AVOIDING SCAMS, MY FRIENDS, (one of three)

Wow, I've never heard of that one before. They took you good, my friend.

I know telemarketers have a job to do and I respect that, but I know there isn't a single thing they could offer me that I would even consider, so I don't even let them 'in the door'.

I politely say I'm not interested and then hang up. I wonder if they could edit the tape and just include the 'interested' part and get me - let 'em try!

I have read all three of these. And the advice is good.

But when it comes right down to it, when you talk, your mouth gets you in trouble.

And just so you know, a voice recording saying yes is inadmissable in court because of the fact that the recording cannot be verified.

Further, there is no way that these companies record and log every voice recording. That too was a scam. Somebody tries pulling that shiit on me, and my response is a smile and the words, "GO FOR IT!! BRING IT ON...I DARE YOU!!"

Thus ends a perfectly good threat....

Okay, so lesson one is never to say yes to anything especially on the phone when you don't know the person. Lesson two, turned down if you're not interested. Saying no is as easy as one, two three. Lesson three is to never entertain or give chance from someone who is calling you and selling you something you don't need. Most of the time, cutting the conversation as fast as we can will save us the opportunity to say yes!

Thank you for sharing your experince.. I have never really liked telemarketers.. I understand that it may be a great business but you can not see the product that they are offering, it could just be a scam like here.. So normally when they can not just take no for an answer I will just hang up the phone.. I have tried to be nice to these people but they are so pushy, and sometimes out right abusive.. and i figure that I do not have to waste my time on the phone with someone that I do not want to have a conversation with..

Thankfully, I've never had anything like that happen... but I can say that I absolutely HATE pushy salespeople.

About six months ago I added my home phone number to the 'do not call register' here in Australia to get rid of all those pushy sales calls asking me to change my phone service provider, get cheaper calls etc.

The do not call register basically adds your phone number to a blacklist which telephone sales operators are not permitted to call unless you have personally given them permission (like I am registered with a couple of market research companies who call me to let me know when surveys and group discussions etc are going). Anybody else rings and I have the right to sue the a**es off them for their breach of the rules.

It worked really well, within two weeks I went from receiving 4-5 calls per week from salespeople to none!

Anyway, it might be worth checking whether something similar is available where you are.

Unfortunately, you can't add a business number to the register so if you run a business, either at home or externally, you can't ban the salespeople from calling you.

I haven't heard of this one either.

I try not to get on these calls at all. If the husband answers the phone, I've got him (mostly)trained to screen the calls since he doesn't mind taking them. And if I pick up the phone and there's too long of a hesitation before a person comes on (machine dialed call), I just hang up.

I hate talking to telemarketers at all, but if I say no and they start arguing with me about why I should say yes, I just hang up.