Getting more and more spam calls on home and cell, despite being on do-not-call list

[CathyA]

I've gotten at least 6 calls in the past 10 days on my land-line phone and my cell phone. And both these numbers are on a state do-not-call list. Now I'm going to have to keep track of them all and file a complaint with the FCC. Such a drag.
These calls make me have evil thoughts about how to deal with them..:devil:

[fidgiegirl]

There is a federal list, too. We are on it and get very very few calls, and none to cells.

https://www.donotcall.gov/

[CathyA]

Oops.....I meant we are on the Federal list. It was great for awhile. Then about 6 weeks ago, it started really picking up again. I should just not answer the numbers I don't recognize, but with my kids away at different colleges, I'm always afraid to not answer it.

[pinkytoe]

Me too. Just in the last few weeks. Wondering if the do-not-call thing expired.

[Tradd]

I should just not answer the numbers I don't recognize, but with my kids away at different colleges, I'm always afraid to not answer it.

Cathy, what's wrong with letting the call go to voice mail and then calling that person back if it's something important?

[frugalone]

This is happening to us too. It's even getting annoying clearing this crap out of voice mail.

When we confront the people and tell them we are on do-not-call, they hang up on us. I don't know what to think!

[iris lily]

I am so annoyed at those calls that have no one there when I pick up. I say "hello" three times is quick succession and if they are not there I hang up. Um people, You are calling Me, you need to be at the other end of the line when I pick up.

[Mrs. Hermit]

Once I determine that it is a spam call, I ask the company's name. The name and the time of the call are all that are required to report the call on the Do Not Call website. When our calls start ramping up, I file a few complaints (I keep the reporting site bookmarked), and viola, suddenly no more calls!

[goldensmom]

I am also getting an upsurge of calls as of late. I'm on the do-not-call registry and the call blocked list on my land line phone is full. A lot of the calls are political or non-profit and those are not part of the do-not-call registry. Some are still solicitors and I have filed complaints with the do-not-call registry but got tired of doing it so I just let it go. Still annoying.

[CathyA]

Tradd.....that's a good idea for my landline, but it doesn't work on my cell.
And I've just heard that the Federal Govt is trying to overturn the do-not-call thing. They are saying that since so much is done electronically now, its only fair to let businesses operate this way. Give me a break!

Mrs. hermit.........the same thing happens to me. If I "stay on the line" to talk to a human, and I start to tell them they are violating the do-not-call law, they hang up on me.

And they're always changing their numbers, so if you've blocked a previous number, they can still get through.
I mean what businesses really want to tick off so many people?????

[pinkytoe]

I am so annoyed at those calls that have no one there when I pick up
DH tells me these are robo calls waiting for solicitor to connect so if no one answers immediately, just hang up.

[jania]

Most of the calls I get are the ones from my bank(s) trying to sell me on additional services. I tell them I'm not interested and to not call me concerning these offers again but I know as soon as the "offer" changes they are back at it. The calls that I absolutely can't stand are the ones where as soon as I say "Hello" I am greeted with "Please hold for this important call"....geez, don't call me and expect me to hold.

The other annoying ones are from collection agencies that have my phone number in error. Luckily, as soon as I tell them the number they have is incorrect they stop calling.

[JaneV2.0]

I turned off my ringer a few years ago. Friends and relatives have my cell number, and use it to page me. I give businesses that need it my e-mail number. I'm on the Do Not Call list, but that's moot now.

[CathyA]

I used to get zero telemarketer calls, after being on the Do-not-call list. But in the past 2 weeks, I've probably got 5 on landline and 5 on cell phone. I just want to reach through the phone and strangle them!

[ApatheticNoMore]

For a landline, an unlisted number works better than the do not call list. Sure they charge me about $2 a month for it. The only telemarketing calls I really get are those who have my number because I was a present or future customer (the phone company, my bank and the newspaper - that's pretty much every single telemarketing call I get. Now how did the phone company get my number again? Oh RIGHT .... they gave me my number. Sigh ...)

[ljevtich]

I have been getting calls early in the morning. Actually two calls today from the same number. But they do not leave a message. So it is vexing. And I am on the do not call list. I looked up the number: www.411.com reverse phone and it said that it was an unlisted number in California. Sigh, why do they think I would work with them? What really sucks is that these are on my cell phone number and I am charged if I pick up the phone or get messages.

[Nella]

A couple of things: 1) if you have a "business" relationship with a company, that exempts them from having to comply with the 'do not call' laws. If you've purchased something from a company, or a catalogue, you can expect to get calls from them unless you tell them to take your name and number off their calling list; 2) the politicians exempted themselves and non-profit groups from having to comply with the 'do not call' lists when they passed the law. Consequently the politicians and political parties can call you all they want, and there's really nothing short of not answering that you can do about it. During the political season, starting about now, I leave a message on my recorder that says something to this effect: "Due to the large number of campaign solicitation calls I am receiving I do not answer my phone immediately. If you are a family member, friend or client please announce yourself and if I am at home or in my office I will answer your call..." This has been pretty effective in the past, especially as most of the political solicitation calls I get are the robo calls.

[jp1]

Most of the calls I get are the ones from my bank(s) trying to sell me on additional services. I tell them I'm not interested and to not call me concerning these offers again but I know as soon as the "offer" changes they are back at it.

If my bank did that to me I'd be calling them and explaining in clear terms that if they didn't knock it off I'd be calling another bank and giving them my business.

[Miss Cellane]

Here's the official word from the FTC website:

calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted, as would calls from companies with which you have an existing business relationship, or those to whom you’ve provided express agreement in writing to receive their calls. However, if you ask a company with which you have an existing business relationship to place your number on its own do-not-call list, it must honor your request. You should keep a record of the date you make the request.


You have to ask to be removed from their calling list and I think they have 30 days to comply.

You also need to be careful about filling out things that ask for your phone number. Department store in town having a raffle? Read the fine print--usually you are "establishing a business relationship" by filling out your name, address and phone number. Which means that entering that raffle or draw or other contest will most likely result in no prize, but a lot of spam phone calls.

[daisy]

Back when we had a land line, we were getting a rash of calls from bogus phone numbers. If we answered and said we were on the do not call list, they hung up. If we let it go to the answering machine, the message would always be about a 'problem with your credit card, case number <unintelligible>, please call immediately.' The phone numbers were random and probably bogus, but they always started with the same few area codes, so when we would see one of those area codes come up, DH would run through the house to turn on the fax service on the printer. The calls eventually stopped. I'm not sure if the fax noise did it, but it made DH happy to think it did and I was always amused by his John Cleese-like scrambling to get to the printer. :)

[CathyA]

When I get a telemarketer, I feel like blowing one of those canned air horns into the phone. I'd probably get sued.
Yesterday, someone from Allstate called me. I told her I was on a do-not-call list. She said that my state had just lifted
the ban for insurance companies and charities. I wonder if that's true?
And you know, when they call your cell phone, YOU have to pay for it, whether you wanted it or not.

[Miss Cellane]

When I get a telemarketer, I feel like blowing one of those canned air horns into the phone. I'd probably get sued.
Yesterday, someone from Allstate called me. I told her I was on a do-not-call list. She said that my state had just lifted
the ban for insurance companies and charities. I wonder if that's true?
And you know, when they call your cell phone, YOU have to pay for it, whether you wanted it or not.

States can have stricter rules than the federal government, so it's possible that your state lifted the ban on charities and insurance companies. You'd have to look it up on your state's website. Charities aren't banned under the federal do not call list, but that doesn't prevent a state from making their own rules.

But do remember that if you get an unwanted telemarketing call, all you need to do is tell them that you want to be put on their company's do not call list. It won't prevent the first call, but it should prevent any more. Document the company name and date you told them to put you on their do not call list. If they call again, you can report them to the Feds and they can get a hefty fine.

[reader99]

I am so annoyed at those calls that have no one there when I pick up
DH tells me these are robo calls waiting for solicitor to connect so if no one answers immediately, just hang up.

When I had a landline I used to get those. I'm there saying, hello? hello? and after a while a sales person comes on. Once I caught on, I would just wait it out, and when the person came on the line I just kept on sayin nothing, and then they're saying, hello? hello?

[CathyA]

I knew someone who, when they got telemarketer calls during dinner with a human, they would just set the phone down on the table and continue eating. haha
Seems like a person must be pretty desperate to be a telemarketer and get treated so badly over and over.
And it seems like such a waste of a company's time and money, to keep sending calls to people who hate them.

[Gingerella72]

This is why I love caller ID. If I do not recognize the number, or suspect that it's a telemarketer/campaign/survey call I just don't answer, period.

I also have no problem being rude to said people and interrupting them midsentence to tell them to take me off their call list, or simply hanging up on them.

One time the caller was a man who was asking for my husband (the only reason I answered at all was because I'd noticed this same number coming up over and over on caller ID and I was curious....perhaps I was also in a cranky mood and needed to unleash it on someone, hehehe). I said, "I'm his wife, you can talk to me" and he said no, he had to talk to my husband. I told him if he didn't tell me what the nature of the call was he wasn't getting through to my husband and he swore at me and said he'd just call my husband on his cell. I said "Good luck with that, he doesn't have a cell," which is true. He hung up on me. It seems telemarketers are getting more rude and nefarious to try and get through to people. I know they're just people trying to make a living but I have absolutely no sympathy for people who work for businesses like that who resort to such shenanigans.

In this day and age, I find it impossible to understand how telemarketing companies stay in business. When they first started infiltrating the phone lines in the late 80's and early 90's, there were more naive and gullible people who would actually listen to what they had to say, and fell for the sales pitches. Nowadays, who on the planet is unaware of these sneaky people? Who actually listens to them? Who are the people that are keeping them in business? The mind boggles.

[Miss Cellane]

Someone must be listening and buying. The companies wouldn't do the telemarketing if it didn't bring in a profit. Same with spam emails--someone must be sending them money, or they'd stop.

I am always polite to the callers, because I figure they must not have any other options for work. It's not their fault a stinking telemarketer job is the best they can do, especially in this economy. Many of them get bonuses if they sell lots of whatever it is they are shilling. So I consider it both polite and a kindness to cut the call short, so that they don't waste time talking to me, but can move on to the next call, where they might actually sell something.

I just interrupt their spiel, and say, "I'm sorry. I don't do business over the phone. Please put this number on your do not call list." Then I hang up.

[creaker]

Someone must be listening and buying. The companies wouldn't do the telemarketing if it didn't bring in a profit. Same with spam emails--someone must be sending them money, or they'd stop.


I wonder how much if it is bringing in a profit for the company - and how much for the telemarketers (who are often contracted). I would expect a lot of telemarketing is from companies that have been sold expectations of increased sales by telemarketing firms. I've always been curious how well that actually pans out in practice.