How to get 800 numbers and telemarketers off your back

FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

– May 31, 2010Posted in: Life

You will need Caller ID for this.

Usually, it’s a telemarketing company located in India, putting your telephone number on their call loop until you actually pick up and they connect you to someone in India to sell you services on behalf of their client.

You are also probably a customer of said client.

Google their number, and you are sure to find forums filled with irate customers who have received the same annoying 1-800 number.

Call the company responsible to get to Customer Service.

Ask to be taken off every snail mailing, calling, emailing list they have in existence on their system for every type of package, service and product.

If they tell you it’s for your own good, reply with: “Don’t call or write to me.

Don’t worry.

I’ll contact YOU when I want to buy something from your company.”

Works every time. I have single handedly gotten all the banks and their affiliated insurance companies in Canada off my back and cellphone.

I have also received no more telemarketing emails or inquiries since.

They gave me my money back!

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About the Author

Just a girl trying to find a balance between being a Shopaholic and a Saver. I cleared $60,000 in 18 months earning $65,000 gross/year. Now I am self-employed, and you can read more about my story here, or visit my other blog: The Everyday Minimalist.

jmm

The nice thing about using SIT tones is I don't even have to say a word. SIT tones are computer for "number is disconnected" and after hearing the tones, robodialers won't call again, or sometimes they need 2-3 times to be convinced.
leavemealone

If you are on the Do Not Call list and do not have an 'existing business relationship' with the caller and have not 'opted in' to their communications, that violates US federal law, and is punishable by a $2,500 fine per call. Get a supervisor immediately and get the company name and mailing address. Key words: 'existing business relationship'

http://www.FabulouslyBroke.com FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

Thanks for your comment!

FrggMn1

You need to listen WHY they are calling instead of just saying this and hanging up. I use to work for a company that does follow up surveys to see if a customers car repairs or insurance claims went ok. Too many times the customer would say something along the advice here and hang up before finding out what the call was about and too many times I would see an angry worker call them more frequently and at the most inconvenient times possible (9:01am or 8:59pm). Not all 800's or unknowns are sales calls. The best way to refuse anything is to ask why they are calling first and politely say "no thank you". At least where I worked that was an instant delete.

Also there is NO do not call list at this same firm. If you had an accident chances are you would be called. Have another chances are you will be called a second time even if you refused the first. Again after finding out why the call was made politely say no or expect MANY calls back until you do.

http://www.FabulouslyBroke.com FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

I normally don’t just hang up, but if they call me and then hang up on me, or are calling me 15x a day within an hour (yes, that happened), I get pretty freaking annoyed.

It’s in a rare occasion that I get those types of calls, and lately, none at all.

More often than not, I pick up, they talk to me, I tell them No Thanks (usually a credit card application or insurance sale which I don’t need), and then I ask for them to put me through to their department to take me off their list.

Devi

A few years ago I called customer service at my bank and various credits cards.

With each call I said, "I would like to opt out of your marketing calls, emails and postal mailing, both from your company as well as any third parties. Please also opt me out of courtesy checks." When that was done, just to be sure, I said, "Is there any other things to opt out of that I'm not mentioning?"

Aside from being on the do not call list and opting out of marketing materials through the direct marking association, this has reduced my junk mail and calls to nearly zero. The silence is golden.
SuperUser

Specifically request to be added to their "do not call" list. Telemarketers are required by law to maintain such a list and to add you to it at your request.

Asking to be removed from their lists is not effective, as they can always add you again.
http://gottalittlespace.com Rina

I work for a market research company (which IS different than telemarketing) but my BEST piece of advice? Use the right word. It is IMPERATIVE to mention the word 'list'. As in, "take me off your LIST".

If a respondent on the phone does NOT mention the word list, I am not required to remove their name/number from our calling list. Even if they say "don't call me again". Seriously.

Just a tip from someone in the 'industry' haha.

http://www.FabulouslyBroke.com FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

OOO thank you! “Take me off your list!”

Haha. I’ve actually adopted another step in this process. When I talk to, or sign up for ANYTHING with a company, I say right after: Before you go, can you please remove me from all of your mailing lists & whatever promotional items you might send out?

Then I go online and scrub my profile for those pesky checkboxes that ask them to email me every 4 months with junk.
Nighthawke

This can be misinterpreted as a request to take you off their DNC list. Make it clear and spell it out: "Please put me on your Do Not Call list. Thank you!"

http://www.FabulouslyBroke.com FB @ FabulouslyBroke.com

Thank you! The language is apparently very important, especially since they’re really going by the law.

How to get 800 numbers and telemarketers off your back

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