The no-call list
Has anyone else noticed that the no-call list seems to be leaking alot recently?
When it first went into effect, my unwanted cold calls almost disappeared, declining from perhaps four or five per day, most around dinner time, to maybe one per week.
But, lo and behold, the long arm of the Bush administration seems to have finally reached down into wherever the no-call list is policed, and now my cold calls are rising to match the old rate. Already today, I've had at least six.
Yes, some have been from "charities" (like the U.S. Navy wanting contributions to fund body armor), but most have been the old boiler room hard sells for financial and commercial products.
My usual response to a cold call is to say, "Thank you, not interested" and hang up before they get past the most preliminary introduction. But, now I'm thinking I should try to get an ID on them so I can turn them in. On the other hand, if I turned them in, I would probably be put on Bush's no fly list.
The unwanted faxes are also increasing -- now averaging about five per day. Most are for junk stocks, the rest for trips to Cancun. They give you a number to call to get your name off the list, but my experience has been that calling that number just confirms your fax number and adds it to any number of other lists.
Maybe the answer is to get rid of the phone and the fax! I'm investigating signal drums, since smoke signals are probably environmentally taboo in the northeast. Oh yeah. I forgot about noise pollution.
When it first went into effect, my unwanted cold calls almost disappeared, declining from perhaps four or five per day, most around dinner time, to maybe one per week.
But, lo and behold, the long arm of the Bush administration seems to have finally reached down into wherever the no-call list is policed, and now my cold calls are rising to match the old rate. Already today, I've had at least six.
Yes, some have been from "charities" (like the U.S. Navy wanting contributions to fund body armor), but most have been the old boiler room hard sells for financial and commercial products.
My usual response to a cold call is to say, "Thank you, not interested" and hang up before they get past the most preliminary introduction. But, now I'm thinking I should try to get an ID on them so I can turn them in. On the other hand, if I turned them in, I would probably be put on Bush's no fly list.
The unwanted faxes are also increasing -- now averaging about five per day. Most are for junk stocks, the rest for trips to Cancun. They give you a number to call to get your name off the list, but my experience has been that calling that number just confirms your fax number and adds it to any number of other lists.
Maybe the answer is to get rid of the phone and the fax! I'm investigating signal drums, since smoke signals are probably environmentally taboo in the northeast. Oh yeah. I forgot about noise pollution.
posted by walldon | 5:54 PM
1 Comments:
No answer for part 1 of your lament, except to note that if you've ever had a "business relationship" with one of those companies they can keep on pestering you until you tell them to stop -- and then they're supposedly required to. Check out details at www.donotcall.gov. As to part 2, I recommend subscribing to Faxaway (www.faxaway.com). Incoming faxes show up on your e-mail, which is cool and convenient and means you don't need a dedicated fax line. And they're free. Faxaway charges for outgoing faxes, but you can send those from the program on your computer (or a scanner for hard copy stuff) at no charge. And Faxaway only requires a $10 deposit by credit card to sign up. I should get a referral fee for this blogad. Meanwhile, expect my call around dinnertime to discuss some exciting investment opportunities I have to offer.
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