193 ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/2 "2002-07-25T14:41:25Z")
It’s probably just a malfunctioning voice menu system. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/3 "2002-07-25T14:55:24Z")
Heh. “Thank you for ca-” Sounds like the operator was hit with a blunt object… ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/4 "2002-07-25T15:03:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Heh. “Thank you for ca-” > > Sounds like the operator was hit with a blunt object… \*\* Is that what it does when you call? I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but when I call, it picks up, says: “Thank you for calling. Goodbye.” And then hangs up. Heh. Guess I’m easily amused. But also curious. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/5 "2002-07-25T15:21:38Z")
Can’t call out at the moment… is this that financial company? I don’t remember the specifics, but that number was posted here a while ago, and the consensus was that they were just amusing themselves. I forget what it said (anyone remember- if it is different than the OP, anyone have the number?) but it was pretty funny. ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/6 "2002-07-25T15:30:00Z")
Great. Now we are all going to be put on the telephone marketing list labeled “Curious Suckers”… ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/7 "2002-07-25T15:52:51Z")
Hey, since we’re on the subject: If you have caller ID block, it doesn’t work when you dial and 800 or other toll free number. If it’s their dime, they get your phone number and store it, sell it, etc. My all time favorite trick is this: Call and 800 number to opt out of a service/product. The company takes you off their list and then sells your number to someone else. Being that you are an active consumer willing to call an 800 number, you are a “mark” and opened yourself to more solicitations. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/8 "2002-07-25T16:14:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by toadspittle \* > \*\* > “Thank you for calling. Goodbye.” And then hangs up. > \*\* I called it back, and it did say that the second time. Weird and funky fresh! ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/9 "2002-07-25T16:39:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Philster \* > \*\*Hey, since we’re on the subject: If you have caller ID block, it doesn’t work when you dial and 800 or other toll free number. If it’s their dime, they get your phone number and store it, sell it, etc. \*\* Bullshit! I have caller ID block on all of my phones and I am able to dial 800 numbers. I just dialed the number from the OP and didn’t have a problem at all. Of course they can opt to not accept calls from blocked numbers but so can someone with a standard phone line. Haj ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/10 "2002-07-25T16:43:07Z")
I thought he was saying that if you called an 800 number, even if you have CallerID Block on they can still get your number. Don’t think he meant that you couldn’t make the call at all. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/11 "2002-07-25T16:52:53Z")
Upon rereading, I think you’re correct **dantheman**. Apologies to **Philster**. In order to atone, I called Verizon and verified that it is, in fact, the truth. Caller ID blocking does not work when you call an 800 number. The company will see your number on their system. Haj ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/12 "2002-07-25T16:56:29Z")
Kind of a bummer, huh? That’d be a great use for CallerID block. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/13 "2002-07-25T16:57:33Z")
My WAG is that it might be some kind of poll number. “Call this number to register a _yes_ vote on issue X”. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/14 "2002-07-25T17:17:12Z")
Possibly used by spies or something. If you press # and the right combination of buttons after that, maybe it lets you in to some secret stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/15 "2002-07-25T17:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by malaka \* > \*\*My WAG is that it might be some kind of poll number. “Call this number to register a _yes_ vote on issue X”. \*\* Yep, that’s what I figure. Call 1-800-XXX-XXXX to vote yes, or 1-800-XXX-YYYY to vote no." ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/16 "2002-07-25T17:19:58Z")
**toadspittle** , you said you were emailed the number - what was the email about? Did it give any clues? ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/17 "2002-07-25T17:43:14Z")
That is very strange, since each time we have called, it has costed some unknown entity money. IIRC, the phone compnay charges 800#s for each call. ---
**Author:** ![toadspittle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c0e974/32.png) [@toadspittle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/toadspittle)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/18 "2002-07-25T18:11:47Z")
> [@](#): > > **you said you were emailed the number - what was the email about? Did it give any clues?** No clues at all. The author (it was from an alarmist financial newsletter) used it to (quite poorly) illustrate a totally unrelated point: > [@](#): > > The day is coming when millions of callers to > their stock mutual funds’ toll-free numbers are > going to receive this message, or its equivalent. > “Thank you for calling. Goodbye.” If you think > this can’t happen, call this number: > > 1-800-397-1193 > > I’m not sure why this number exists, but its > recorded message is a herald of things to come. > When today’s stock market hold-outs finally > decide to sell, they had better hope they don’t > get this recording. I have no idea how the author found the number. > [@](#): > > That is very strange, since each time we have called, it has costed some unknown entity money. IIRC, the phone compnay charges 800#s for each call. That’s what I can’t get over. Even those “call this number to vote YES” polls usually use 900 numbers so that the callers bear the brunt (like $0.95 per call)–and, I suppose, to discourage casting multiple votes. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/19 "2002-07-25T18:17:00Z")
FTR – the other message I was thinking of (see above post) was the “to hear a duck quack” recording. I found read it in [MPSIMS](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=42873). **Sailor** said he recorded and posted it, but when I went to his page I didn’t find it (albeit with a cursory search). If he pops in here maybe he’ll repost it for our easily amused selves. Also, the Lucky Strikes number mentioned in that thread is now a plain message, nothing fancy. Enjoy! Rhythmdvl ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/thank-you-anyone-know-whats-up-w-this-toll-free-number/120761/20 "2002-07-25T18:50:06Z")
I live in Tennessee. We have the Greatest All-Time-Champion-Of-The-World way of dealing with telemarketers. We outlawed 'em! 🙂 Tennessee has a “no call” list, free of charge. You get telemarketed after you are on this list, call the report #. The offending marketing group can be fined tens of thousands of dollars _per call_! Needless to say, we don’t have much of a problem eating our dinners in an uninterrupted fashion. 🙂