# Solutions To Out Of Control Telemarketing Calls?



## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Anyone who is familiar with the national DNC list will know that it is completely useless, as is the CRTC itself. Despite my home number (landline) being on the DNC list since a couple of weeks after it started, I get _constant_ telemarketing calls. For example, on Thursday of this week I received 16 telemarketing calls, 8 of them from the same number (I know it isn't the number that they are actually calling from, but the same spoofed number appeared on my call display 8 times). On Friday I received 6 telemarketing calls, 3 of which were from a single number. On Saturday I received 6 telemarketing calls, 3 of which were from the same number. Friday and Saturday were light days in terms of the number of telemarketing calls that I normally receive. Thursday was more typical.

In addition to the calls I just mentioned, I also receive calls from VOIP numbers, as well as some that appear on the call display as 'anonymous' and even as 'asterisk'. All of these calls I have mentioned originate in India and Pakistan, which is easily figured out based on the accents of the callers. They call at all hours of the day and their latest trick after you hang up or tell them to go fuck themselves, is to call back about a minute later and then again about an hour after that. Hell, during one call from them on Thursday my second line went and, when I glanced at the call display, it was another call coming in from the same fucking number!!!!

The overwhelming majority of these calls are for air duct cleaning. I am almost at the point that I want to schedule appointments just to beat the living crap out of whoever shows up based solely on the fact that their company uses these telemarketing services. Other calls purport to be from Rogers offering services to new customers, but I am already a Rogers customer so they are clearly just trying to 'sell' me something in order to get credit card information. I have also asked Rogers about this and they claim that they do not use telemarketers from outside of Canada.

I am at my wits end and want to block as many of these calls as I can. I asked Rogers and they offer a call blocking service for $6 per month, but it only allows you to block 30 numbers. I also doubt that the service would be effective for spoofed numbers.

That leaves me thinking of buying a landline phone that allows you to block more than 30 numbers. In an ideal world, I would like to find one that allows you to block entire area codes or countries of origin (piss off India and Pakistan!!!) but I doubt such a phone exists (someone could make a fortune if they were to invent one!).

Does anyone here have any recommendations for phones that offer robust call blocking features? If so, letting me know the make and model would be appreciated.

Or does anyone have any other solutions for this issue? I could get rid of the landline entirely but would prefer to keep it so dumping it isn't really an option.

tl/dr: need advice on blocking telemarketer calls.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Not much you can do. At work the boss has given up trying to block calls like this because it is easy to change the number it says that the calls are coming from.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Ya, you can only block so many.

I've resorted to blowing up on the conartist on the other end, 
before they can even get their bullshit started, then hangup.

There's only so many times that they want to deal with that.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

sulphur said:


> Ya, you can only block so many.
> 
> I've resorted to blowing up on the conartist on the other end,
> before they can even get their bullshit started, then hangup.
> ...



You'd think so but no matter how many times I unload on them they keep calling. And like I said, their latest tactic is to call back immediately after you tell them to fuck off.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

So many of the calls are just hangups. How in the hell do you deal with that? I don't understand what they are accomplishing by calling numbers and when you answer they simply hang up.


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

The duct cleaning calls certainly aren't legit. I think they are looking for credit card numbers. I get those calls.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

My first job out of school was a telemarketer and back then, the best way to get off the list was using the line "I'm moving". if you pissed off a telemarketer, the attitude was to put you as "very interested" in the database which would equate to more calls.

My favorite story that happened to me:

Me: sir, I'm calling you today about a special promotion wth the Globe & Mail
Response: Son, there are 3 types of newspaper readers in this country, First, the people that read the globe & mail, they are the people that run the country Second, the people that read the Toronto Star, they think that they run the country and lastly, the Sun readers, they don't care who runs the country as long as the girl on page 19 has big tits - and I'm one of those readers [click]


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Lord-Humongous said:


> The duct cleaning calls certainly aren't legit. I think they are looking for credit card numbers. I get those calls.


They couldn't understand when I told them that I don't have any ducting, it's electric heat.

Even if you don't have baseboards, tell them that.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

At our home, we simply say "Hello", twice, quickly, and if there is no reply on the second Hello, we immediately hang up and announce to the rest of the house "One of those calls". Telemarketer calls are generally preceded by several seconds of silence, while their software checks to see if they've reached a fax machine by mistake. If it is someone who knows us and needs to speak to one of us, we presume they will call back. While that saves us the nuisance of having to listen to a sales spiel and figure out when to insert "No thanks, we already have new windows and doors", it doesn't save any of us the nuisance of having to go over to where the phone is.

Once upon a time, one could be comforted in the knowledge that such calls were relatively confined to weekday suppertime hours. But it doesn't take too many rainy Saturdays or sick weekdays beached out on the couch with a box of Kleenex to realize that what used to be a narrow window for telemarketers has turned into a continuous assault.

I honestly have no answer. The DNC list was certainly well-intentioned, but like just about anything related to software solutions, if someone is motivated to find a way past your security, they are going to find it. So I can't see any technological solution that would present a permanent answer to those calls, whilst offering some sort of convenience for the homeowner. And if there was some sort of register such that one could reply "Um, I live in a condo. I don't have any ducts.", and the impossibility of a future sale could be noted, that would be great. But my sense from others' comments is that the callers arenot taking copious notes for future reference.

I guess it's just one of those things one has to accept about life, like lousy drivers, religious zealots, boring management meetings, and kids that eat you out of house and home. I wish it wasn't like that, but there ain't a lot one can do. Maybe it's time to start asking "Rick" from Bangalore what the weather's like.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

The DNC is only good for calls within our country, afaik.


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

Consider getting a number with or transferring your number to voip.ms. Then use their facilities to help manage. The facilities include: blocking specific numbers (including "out of service" responses or anything else you like, use your imagination), disallowing callerid-blocked/unknown numbers from getting through, setting up an IVR that requires dialling an extension, and a few other mechanisms. Then, if caller passes your gauntlet, the result can ring any number you want or a set of numbers, or just voicemail. All at a pretty reasonable cost. And it's all part of the package if you actually end up using them for VoIP telephony. Not associated, just a happy customer with multiple accounts for various purposes. It's a bit of work to set up, but I believe you're an engineer, right? -- details are your domain.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

Ooma is pretty good at keeping those kinds of calls to a minimum.

The scammers do spoof numbers though, so you can't block it all. However, we noticed a drastic reduction in Tele earning and scam calls after a few months of having it.

It's much cheaper than a line from the traditional carriers too. 
Buy the gear for about $120 and then pay the communications tariff every month, $4.50.

It is a VoIP service. So, you a good Internet service. We've had a great experience in terms of quality.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

What about just changing your number?


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

screen your calls. If it's someone you dont know, let it go to VM. If it's important, they'll leave a message


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

Budda said:


> What about just changing your number?


The scammers don't really work off of a list of interested consumers.
They set up a robo-dialler and cycle through the numbers.

The legit telemarketers sometimes do the same kind of thing but with a bit of focussed range of numbers.
The better companies work off of their customer relationship management software.

You're going to see a shift toward multi-channel or omni-channel marketing wherein if a company that you do business with has your other contact info, like email, Facebook, cell phone, or whatever else might come along, they will communicate with you in whichever means you prefer. Rogers is one of those companies, and they do have their call centres in Canada.

The Do Not Call list only works with companies that follow the rules. Even then, there are exceptions. Some companies and organisations have exemptions and do not have to use the list.


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

GO ON THE VERBAL OFFENSIVE if you have to. First, I would just pickup and hangup if you don't recognize the number, or if you do and you know it is one of THEM. Or just have fun - do your best Cookie Monster, Darth Vader, Screaming Crazy Person impression or whatever.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

'Hello'. 2 seconds of silence. Hang up.

The phone company could block the calls but has no financial incentive to do so. The US government seems far more proactive. They are taking tax scammers to court. Would love to see us do likewise.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

DeSelby said:


> 'Hello'. 2 seconds of silence. Hang up.


If you don't deal with it, the automated system simply puts you back in the queue for a recall. The automated calls will continue until a live operator talks to someone.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

DeSelby said:


> 'Hello'. 2 seconds of silence. Hang up.
> 
> The phone company could block the calls but has no financial incentive to do so. The US government seems far more proactive. They are taking tax scammers to court. Would love to see us do likewise.


The problem is that the scammers spoof calls and could be calling from a different number every time they dial.
It's not about financial incentive. It's about practicality. It's just not a viable solution. It creates the problem of several blocked numbers but doesn't solve the scammers from calling.

I agree that more could be done to track the source of the calls and do some thing about it.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

Alex said:


> If you don't deal with it, the automated system simply puts you back in the queue for a recall. The automated calls will continue until a live operator talks to someone.


You may well be right but that's not my experience. I also let most calls go to voice-mail. A select few know the secret handshake

The fact that my email provider can direct spam to the right folder demonstrates that technical feasibility is not the issue. Sure, identifying spam voice calls requires a different approach. But as I said, there is no financial incentive. In fact the opposite is true.


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2016)

I tend to have fun with them sometimes.
Usually speaking gibberish in the same accent.
They hang up quick.

Duct cleaning.
'Sure, send them over. I have pigs and chickens too.'


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I never seem to have a use for what they are selling, and I don't hear so well, so they have to take a long time to say what they are saying, I have asked them to repeat something so many times they hang up, and I speak funny and kind of mumble, so they have a hard time understanding me. "You're from Windows? Oh, I just got new thermopanes in, they are nice and clear and easy to clean.....", "Nope, don't own a computer", "I have no ducts", I just make it a complete waste of time for them.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

dodgechargerfan said:


> The problem is that the scammers spoof calls and could be calling from a different number every time they dial.
> It's not about financial incentive. It's about practicality. It's just not a viable solution. It creates the problem of several blocked numbers but doesn't solve the scammers from calling.
> 
> I agree that more could be done to track the source of the calls and do some thing about it.


I don't think it's about practicality per se. The phone companies have access to the global directory of legitimately registered phone numbers. If it was in their financial interest they could do a database dip before connecting a call. 

I use VOIP for a good number of long distance calls. And mostly, have to make prior arrangements to complete a call. Otherwise 'unknown number' is shown on call display and the person I am calling doesn't answer their phone.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

DeSelby said:


> I don't think it's about practicality per se. The phone companies have access to the global directory of legitimately registered phone numbers. If it was in their financial interest they could do a database dip before connecting a call.


But that's just it.
I can make a call and make it look like I'm calling from your legitimate number.
So, a database dip doesn't help.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

dodgechargerfan said:


> But that's just it.
> I can make a call and make it look like I'm calling from your legitimate number.
> So, a database dip doesn't help.


I stand to be corrected but I don't think you can do that unless it's a VOIP call. In which case the ip address, which yes can be masked, is available. And the telephone companies have the necessary data to provide them with the true source of the call.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

DeSelby said:


> I stand to be corrected but I don't think you can do that unless it's a VOIP call. In which case the ip address, which yes can be masked, is available. And the telephone companies have the necessary data to provide them with the true source of the call.


There are ways to do it on any kind of telephony system.
Not so much with a home line, for sure, but these scammers are set up with the gear they need.
If they have a small PBX system with an ISDN line, they can rewrite their outgoing ID number.
Some carriers do limit that kind of thing to legitimate uses, and there are a lot of scenarios where it is legit.
A lot of smaller carriers and those in other countries just let it be a free for all.

VoIP definitely makes their life easier, though.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

I meant to add - but my parrot turned my iPad off - that for a lot of these scammers, it's worth it to invest in a small PBX and an ISDN line. A few successful calls and the PBX is paid for.


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## Guest (Oct 30, 2016)




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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

That's a good one Larry but this has to be infallible


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

LexxM3 said:


> Consider getting a number with or transferring your number to voip.ms. Then use their facilities to help manage. The facilities include: blocking specific numbers (including "out of service" responses or anything else you like, use your imagination), disallowing callerid-blocked/unknown numbers from getting through, setting up an IVR that requires dialling an extension, and a few other mechanisms. Then, if caller passes your gauntlet, the result can ring any number you want or a set of numbers, or just voicemail. All at a pretty reasonable cost. And it's all part of the package if you actually end up using them for VoIP telephony. Not associated, just a happy customer with multiple accounts for various purposes. It's a bit of work to set up, but I believe you're an engineer, right? -- details are your domain.





dodgechargerfan said:


> Ooma is pretty good at keeping those kinds of calls to a minimum.
> 
> The scammers do spoof numbers though, so you can't block it all. However, we noticed a drastic reduction in Tele earning and scam calls after a few months of having it.
> 
> ...



Sorry, I should have mentioned that I can't go for something like VOIP because I have elderly family members living here and they would never figure that system out. Hell, they can barely even program a VCR. If it wasn't for them I would just use my cell phone, which doesn't get these telemarketing calls, and kill the land line.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

guitarman2 said:


> So many of the calls are just hangups. How in the hell do you deal with that? I don't understand what they are accomplishing by calling numbers and when you answer they simply hang up.



They use autodialers which dial a bunch of numbers at the same time. As soon as someone answers the other calls disconnect. The hangups are the calls disconnecting.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

*The Do-Not-Call List Has a Gaping Hole*

I hope the link worked

The IETF is proposing a solution. But. The salient point is the last paragraph. 

"How aggressively will telecom companies work on this? Many carriers have little incentive to participate in anti-spam efforts because they profit from increasing traffic of any kind on their networks, says Gail-Joon Ahn, director of Arizona State University’s Laboratory for Security Engineering for Future Computing. But that could change, Schulzrinne says, as the number of customer complaints about robocalls keeps rising."


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## LexxM3 (Oct 12, 2009)

colchar said:


> Sorry, I should have mentioned that I can't go for something like VOIP because I have elderly family members living here and they would never figure that system out. Hell, they can barely even program a VCR. If it wasn't for them I would just use my cell phone, which doesn't get these telemarketing calls, and kill the land line.


My point was that you can achieve everything I mentioned without switching to VoIP for the actual voice service, just managing the incoming number and call progress before it rings something.

And nobody can figure out how to program the VCR, not just elderly. The youngsters here probably have no idea what we're even referring to here ...


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Scotty said:


> screen your calls. If it's someone you dont know, let it go to VM. If it's important, they'll leave a message



The problem is that the phone will be ringing until they disconnect. Considering the number of these calls that I get, that would entail listening to the damned phone ringing off the hook multiple times each day. And turning the ringer off isn't an option because then legit calls would be missed.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

dodgechargerfan said:


> The problem is that the scammers spoof calls and could be calling from a different number every time they dial.
> It's not about financial incentive. It's about practicality. It's just not a viable solution. It creates the problem of several blocked numbers but doesn't solve the scammers from calling.
> 
> I agree that more could be done to track the source of the calls and do some thing about it.



One of the CBC's news magazine shows dealt with this not too long ago. They managed to find one of these call centers in Pakistan. When they questioned the CRTC the spokesperson just stood there and repeated that they would do something if they could find them but they were impossible to find. The CBC then gave them the info on the one they had found and the CRTC employee couldn't really answer. I wish to hell that the journalist had kept pushing instead of letting her off of the hook. The thing is, the CBC had some incentive to do something and they easily found the call center but the CRTC has absolutely no incentive to do their jobs and fulfill their mandate.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

colchar said:


> Sorry, I should have mentioned that I can't go for something like VOIP because I have elderly family members living here and they would never figure that system out. Hell, they can barely even program a VCR. If it wasn't for them I would just use my cell phone, which doesn't get these telemarketing calls, and kill the land line.


The Ooma system is pretty simple if you can get it plugged into a jack.
We use all of the regular phones we had with our landline. We even use the answering machine that's part of our cordless phone set.

The tricky part for the topic is discussion would be the number blocking bit. It's all done via web page.
Look in the call logs. Click the blacklist icon, pick a reason, and save it.

Yes, it can be more involved if you play with all of the features, but for the basics and blacklisting, that's it.


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## dodgechargerfan (Mar 22, 2006)

colchar said:


> One of the CBC's news magazine shows dealt with this not too long ago. They managed to find one of these call centers in Pakistan. When they questioned the CRTC the spokesperson just stood there and repeated that they would do something if they could find them but they were impossible to find. The CBC then gave them the info on the one they had found and the CRTC employee couldn't really answer. I wish to hell that the journalist had kept pushing instead of letting her off of the hook. The thing is, the CBC had some incentive to do something and they easily found the call center but the CRTC has absolutely no incentive to do their jobs and fulfill their mandate.


Agreed. The CRTC should be acting on this information as well as actively pursuing other instances.

The original point was that the carriers (Bell, Telus, etc.) were doing nothing because there's no money it for them.
I won't defend Bell, Telus, etc. but on this point, they really don't have a solution to reduce or eliminate the calls. Making money doesn't really factor into for them. There's just no good solution.


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## Scotty (Jan 30, 2013)

colchar said:


> The problem is that the phone will be ringing until they disconnect. Considering the number of these calls that I get, that would entail listening to the damned phone ringing off the hook multiple times each day. And turning the ringer off isn't an option because then legit calls would be missed.


Turn your amp up?

Actually, pick up the phone, drop it in front of your cab and keep playing. 

This must be a landline they call? I rarely get them on my cell, and only get the odd one on the LL. I'm getting rid of that one shortly. Waste of $50 month


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## dtsaudio (Apr 15, 2009)

One thing you should know is a lot of these callers get the numbers from internet white pages. I discovered my unlisted number on the internet here:
Canada WhitePages, Better.
I emailed them and my number was removed within a few days. Unwanted calls have not stopped, but they have been greatly reduced.
Try typing your address into Google and it will come up with a white pages directory somewhere on page 1. It'll even give you your neighbours. Quite the violation of privacy.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

Just cancel your land line. I did, and don't miss it one bit. My quality of life has improved with the lack of disturbances in the evening.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

jayoldschool said:


> Just cancel your land line. I did, and don't miss it one bit. My quality of life has improved with the lack of disturbances in the evening.


This


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

jayoldschool said:


> Just cancel your land line. I did, and don't miss it one bit. My quality of life has improved with the lack of disturbances in the evening.


Kudos. I keep my landline for one simple reason. It will work when the power goes out. During the ice storm in Ottawa a number of years ago a good number of cellular providers lost service. Their base stations were not battery backed. Simple economics. Over and up


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## Bastille day (Mar 2, 2014)

jayoldschool said:


> Just cancel your land line. I did, and don't miss it one bit. My quality of life has improved with the lack of disturbances in the evening.


I did as well, I can talk for up to 400 minutes with a $5.00 Chi-Chi calling card.

It will cost 50 cents to call the number on the calling card.

The only problem is finding payphones and it seems many people you call, can't be bothered talking but instead want to call you back. Doctor office's are the worst.

Bell Canada is enemy #1 and a big part of the problem.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I have an unlisted phone number (land-line) and I get virtually no telemarketing calls at all. I get a few on my cell phone but nothing outstanding. I used to get those "this is your Captain speaking" calls. But Mostly just a car dealership trying to scam me into trading up to a new truck.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Just put a business message on your voicemail. As soon as your phone goes to voicemail and the message is "Thank you for calling the ABC company.....................................", they telemarketers hang up.

I used to get some others on the line, especially Bell. I threatened to report them and reminded them they had been fined hundreds of thousands of dollars and would do my best to see they got fined again. End of the Bell calls. I too, got rid of my land line. As for it not working when the power goes out, I have had one for over 20 years and it has never been a problem while it has been with a landline. The battery backup for land lines lasts only so long and then it dies.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I don't have a cell phone at all.....the payment plan is great and sometimes I can't be reached....I like that.
Telephones transmit whatever sound that goes into them without much loss in volume....so if you can get one of them little aerosol boat horn things, like people take to hockey games and such, and keep it near your phone........a good referee whistle works too. Telemarketers wear head sets  Bonus points for first whispering very softly...."just a minute, just a minute" so they have to really be straining to hear you.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

Steadfastly said:


> The battery backup for land lines lasts only so long and then it dies.


My point about batteries was with respect to base stations, i.e. the first point of response in a call. With respect to a landline phone, if you lose power, all the bells and whistles are gone. But you still have dial-tone.


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## Wardo (Feb 5, 2010)

colchar said:


> I am almost at the point that I want to schedule appointments just to beat the living crap out of whoever shows up based solely on the fact that their company uses these telemarketing services.


Stuff like this is why The Canadian Guitar Forum is way cooler the AGF...lol

As for the telemarketers I never answer my landline and seemingly for that reason it hardly ever rings at all. I just have it for outgoing fax mostly. I guess that's not a solution but it looks like once they know you're there they keep coming.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Wardo said:


> Stuff like this is why The Canadian Guitar Forum is way cooler the AGF...lol



Even better is a small guitar forum that I set up. I could go off on an epic rant about telemarketers there and none of the mods would care. Granted, I am the admin but any member could do it and all the mods would say is "fuck yeah, do it, can you film it so we can all watch?".


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

RE: CRTC

Their jurisdiction does not extend beyond our borders. Once upon a time, when everything was wires rather than satellites, and long distance calls cost a fortune such that no one would consider setting up off-shore boiler rooms, it made perfect sense to have an agency that only oversaw communications _within_ the country. Sadly, the very technology that gives us the cheap long distance also makes it possible for those with no vested interest in community relations - because they are thousands of miles away - to plague our lives without interference.

Could the CRTC ever have international jurisdiction? I doubt it. They couldn't unilaterally intervene or block telecommunications from another country without a treaty with that nation. I.E., they couldn't go all North Korea on the rest of the world. They certainly can't just show up in Pakistan and shut something down or even press charges or restrict that operation. And even if such treaties could be arranged, the telemarketers would simply move to wherever there wasn't a bilateral treaty.

AFAIC, we can simply hope that enough people get their ducts cleaned, their roofs reshingled, and their windows and doors replaced (all with multi-year guarantees), that the labour costs of operating the boiler rooms exceed the potential for future revenue generation. Admittedly, a rather defeatist attitude. It also doesn't do anything about the almost greater number of calls from fundraisers, nearly all of whom want to thank us for our generous past contributions that we have absolutely no recollection of.

Technology makes it a moving target, much like counterfeit money and ID. You come up with something that is harder to duplicate, and technology makes it possible for a modest investment to fake that.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Scotty said:


> screen your calls. If it's someone you dont know, let it go to VM. If it's important, they'll leave a message


Sometimes you still ned to turn off the ringer...


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

colchar said:


> The problem is that the phone will be ringing until they disconnect. Considering the number of these calls that I get, that would entail listening to the damned phone ringing off the hook multiple times each day. And turning the ringer off isn't an option because then legit calls would be missed.


Our phone rings 5 times and then goes to voice mail. If the tv upstairs is on the number is displayed on it. On occasion the number displayed is our number. Our number is unlisted and we might get a call or two every couple of months. If there is no name displayed with the number we let it go to voice mail. As an aside, the other night the phone rang and a giggling female voice asked, "Is your fridge running?".


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

jayoldschool said:


> Just cancel your land line. I did, and don't miss it one bit. My quality of life has improved with the lack of disturbances in the evening.


If we cancel the land line the internet and tv costs increase and I would get 2 or 3 calls a month on my cell instead of the one or two every 6 weeks or so. As it goes the telephone has nothing to do with the quality of my life. Plus if you are on hold like when you are phoning to get in touch with some one about CPP or something like that cell phones are a pain.


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## colchar (May 22, 2010)

Here is that CBC episode about telemarketers:


To Catch A Telemarketer - Episodes - Marketplace


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

Electraglide said:


> Our phone rings 5 times and then goes to voice mail. If the tv upstairs is on the number is displayed on it. On occasion the number displayed is our number. Our number is unlisted and we might get a call or two every couple of months. If there is no name displayed with the number we let it go to voice mail. As an aside, the other night the phone rang and a giggling female voice asked,* "Is your fridge running?"*.


We used to do those things when we were kids. Another one was "Is Mr. Walls home?" When they said no, we told them "get out, get out, before the roof caves in!" 

We also did one with a starter pistol and pretended we were shooting someone. We got a few "gasps" on the other end of the line with that one.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

colchar said:


> Here is that CBC episode about telemarketers:
> 
> 
> To Catch A Telemarketer - Episodes - Marketplace


Thanks. I'll try and give that a listen later tonight or tomorrow.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Get one of these...










A loud whistle may do the trick too.


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## Guest (Oct 31, 2016)

Give the phone to your kid. lol.


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## jbealsmusic (Feb 12, 2014)

Our solution was just to cave in and cancel our home phone service entirely.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

I have mixed feelings about what to do. 

If you just answer the call and hang up or don't answer it, you wasted a few useconds of processor time at the caller's end. That's nothing to them. If you do answer and get an agent on the other end, you are wasting staff time and they do care about that. But you are also 'clicking on click bait' - you've let them know that number is potentially a good score.

I think wasting their time is good. But it may lead to more calls in the short term.

The best solution is probably some sort of software IVR, with the recording: "If you are real person please press 2 and my phone will ring, if you are a telemarketer, please take this opportunity to f off." Outgoing ACD systems they use can't negotiate an IVR but people can. It's like that squiggly letter test on forms that proves you are a person and not a bot of some sort.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

I place little faith in technological solutions such as this because doubtless there will be technological "solutions" to these very hurdles/obstacles. Besides, it shouldn't require mastery of yet one _more_ technology to simply sit and watch the TV or play one's guitar in peace and quiet.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Steadfastly said:


> We used to do those things when we were kids. Another one was "Is Mr. Walls home?" When they said no, we told them "get out, get out, before the roof caves in!"











doesnt make any goddam sense.....who has ever called the walls in their home "Mr."?


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Do you have Robin Hood by the bag?


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

sulphur said:


> Do you have Robin Hood by the bag?


lol....never heard that one, but its good. a little on the nose, though.

as a kid I always used to hear the one about "prince albert in a can"...but it wasn't until was 40 that I found out WTH that was supposed to mean -pipe tobacco.


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## High/Deaf (Aug 19, 2009)

mhammer said:


> I place little faith in technological solutions such as this because doubtless there will be technological "solutions" to these very hurdles/obstacles. Besides, it shouldn't require mastery of yet one _more_ technology to simply sit and watch the TV or play one's guitar in peace and quiet.


I suppose you're right - they could use voice recognition software to interpret your required input (2, in my previous example) and then spit out the DTMF tone to get that port through the IVR to make your phone ring, but that's a lot of work for the few that would be out there. It also creates an extra hassle for the people we really want to get the call through (they have to listen to the message and input the correct digit).

Of course, the easier the solution is from our end, the more people will use it and the more likely the bad guys will build a counter-solution to our solution.

Another technical solution may be this 






If Kate coulda sorted that out, we could feed that back through the phone system and pick them off one at a time.


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## jayoldschool (Sep 12, 2013)

DeSelby said:


> Kudos. I keep my landline for one simple reason. It will work when the power goes out. During the ice storm in Ottawa a number of years ago a good number of cellular providers lost service. Their base stations were not battery backed. Simple economics. Over and up


The ice storm was 20 years ago, coverage (and tech) has drastically improved. I lived in Orleans, my power never went out. My cell phone worked fine as well. Now, I live on the very outskirts of Ottawa (next road over is Prescott-Russell). Cell works fine, even when the power is out.


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## DeSelby (May 4, 2016)

jayoldschool said:


> The ice storm was 20 years ago, coverage (and tech) has drastically improved. I lived in Orleans, my power never went out. My cell phone worked fine as well. Now, I live on the very outskirts of Ottawa (next road over is Prescott-Russell). Cell works fine, even when the power is out.


Yes 20 years. Where has the time gone. You were lucky. Friends in Prescott-Russell spent 2 weeks without power at that time. I was trying to say that in times of duress, current implementations of technology are more geared to the norm than the exception. And that's all good until you get a black swan. Maybe the mean is sufficient.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Diablo said:


> doesnt make any goddam sense.....who has ever called the walls in their home "Mr."?


Like asking if it's the Bates house and you're looking for the master.


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

We don't have to listen to those annoying telemarketers anymore. Got rid of the land line and we all have phones! Problem solved!


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Lola said:


> We don't have to listen to those annoying telemarketers anymore. Got rid of the land line and we all have phones! Problem solved!


They call cell phones as well...


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

zontar said:


> They call cell phones as well...


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

zontar said:


> They call cell phones as well...


I have had a cell phone for 3 years and not once have I ever got a telemarketers call on my phone!


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

One other thing I did that was pretty funny When I made custom made jewelry pieces and I would get a telemarketers call I would let them get part way through there spiel I would interrupt them and ask them if they were interested in buying a piece or two of one kind jewelry from me just to really screw with their minds! They would say they weren't interested and then I would say if they couldn't listen to what I had to say then I would hang up! It really caught them right off guard!


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Lola said:


> I have had a cell phone for 3 years and not once have I ever got a telemarketers call on my phone!


Jealous. I wonder if maybe some places just run a list of cell phone numbers - I get spam every now and again. Not often enough to be annoyed though.


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## Electraglide (Jan 24, 2010)

Lola said:


> I have had a cell phone for 3 years and not once have I ever got a telemarketers call on my phone!


When I was with rogers on my old phone with the BC number I used to get them once in a while. When I changed servers and phone numbers that stopped. It helps when only family knows the phone number. If a number shows up that has no ID and I don't recognize it then I don't answer it and I don't let it go to voice mail.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I'm getting one on my mobile phone.....a text.....says my phone number has been picked and I am the winner of $850,000

I just keep deleting it.


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

Some of these calls--as well as scammers--use an autodialer that just dials numbers in sequence--they don't need to get your number from somewhere--a computer is set with the area code--and they pick a number to start at & they just cycle through the numbers.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

zontar said:


> Some of these calls--as well as scammers--use an autodialer that just dials numbers in sequence--they don't need to get your number from somewhere--a computer is set with the area code--and they pick a number to start at & they just cycle through the numbers.


It will depend on the purpose of the call. If it's a service located in a specific municipality, it obviously does them not good to call numbers that may not be situated in that region. Our younger son is in Halifax and has a cellphone with an Ottawa area code. Calling him to ask him if he wants his gutters cleaned will do nobody any good. On the other hand, if it's Angus-Reid calling with a survey, or the Red Cross calling for donations, they may care less about area codes, up to a point (e.g., a survey on provincial services needs to go to residents of the province in question). Presumably, the auto-dialers can be set to certain limits, but within those limits they just dial away.

Trouble is, there are so many kinds of commercial and non-commercial entities that see one's phone as a point of relevant contact, that the calls keep coming all week long, for the most part. Happily, so far, we don't seem to get them any earlier than 9:30AM and any later than 9:30PM or on Sunday or Saturday after lunch. I suppose we can be thankful that the many calls we used to get in past for magazine and newspaper subscriptions have dissipated and turned into banner ads we can simply click away. A lot easier to click the X since I was already at the computer, than it is to race across the house for the phone, only to find out it was one of _those_ calls.


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## traynor_garnet (Feb 22, 2006)

I simply don't answer my phone anymore. Ever. If I see that somebody I know has phoned I will call back. Since my cell phone only stores 2 voice mail messages, I don't have to worry about having a pile of spam messages.

We haven't had a land line for years and I refuse to give my cell number to youtube or basically anyone else. My wife still insists on answering her cell regardless of the call display. I don't know why she gets angry afterwards!


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## Lola (Nov 16, 2014)

traynor_garnet said:


> I simply don't answer my phone anymore. Ever. If I see that somebody I know has phoned I will call back. Since my cell phone only stores 2 voice mail messages, I don't have to worry about having a pile of spam messages.
> 
> We haven't had a land line for years and I refuse to give my cell number to youtube or basically anyone else. My wife still insists on answering her cell regardless of the call display. I don't know why she gets angry afterwards!


If I don't recognize the number which is rare I don't answer it. I have had some calls my phone from Vancouver! I have your usual VIP #'s like the doctor, dentist and family on my phone but I probably go through my contact list on occasion an delete numbers that are defunct or don't pertain to me anymore.

Why would you give your # to You tube?


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

CRTC to the rescue?

CRTC giving phone companies 3 months to help you block 'nuisance' telemarketing calls


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

1) Dump the phone line.
2) Change your number and don't give it out to ANYBODY but friends and family. Use another # for Rogers or other such companies as your info is routinely sold.
3) Keep your line but have it forwarded to your cell phone where you can blacklist numbers and you'll be able to control/limit the # of telemarketing calls.

To expand on #3, most people seem unaware of this but the Android platform allows quite a bit of control in regards to blacklisting rules for numbers. I can block entire area codes if I so wish. Once, I was targeted by a numbering scheme which always included the last same four numbers. It's the area code and first three numbers that would change. I was able to block all phone numbers which included that string of numbers as well.


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## Beano Addict (Jun 26, 2013)

Lola said:


> If I don't recognize the number (...) I don't answer it.


Exactly this. As a younger man, I used to fret about the possibility of missing anything!

Now, I apply my father's philosophy which is the following ; if it's important, they'll leave a message. And they *NEVER* do.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

I just got a new text, Join our service evaluation team, earn 400/wk guaranteed

$ sign is missing.........that's a problem


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

mhammer said:


> It will depend on the purpose of the call. If it's a service located in a specific municipality, it obviously does them not good to call numbers that may not be situated in that region. Our younger son is in Halifax and has a cellphone with an Ottawa area code. Calling him to ask him if he wants his gutters cleaned will do nobody any good. On the other hand, if it's Angus-Reid calling with a survey, or the Red Cross calling for donations, they may care less about area codes, up to a point (e.g., a survey on provincial services needs to go to residents of the province in question). Presumably, the auto-dialers can be set to certain limits, but within those limits they just dial away.
> 
> Trouble is, there are so many kinds of commercial and non-commercial entities that see one's phone as a point of relevant contact, that the calls keep coming all week long, for the most part. Happily, so far, we don't seem to get them any earlier than 9:30AM and any later than 9:30PM or on Sunday or Saturday after lunch. I suppose we can be thankful that the many calls we used to get in past for magazine and newspaper subscriptions have dissipated and turned into banner ads we can simply click away. A lot easier to click the X since I was already at the computer, than it is to race across the house for the phone, only to find out it was one of _those_ calls.


Of course that will depend--but if it's a scam it will likely play out over a larger area.


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## Steadfastly (Nov 14, 2008)

I think I got one yesterday. It showed up as a toll free number. They left no message since my voice mail is a business one.


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