Dish Network keeps calling -- what can I do?

[iceman]

ummmmmm....caller ID?

[edg]

Yeah, like someone's going to listen to you, iceman - look what happened to phUnk!

edg

[iceman]

Well, don't do the caller ID if it requires you to leave $500 worth of stuff you paid for in Arizona.

[yogachik]

I don't get this thread. I have caller ID (iceman is smart, too), and simply don't pick up the phone when I don't recognize the number. I never, ever, ever, have a problem with telemarketers or have an annoying/aggravating conversation because I don't answer the phone.

And guess what? She'll have to get better at remembering to turn off the ring - especially if it wakes the baby.

[The Dude]

Seeing as how you have added your telephone number to the do not call registry, and they're still calling, the next step would be to contact your local telephone provider and get in touch with their annoyance call bureau.

It seems as if the calls might be coming from a PBX, which can manipulate the number displayed on a caller id unit.

The annoyance call bureau can track the individual calls and take action against the offending party. It takes time, and won't have overnight results. But in the end, the offending party will be served a cease and desist order. The information can also be provided to you by the phone company so that you can pursue legal action directly as well if you want.

[PNWbrit]

annoyance call bureau.

Hasn't this function been taken over by Homeland Defense now?

All you have to do is have you wife answer the solicitation call with "This is Mrs. Mohammed my husband has the explosive hair gel ready for delivery. Can you confirm the detonation cord dental floss is in place?"

A van full of black jump suited operatives will arrive within minutes to take care of things for you.

[ReaganLogan]

Just call and make the complaint. It will sock them for a $10,000 fine each time they call... After a few of those, the calling manager will make a better effort to not call back those who ask to be on teh "Do Not Call List"...

[Cannonball]

I've used the Seinfeld tactic of "I'm sorry, I'm a little busy right now, how about you give me your home number and I'll call you back later?" It confuses the shit out of them, I guess most telemarketers aren't Seinfeld fans.

I also practice the "just a second" method and put the phone down and walk away.

A friend once put the phone down, went out to the garage and got his chainsaw. He and his girlfriend then re-enacted a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre. He then got back on the phone and said "sorry, the bitch just wouldn't shut up, you were saying?" The telemarketer just went about the spiel, that's some serious training.

[altagirl]

Get a fax number, even if it's Dish Corporate. (btw, that sounds lame to me...They might contract sales out to private co's, but I'm sure they have contact with these companies).

Then, after hours (start at 10 PM), fax them an all black page with a short note (in white letters) asking them to remove your number from the list. Then, send it to them 1000 times.
You'll only have to send it once, but they'll spend a couple hundred dollars on black ink for the fax machine.

A lot of companies have gone to e-faxes, so that probably won't do anything.

And I guess maybe putting them on hold or something may work for the exceptionally stupid, but I think 99.9% of them hear you say that, hang up, and put you on the list to be called again. And why mess with someone who has your name, address and phone number sitting in front of them? Just interrupt them, say "please put me on your do not call list" and hang up.

Also, you don't have to be on the formal DNC list. You just have to tell them to put you on THEIR DNC list. Though it sounds like they've found a way around this by contracting to a ton of different companies... so you may be screwed there and have to wait to come out on the actual DNC list before you don't get the calls anymore.

[focus]

reading comp is a skill you should cultivate!

What the fuck are you talking about?

[focus]

If you tell them to stop calling there supposed to put you on a list and stop. You can also go to the website they have for the national dont call list. do that and until it goes into effect yell at them and say really innapropriate and dirty things, thats what i do!

Yeah, well, they don't. They make it a point not to hear you say that, and ignore you when you do. The real point of this thread was supposed to be creative/less obvious means of stopping the calls (like Platinum Pete's suggestions, and even The Dude's) or at least making life somewhat difficult (or maybe just a little bit less rewarding) for the fuckers who keep calling...sorry I didn't make that more clear.

As I've stated, I've added our number(s) to the list. Until the 31 days is up, though, I need creative solutions.

[focus]

I don't get this thread. I have caller ID (iceman is smart, too), and simply don't pick up the phone when I don't recognize the number. I never, ever, ever, have a problem with telemarketers or have an annoying/aggravating conversation because I don't answer the phone.

And guess what? She'll have to get better at remembering to turn off the ring - especially if it wakes the baby.

I'm not trying to justify mine or my wife's laziness or forgetfulness. "And guess what?" Fuck you.

We don't keep the phone on our belts, and we're usually not quite lazy enough to keep it on the armrest next to us while we eat nachos and watch judge judy. Caller ID is only so useful....

The Dish network people aren't ruining our lives. They aren't driving us to complete distraction. They're just annoying fucks. They suck. It's an annoyance, it's fucking summer, I figured the TGR board may come up with some entertaining (or effective, even) solutions. I've said a couple times that usually telemarketer calls don't really bother me. I'm pretty laid-back, I can handle the occasional unsolicited phone call. I'm rarely even anything but polite to them. I'm glad you have telemarketer calls all figured out, good for you. Do you have the same serenity when you have a screaming baby on your hip and some asshole's cursing at you because you don't want Dish?

Turning the ringer off really is not an ideal solution....remember the ringer does serve a purpose.

Reference my above post for the fucking point of the thread....

[pointedem]

STOP FUCKING CALLING ME

When they call ask to be transfered to their supervisor.

then ask to talk to that guy's supervisor.

tell that guy to never call you again.

be sure to say "earmuffs" if your wife and kid are around then give him every insult you have... mothers, sisters farm animals... they'll get the point

[yogachik]

They're not nachos. They're bar-b-que corn nuts.

[warthog]

Ok, three pages and nobody suggests to ditch the land line? Maybe there are reasons you can't do it, but I did, and I will never have a home phone again.

I work out of the house, so it took a while, but with cable modem and online fax server, I made it happen. One less bill to pay, and an added bonus. Not one telemarketer call in the past 2 years.

Oh, and you can put them on vibrate, to keep the baby from waking up.

[iceman]

I get recorded telemarketing calls in Spanish on my cell every once in a while.

At least I think they are telemarketing calls, it's hard to say because I don't speak Spanish.

[ReaganLogan]

Ok, three pages and nobody suggests to ditch the land line? Maybe there are reasons you can't do it, but I did, and I will never have a home phone again.

I work out of the house, so it took a while, but with cable modem and online fax server, I made it happen. One less bill to pay, and an added bonus. Not one telemarketer call in the past 2 years.

Oh, and you can put them on vibrate, to keep the baby from waking up.

Once in a awhile I get a Text Message from a solicitor, but nothing with phone calls from marketers...

But dropping the land line is a perfect way of getting the calls to stop..
I am now 2 years withOUT a land line and love it...
One thing to think of, is some mobile phones will now accept your old land line number if you choose that feature to stay with your old number. Problem would be that they would still be calling that number. Also if you drop your land line, the phone compnay offersa voice recording that let's others know your new phone number for a period of 60 days... If you choose that, the Telemarketers might get your new number...

[splat]

My brother has a great trick for telemarketers. He recorded the tone you get on a non-working number and put it at the start of his answering machine message.
When a telemarketing machine hears that tone, they automatically take the number off their call list.

[iceman]

My brother has a great trick for telemarketers. He recorded the tone you get on a non-working number and put it at the start of his answering machine message.
When a telemarketing machine hears that tone, they automatically take the number off their call list.

That's pretty cool, but isn't that that "doo doo DEEEE" tone? That shit blasts your eardrums out of your head.

[danhikeski]

i have always done what alot of people have been saying, tell them you aren't interested, do not call here again. i think that my state (ME) has a law were they can't call you back if you say that.

[Spicoli]

i have always done what alot of people have been saying, tell them you aren't interested, do not call here again. i think that my state (ME) has a law were they can't call you back if you say that.

I am speechless.

[splat]

That's pretty cool, but isn't that that "doo doo DEEEE" tone? That shit blasts your eardrums out of your head.

yep. it's plenny annoying, but it works.

[Tippster]

yep. it's plenny annoying, but it works.

The Telezapper works pretty well. We used that before the "Do Not Call" List started.

[Joey Bag O' Donuts]

The Telezapper works pretty well. We used that before the "Do Not Call" List started.

I'll second that, it worked pretty damn good. Now on VOIP service, and no telemarketers whatsoever

[yentna]

Ski Monkey got sick of those e-faxes, and kept asking them to remove the fax number from their list.

After no change, still getting the daily faxes wasting paper and being uber annoying, he called them up and acted all interested in the product.

Ten minutes later, when the excited marketer was about to close the deal, Monkey said something along the lines of "actually, you know, I'm not interested in this product at all.."

The pissed off marketer responded "So you think it's okay to just waste my time?" Monkey replied, "Yep, since you're wasting my time and paper, and I'm going to keep calling and pretending to want your product, wasting your reps' time, until you take my number off the list."

No more faxes.

Try that maybe.