Telemarketers Are Public Enemy Number One
Dear Editor,
Telemarketers should be declared public enemy number one. No doubt they have caused wrecks on the interstate highways, resulting in injuries, maybe even deaths, when people answer their phone.
They are targeting the elderly, disabled and the gullible. The telephone companies and government authorities, such as FBI, could get together and stop these rascals (unless they are not allowed for some reason, which we the public have a right to know).
They often just hang up when you answer the phone, which may indicate they are making a certain amount, like maybe 50 cents, just to make a call. Some people say they are just trying to make a living. If that were true, they wouldn’t hang up. And when you call back, you get a message that says your call can’t go through. One thing you can do is block their calls.
I hope something can be done because I believe they are detrimental to our overall security, privacy and economy.
Leroy Seawell
Telemarketers and email scammers are the scum of the earth! I don’t take pleasure in the thought of people burning in Hell, but I’ll make an exception for them.
Same with door to door salesmen.
Oh Chris, you’re funny!
You should be a comedian. Except you’re just not sharp enough, are you?
Ha…Chris just when was the last time you saw a door salesman? Girl Scouts don’t even do it.
I was making fun of Austin Morris who is some kind of door-to-door salesman. But let’s agree that cold call sales by door-to-door salesman are even worse than ignoring a phone call. But I do agree it is very rare these days so not near the same problem.
Chris never misses a chance to look down on other people. The irony is that I could buy & sell him out of petty cash. He used to live in a crappy little house in Pleasant Garden. Yuck!
I have personally blocked over 200 numbers on my phone. The calls are generated from companies which have access to dozens of phone numbers. And don’t forget the Do Not Call List which is a farce since it’s ignored. And when you complain to the Attorney General…well, it’s just a waste of time. They continue. My advice: Don’t answer the phone if the caller ID is blocked or the number is unrecognizable numbers. Sometimes, however, those numbers are legitimate…,so just adopt the habit of originating calls instead of waiting for the phone to ring.
“Government authorities” can’t do anything about it because we have something called The First Amendment.
To put it in simple terms, it means that every citizen has the right to speak to every other citizen. It’s the mark of a free country.
They don’t have the right to trespass on the phone that I pay for for MY use.
They’re not trespassing.
Right Wayne, the phone is suppose to be for your convenience.
You are right. It’s like censoring your mail. With technology and technique, it just gets worse. We don’t answer any unknown numbers. I block some almost every day, but they just call from another number (like a toll-free 855 area code). Telemarketers prey on the weak, and uninformed.
It helps to block your caller ID when you make calls to strangers (enter *67 followed the number you are calling). This caller ID technique does not work on toll free calls, 911 calls. Telemarketers have a way around that, by spoofing their caller ID – then routed to their toll-free number.
The lack of morality and ethics permeate the planet.
For example, I have dealt with a few Chinese business men over my lifetime. Their ethics are to get their terms by any wily techniques they can, including lying. The Chinese govt issues a gold bullion coin, called a Panda. Once in the hand of distributors, some of them will drill a small hole in the rim, extract some of the gold, and fill the void with lead.
Just a friendly reminder that Free Speach is about government suppression of speech. Private businesses can be suppressed by customers and vice a versa. Hence, we have had the Do Not Call Registry, which applies to all telemarketers and covers interstate and intrastate telemarketing calls.
So no, not every citizen has the right to speak to every other citizen. The constitution in no way says that in any form or fashion.
First amendment says “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
Note the subject in that sentence is ‘Congress’. Why do conservatives have such a hard time understanding this distinction?
You fail to understand the First Amendment.
Leroy,
Have you thought about leaving your phone at home? You shouldn’t be answering when driving anyway! You are part of the problem, not part of the solution!
Yup. You see them with a dumbphone in their face while driving, talking or texting. While using your phone, your mind is diverted from other things, like…..DRIVING. Just a mindless second can be a disaster.
You can see them out there. Car moving side to side, varying speed, and slowing down. Another reason our insurance premiums go up.
No, YOU are part of the problem if you chat or text while driving. It wouldn’t be any good to leave it at home. I keep my cell phone power off until I need to use it or expecting a call. I answer it where it is safe to use it, like in the grocery store. Then I answer and clear all the unwanted calls. Go
The calls that annoy me the most are real estate house flippers.
You’re right Jim, they are a problem too. They are eager to look at your house but they point out all they can find to offer you as little as possible. They’ve already looked up what your property is valued at in the records up town. They make you a ridiculous offer, hoping you’re dumb or desperate to accept it. Do they ever ask where you’re going to live? No, because they don’t care, even if you have to live in the streets or under a bridge (although I’ve never seen one under a bridge). One did say he was living in the woods.