Andy Rooney's tips for discouraging telemarketers

[flyclearjohn 0]

I particularly like the junk mail one


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Three Little Words That Work !!

(1)The three little words are: "Hold On, Please..."


Saying this, while putting down your phone and walking off (instead of hanging-up immediately) would make each telemarketing call so much more time-consuming that boiler room sales would grind to a halt.

Then when you eventually hear the phone company's "beep-beep-beep" tone, you know it's time to go back and hang up your handset, which has efficiently completed its task.

These three little words will help eliminate telephone soliciting.

(2) Do you ever get those annoying phone calls with no one on the other end?

This is a telemarketing technique where a machine makes phone calls and records the time of day when a person answers the phone.

This technique is used to determine the best time of day for a "real" sales person to call back and get someone at home.

What you can do after answering, if you notice there is no one there, is to immediately start hitting your # button on the phone, 6 or 7 times, as quickly as possible . This confuses the machine that dialed the call and it kicks your number out of their system. Gosh, what a shame not to have your name in their system any longer !!!

(3) Junk Mail Help:

When you get "ads" enclosed with your phone or utility bill, return these "ads" with your payment. Let the sending companies throw their > own junk mail away. When you get those "pre-approved" letters in the mail for everything from credit cards to 2nd mortgages and similar type junk, do not throw away the return envelope.

Most of these come with postage-paid return envelopes, right?

It costs them more than the regular 37 cents postage "IF" and when they receive them back.

It costs them nothing if you throw them away! The postage was around 50 cents before! the last increase and it is according to the weight. In that case, why not get rid of some of your other junk mail and put it in these cool little, postage-paid return envelopes.

Another one of Andy Rooney's ideas.

Send an ad for your local chimney cleaner to American Express. Send a pizza coupon to Citibank. If you didn't get anything else that day, then just send them their blank application back!

If you want to remain anonymous, just make sure your name isn't on anything you send them.

You can even send the envelope back empty if you want to just to keep them guessing! It still costs them 37 cents.

The banks and credit card companies are currently getting a lot of their own junk back in the mail, but folks, we need to OVERWHELM them. Let's let them know what it's like to get lots of junk mail, and best of all they're paying for it...Twice! Let's help keep our postal service busy since they are saying that e-mail is cutting into their business profits, and that's why they need to increase postage costs again. You get the idea !

[GTAVercetti 0]

I am DEFINITELY sending junk mail back. That is awesome.

Why yes, my license number is a palindrome. Thank you for noticing.

[BillyVance 35]

I've cost one company over $25 worth of postage in sending 2 monthly bills for 3 years. I had refused to pay the balance over a rip-off that they were trying to pull over on me, but now that they are threatening to get collections involved, it's time to pay them off. as for phone calls, what I've done sometimes is take my hearing aid out and hold it to the phone and let the high pitch feedback pierce their eardrums! [Laugh]

"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

[flyclearjohn 0]

Quote

I am DEFINITELY sending junk mail back. That is awesome.

Ok, I received junk mail from a singles service today. I just mailed them back their brochure (in their prepaid postage envelope) plus:

- Discount cupons from Piggly Wiggly
- 10% off on a tuneup at Goodyear
- a local flyer for lawn service

This is fun! I'm actually looking forward to more junk mail tomorrow.

Yes, I have way too much free time.

John

[mikecm469 1]

My brother had a telemarketer call his house once and he gave the phone to his 3 yr old daughter. You could tell the person was new and didn't have the heart to hang up on her. After about 5 mins he took the phone back and asked if they had enough and hung up the phone.

I may be crazy, but I'm not stupid!

[Kid_Icarus 0]

I tried the pound thing last night when the machine called. Now I know what they're doing!! Hope it works!

________________________________________
"What What.....

[masterrig 1]

What's fun to do too is, when you get a magazine with all those postage paid subscribtion cards in them, don't fill them out... just mail 'em all back!


Chuck