Do telemarketers bug you? Can’t get them off the phone? They’re not deterred by you hanging up, politely asking them not to call you anymore, and they don’t seem to care when you tell them your baby’s crying or your dinner is burning and you have to go.
There’s an answer to your woes so simple, you won’t believe it works until you try it out and see for yourself. I did it again just now and the results are always gratifying. This is what you do: next time a telemarketer calls, interrupt them with this phrase, “Take me off your call list.”
You shouldn’t have to say anything else. The caller should immediately stop making his/her sales pitch or donation request and assure you that you’ll be taken off their call list. If this doesn’t work, ask for a supervisor. Make a note of the company’s name if you catch it, because if they call you again they’ll be liable for a several hundred dollar fine.
Then, visit the federal government’s Do Not Call registry to block commercial telemarketers from calling you in the future. You’ll see a dramatic decrease in calls soon after registering.
If you want to get more aggressive about telemarketing and charity calls, Wikihow offers extensive instructions for guerilla call list removal tactics.