September 23rd, 2006
CallBlocker - An Automated Way to Tell Off Telemarketers
By Michael Santo
Executive Editor, RealTechNews
I’ve done the Do-Not-Call Registry signup and I still get calls. I hate answering the phone, finding out it’s a telemarketer and tell them to put me on their do-not-call-list. With the CallBlocker, that’s all automated.
This device intercepts calls before your phone rings and plays the following default message:
“You have reached CallBlocker and not an answering machine. All commercial sales calls and fund raising requests are not accepted, place this number on your do not call list. Personal and invited callers press 5 on your touch phone to proceed.” Source: Wired News
We Say: I’ll admit, I’ve become less kind to telemarketers. Lately, if I hear the “pause” that normally happens when a computer is dialing in, I just hang up. If they manage to get me, sometimes I ask, “Can you hold?”. I then place the headset in another room and walk away.
Frankly, most of the calls I get lately are for political reasons … and those can’t be blocked. Sigh. I’ve already made up my mind, OK? Stop calling me!
Finally, this device assumes the telemarketers will be ethical and not press 5. Hmmm …
David Johnston says:
I wonder if this thing has a whitelist feature. I wouldn’t want to make friends and family go through this thing every time they want to call me.
September 23rd, 2006 at 1:27 pm
John Corliss says:
It would be nice if the device allowed you to program it to request a small code that you would select. You would give the code to those you wanted to be able to call through. Either that alone or else in conjunction with a white list.
That would pretty much be the end of telemarketers and I for one, would be very much pleased.
There should simply be laws against ALL telemarketing. Freedom of speech has nothing to do with telemarketing because a telephone is a communicative ingress into your domicile. I have the right to put a sign on my front door (which I do) that warns solicitors away under threat of criminal trespass charges, I should be able to do the same thing with my phone line. This “CallBlocker” device is something along those lines, but it needs a law in conjunction that would allow you to file charges against any telemarketer who has the temerity to press the code.
Of course, international telemarketers would be immune from such laws, but the CallBlocker will filter out most telemarketing anyway.
Other good advice for cutting back on telemarketing, is simply to get an unlisted number and only give it out to friends and relatives. Never give it to businesses unless you get them to agree not to pass it on or use it for telemarketing themselves.
Also, NEVER call 1-800 or 1-888 numbers from your home. The reason not to call toll free numbers from home is that the company you call gets your number on a printed list with their bill at the end of the month. This is one way that your number gets distributed to telemarketers.
Have your phone company block your number from caller ID. If a person won’t except blocked calls, dialing 1-82 before the number will unblock your call. Good judgement on your part is necessary before actually letting someone see your number this way.
These techniques have served me well over the years. That and screaming bloody murder at any idiot telemarketer who manages to call though to me, and complaining loudly (along with threats of account cancellation etc.) to the phone company when an ADAT (automatic dialing and telemarketing) machine gets through.
September 24th, 2006 at 4:31 am
Catfish says:
Re #2:
There is some device like that. I’ll go on Google and find it. I remember hearing that you had to put in a code given to you to get the call throught the blocking, but that’s all I remember.
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