OUTREACH ASSOC.

[tomturbomatic]

This is what comes up in your caller ID from an 800 or 866 number. Fortunately, I have caller ID so I check before I answer. I Googled this outfit a few minutes ago and discovered I was not alone in my annoyance at being called several times a day. Their other name is Direct Advantage Marketing. They contract with charities to raise funds for them and make a nice profit doing so. In 2005, only 46% of the 6.7 million they raised actually reached the charities for which they were were raising money. The other 54% were kept by this outfit as their charges for fundraising. It makes you wonder how badly a cause needs your money when it pays so much overhead to raise funds. I know that the Combined Federal Campaign for federal employees discloses how much charities spend on fundraising and does not allow charities to participate that devote large amounts of their contributions to fundraising

If you do want to answer the phone, you might want to find out which charity they are caling for then contact the charity and tell them they are getting nothing because of the fundraising tactics they employ.

While only charities and political groups can get around the ban on unsolicited calls, this company does so by contracting with charities so you see how effective that law was.

I did find a way out of the all-hours-of-the-day-and-night phone calls. You can call 412-381-2300, select the prompt to speak with a manager and ask for Tim Green. Whether he is a person or a name that all of these "managers" use, I don't know, but you can register a request to have your number removed from their database and they will tell you which organization was dialing your number for dollars. I have not done this yet so I can't swear that it works, but it is the first way I have found to deal with them.

Another bite in the rear cheeks is if they are calling your cell phone number, you can be charged for the incoming call depending on your plan. Double ouch.

 

[danemodsandy]

Any Solicitor...

...Calling me on my cell gets treated to the full range of my vocabulary, meaning they get cussed out until they hang up.

My personal best is three seconds.

 

[yogitunes]

tell them next time, they reached a cell from a crime scene and this cell is being tapped!!!....also ask them for their bosses name and that the police will want to talk with them....

I neverget these kind of phone calls anymore....I wonder why?

 

[ironrite]

Fun with Phones

I've been getting these stupid car warranty calls, credit card consolidations, etc. on my cell as well. I found if a number is captured by my phone I call the number back and it usually routes into an automated system allowing you to remove your number.

Should that fail and you feel like having a bit of fun, keep some small paper or plastic bags handy and follow the prompts to a "live" operator. Once they are on the line, then you'll have the chance to practice your best Thespian skills. I start to holler something like keep away, what are you doing with that gun, then quickly blow up and pop the bag near the phone. Generally the line goes dead before you can pop the bag.

 

[earthling177]

A friend of mine says he stopped getting those calls when he started breathing heavily and asking them "What are you wearing?" after they started their spiel.

 

[gizmo]

In Australia we now have a "do not call" register. You can have your number added to the Do Not Call list and telemarketers cannot legally phone you. I'm on it and it seems to work.

As it was passed by legislators, naturally they exempted themselves, so political canvassing and market surveys are exempt, though I believe they can only call in certain hours.

 

[foraloysius]

Overhere in the Netherlands we have a similar register. I've been registered there for quite a while and never had any problems with unwelcome phonecalls.

 

[lordkenmore]

The US also has a "do not call" list. There are, unfortunately, exceptions. If I remember right, charities are excepted, and so are companies you have a business relationship with. I've become very careful to specify that I only want to be called if a real problem with my current business relationship comes up, and that I am NOT interested in any sort of sales call.

 

[lordkenmore]

Another tactic for dealing with telemarketers I've heard of that I like is to say: "I'm sorry, I'm really busy! But give me your home phone number, and I'll call you later to discuss this opportunity!"

One person told someone pushing credit cards: "How wonderful! What great timing! My three credit cards were just canceled!"

 

[sudsmaster]

"A friend of mine says he stopped getting those calls when he started breathing heavily and asking them "What are you wearing?" after they started their spiel. "

I'll have to give that a try the next time the Friends of the Sheriff or the Policeman's Benevolent Association calls...

I'll probably also address him as "Lieutenant Dangle"...

;-)

 

[alr2903]

It it kind of weird the Sheriff, Police, and Highway patrol, call asking for donations and a credit card number. Their other advice is to never give this info out. My s/o's Dad has post it notes over all the phones "I do not do business on the telephone", as a reminder not to chat with these people, legit or not. He is 82 and has had a stroke. I think all these calls should be outlawed... By the way when do they have to stop blaring the volume on commercials on TV, that select 55" "don't bring me down" over the holidays about drove me totally nuts. alr2903

 

[tolivac]

I have my cell phone# on the Do Not Call Registry-no problems!

 

[sudsmaster]

My home phone and my cell phone both are on the do not call lists.

Still get the calls anyway, including the robocalls that leave long messages on my answering machine at home - so I've had to limit the message length to something like two minutes, which then can inconvenience legitimate callers who take a while to leave their messages.

The worst was MCI back in the late 90's - early 2000's. I was laid up for a few weeks with a leg blood clot at home, and they kept calling and calling. Since I had plenty of time on my hands, I started calling their 800 customer support number and just playing a radio through the speaker phone. I did this for a while without saying a word, multiple calls over several days. Finally I told them that I'd stop doing it if their company stopped its sales calls. At first they objected that it wasn't their department etc, but the calls did finally stop. Then MCI went belly up (or close to it) which I always thought was KARMA.