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

[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.