I’ve been getting telemarketer calls for years (as i’m sure most people in the developed world have), but recently, i’ve decided to fight back. I have provoked and infuriated telemarketers to the point where they either hang up, swear or quite literally, lose the plot.
My website, where i have most of my recorded calls is:
http://www.telemarketercentral.co.nr

Or Youtube Channel:
http://www.youtube.com/user/telemarketerCentral

There are some seriously good pranks calls, for example, i have;
-Made the telemarketer and the other people in her office believe that i am psychic (She called me previously and left the phone off the hook, so i got quite a bit of info!)
-Continuously argued about what ‘free’ means (I’m pretty sure its not free if i have to pay money)
-Ordered a Russian army for a holiday a telemarketer tried to get me to go on! (He said yes!)

These are just a few, Check out the website or youtube for the actual recorded pranks.

Feel free to comment.

Oh, brilliant idea! :D

Sort of reminds me of how my previous violin instructor answered the phone with a heavy accent. The telemarketers always asked him if he spoke English, to which he said “No!” and hung up promptly.

I had one the other day that sounded like he wanted to get into a fight with me…

I have an unlisted number. Simple!

eovti - 02 August 2009 07:33 AM

I have an unlisted number. Simple!

Doesn’t always work since a lot of telemarketers just use blind-calling by programming auto-callers.

Couple that with the Do Not Call list (in the U.S.), however, and we don’t get many calls.  Just the very, very rare ones from those allowed to ignore the DNC list.  (Charitable organizations, political organizations and companies you have done business with and given your phone number to.)

I have selective call blocking on my phone so when a telemarketer calls I can just block that particular number.  After a while they can’t get you unless they change phone numbers and if you have them blocked long enough I’ve found they also tend to take you off their list.  The Do Not Call list up here is a joke.  There are so many exceptions to it that it isn’t worth it in the long run.

Things got much easier at our house since we got Caller ID. Whenever a number is unidentified or there is an unknown number, we just let it go to the answering machine. If it’s someone we know (assuming they start to leave a message), we pick up.

Automated callers are easy to deal with

Put the three tones that you’d get if you called a disconnected number
on the front of your answerphone message. Few automated callers
check passed the first tone.
Those that here these tones rarely call a second time.

There’s something on youtube like that. a telemarketer calls and they say he’s dead, and then after tons of questions they ask if he was his gay lover.
but iz to lazy…

Its fun to talk to them.

I

The last time a telemarketer called me, it was someone with a very thick Indian accent that I could barely understand. After they made their spiel I pressed the 1 button on my phone. The person started speaking again so I pressed the 1 button again. When they started talking again I told them there must be something wrong with the system as I was pressing 1 for english and all I kept getting was their dumb ass. The person then said “Ok, thank you.” and then hung up and they haven’t called again.