Congress taking bribes

[Dredge]

So , been plagued by extened car warrenty robo calls . Been on the do not call list for 16 years . I called the FTC about the calls and was told nothing they could do . I asked about the Do Not Call list and was told Congress made it worthless so marketers can call you . Then I was managed and asked for my information . I could tell they wanted to know if I was going to be trouble and asking if I was ever in the military .
Senator Crapo's office seemed to be more interested in if I was going to be some kind of a threat to the Senator than anything else . The way I see it they take contributions (bribes ) from businesses to screw the public then worry about the ones who call them and complain . Who needs to be called 15 times a day by sales calls ?

[Dennis Olson]

Or - you could simply block the inbound numbers.

[Sleeping Cobra]

I never answered calls from phone numbers I don't recognize. Someone always calls the wrong number and says you have a $250.000 line of credit.

[OldCraftsman]

Or - you could simply block the inbound numbers.

Your statement is foolish and myopic, to borrow your phrase.

Robocallers are using dynamic number spoofing techniques these days. You could spend all day every day chasing ghost numbers and you'll never stop them by blocking them. The Do Not Call thing worked well...until it didn't.

[Millwright]

Congress taking bribes

....and in other breaking news, "Water is Wet".

[Blacknarwhal]

I never answered calls from phone numbers I don't recognize. Someone always calls the wrong number and says you have a $250.000 line of credit.

Same here. Caller ID makes that super easy. An answering machine does the job too.

[Blacknarwhal]

Congress taking bribes

....and in other breaking news, "Water is Wet".

Next month's Duh Magazine featured spread: "The Sun: It's Hot There!".

[Seeker]

Have been getting calls from "opinion polls" lately. I just told the last one that my opinion was for sale only, that I did not give it to anyone for free. How much were they willing to pay me? Click!

[OldCraftsman]

Your statement is foolish and myopic, to borrow your phrase.

Robocallers are using dynamic number spoofing techniques these days. You could spend all day every day chasing ghost numbers and you'll never stop them by blocking them. The Do Not Call thing worked well...until it didn't.

Well, folks, this response has gotten my ass slapped by Dennis yet again. I honestly don't know how or why you suffer this abuse. I'm going to be banned now. Later.

[Sacajawea]

Last call like that, I answered to give them a piece of my mind... except after "hello"... I got a recorded call in Mandarin. I listened long enough to be sure before I hung up. I don't speak Mandarin; but I can hear the difference between it and other asian languages.

I think that's a first. And yes, it came in on the cell phone - those aren't safe from unwanted calls anymore either.

[Millwright]

Well, folks, this response has gotten my ass slapped by Dennis yet again. I honestly don't know how or why you suffer this abuse. I'm going to be banned now. Later.

That low post count will get you every time.

[Luddite]

Listening to my phone ring and ring and ring and NOT answering it is a small pleasure in my simple life.

[Papacub]

Caller ID and an answering machine is also how I handle unwanted calls!

[Dobbin]

Um. We are guests here on Dennis' Board.

When you're invited to the party you don't mention that the punch is a little weak or you don't like his drapes.

And gee - I wish this couch were more comfortable.

Object is to meet & greet and render opinion. Mostly this last. Argument could be made that Dennis only allows opinion that agree with his own.

Others might disagree.

THATS the point.

Dobbin
Who thought your thoughts apt, but your presentation needs a little grooming.

[Dredge]

Tried blocking calls and numbers and they keep calling . If have to crawl out from underneath a tractor to go see if I want to answer my phone it is just as time consuming as picking up the the phone . My phone is my convienience not some markerters and the Do not Call was gutted by Congress for the marketers profits . If you like being a sheep and taking what ever the fascist want to do to you whatever but I keep my pitchfork around for nothing more than someday I might need throw a pile of shit politician in a dung heap .

[night driver]

Um. We are guests here on Dennis' Board.

When you're invited to the party you don't mention that the punch is a little weak or you don't like his drapes.

And gee - I wish this couch were more comfortable.

Object is to meet & greet and render opinion. Mostly this last. Argument could be made that Dennis only allows opinion that agree with his own.

Others might disagree.

THATS the point.

Dobbin
Who thought your thoughts apt, but your presentation needs a little grooming.

Ah, but Dobbin, this is all well and good, but when someone uses an actual quote from the Boss, there should be some understanding.
Sauce for the goose ( comment TO random poster FROM the Boss) should be just as saucy for the Gander (from random poster to the Boss).

[Dennis Olson]

Is this a cell phone or a landline?

[Dennis Olson]

You know OC, you have two fundamental character problems:

First, you have a very short fuse and get angry at the drop of a hat

Second, you take yourself way too seriously.


Those two things can really get you into trouble out in the world. Perhaps you’re even-tempered out in the world and are just hostile on web fora, I don’t know. But here, you have a predilection to let assholery rule your persona. Not a positive, man.

[medic38572]

Well, folks, this response has gotten my ass slapped by Dennis yet again. I honestly don't know how or why you suffer this abuse. I'm going to be banned now. Later.

Dude, Don't ask him to do it. You know he will oblige!

[Dennis Olson]

Actually, I won’t. The “jackass bar” that generates removal is pretty high, and so far he hasn’t met the standard. Plus there still infractions available as well as trips to Timeout. He’s going to have to work harder to get tossed. If he wants to be inactivated, I’ll do that, but in that case he can still use the PM system to talk to the staff, and potentially ask to be reinstated. Compared to some of the dicks that have come and gone here, OC is an amateur...

[summerthyme]

Not wanting to be directly critical, but OC does have a point... I actually got a spoof call from "cardholders services" (some scam outfit that apparently helps you with your "credit card debt" or something.. we don't HAVE credit cards or debt), which showed up as being a local government office from a neighboring county! They have also shown as a local hospital, as well as random numbers with a local prefix.

Since I often get calls from Amish neighbors using an English neighbor's phone, I can't exactly ignore any number which *appears* to be from a local source, much less block them...

I do use caller ID, but have had to try to train the Amish to leave a message... of course, if I'm home, and the machine picks up, but there is no message, and the number calls back within 5 minutes, I just assume it's a telephone-illiterate Amish man and pick it up.

But it's nowhere near as simple as just blocking a few numbers... unfortunately. And it's VERY frustrating, because for the first few years, the Do Not Call list really worked very well. I HAVE found, though, that snarling (IF the voice on the other end belongs to a human... too often these days, they aren't even paying minimum wage schmucks to make the calls!!) "we're on the Do Not Call list!! DO NOT CALL!" and then slamming the phone down often ends calls from that particular entity permanently. Either they haven't paid their bribes, or haven't realized it no longer has any teeth...

Summerthyme

[Dennis Olson]

Oh i agree, he does have a valid point. But it’s still possible to at least try to block them.

Alternatively, just don’t answer the phone, let it go to voicemail, and call back if it’s a real call. Some folks have an almost pathological need to answer the phone, and cannot leave it alone. (I’m not one of those.)

[samus79]

This really annoys the hell out of me with my work phone, I have to answer every call because it might be a customer needing work done. The ones I don’t answer now are the ones that spoof your area code and first three digits, pretty easy to tell those are scam calls. If it is a customer they leave a voicemail.

[Texican]

Actually, I won’t. The “jackass bar” that generates removal is pretty high, and so far he hasn’t met the standard. Plus there still infractions available as well as trips to Timeout. He’s going to have to work harder to get tossed. If he wants to be inactivated, I’ll do that, but in that case he can still use the PM system to talk to the staff, and potentially ask to be reinstated. Compared to some of the dicks that have come and gone here, OC is an amateur...

Gives OC a higher tier to attain just being an amateur....

Is the "jackass bar" shown somewhere so we can estimate where we rate????

Call blocking works sometimes except some companies use multiple lines....

Texican....

[ShyGirl]

I was also on the do not call joke list. I gave up. I just do not answer the phone if I don't recognize the number or caller ID. I have told companies like Edward Jones that if their caller ID does not come through don't expect me to answer unless they get it fixed. If I don't know you or you don't leave a message sorry. No answer. I don't put up with this shit any more.

[Sleeping Cobra]

Financial bribes happen all the time so Congress votes a certain way. Remember: They took money from Monsanto and now Monsanto is no longer responsible. Financial bribes have been happening even before we were born.

[MPMalloy]

I have a CPR CallBlocker. You can find them on Amazon. I set it up to only allow whitelisted numbers to get thru. All other numbers are blocked by default.

[Millwright]

I have actually whittled them down on one phone. Go thru their BS and ask to be taken off.

I'm down from 3-5 a day to maybe one a week.

Now to start with the second phone. (new number)



For Gawd's sake, leave the spreading of hate & discontent, snark and general smart-assery to trained professionals.

[TammyinWI]

Congress taking bribes

?

So what else is new?

[Raggedyman]

hey boss . . .

this is a great:

"you have a predilection to let assholery rule your persona".

can I borrow it from time to time or is it protected by copyright?

[Dennis Olson]

Heh. No, it’s in the public domain. Feel free.

[Thinwater]

They dont call them bribes any more. They are called "Campaign contributions", or the Clinton favorite "Speaking fees". Speaking fees dont have a limit so it works better for the Clintons.

If you want to deduct your bribes on your taxes you have to make it out to the "Foundation" founded by your politician. For ongoing bribery you can always hire a family member, like Moochell Obama, to be on the "Board of directors" and pay them whatever you have to to get the intended results. People on the "Board of directors" can be paid in "Stock options" so when the company does better, they do better (Wink nod).

[Amazed]

It's worth the couple of bucks a month to have an unlisted number.

[Millwright]

It's worth the couple of bucks a month to have an unlisted number.

They use demon dialers that hit every number in the exchange.

[NC Susan]

Anyone want the car warranty extension calls ?
I can forward them to you

I CANT block them all because it's always a new number.
And I block them every time

[catskinner]

I'm a horrible person. I've been told that over and over by people laughing at me when I tell them what I do to these callers. I usually just ignore unknown numbers and don't answer them, but occasionally I'm waiting for a call back and have to answer unknown local numbers.

I pick up and listen for about 5 seconds. If there is a person on the line they will usually say something. If all I get is silence, I grunt into the phone. I act as if I'm severely handicapped in the speech department. No, I'm not making fun of handicapped people, just trying to get taken off their call list.

The grunt activates their recorded spiel. I do my grunts several more times while they wait for me to say yes. Sometimes, they just hang up after asking me to repeat what I said and sometimes they send me to an actual person.

If I grunt a couple of times at the person, they always apologize for bothering me and tell me they will take me off their call list.

As a side note, I discovered, about 20 years ago, that if you tell the newspaper that is harassing you to take out home delivery, that you are illiterate, they will stop calling.

[Josie]

Congress taking bribes has been going on for years and has garnered a whole industry...lobbyists! Your doctor's office can't take a stack of post-its because it just influence his decision on which drug to prescribe. But members of congress...the ones who make the rules...are apparently above that and can take expensive golf trips with their families paid for by drug companies. All they have to do is listen to a few minutes of the sales talk about the drugs. Kind of like those "free" weekends those time share companies peddle to have a captive audience.

As far as being called while on the Do Not Call list, give it up! Honestly, I think the government has sold that list to improve the revenue situation! I've registered not only our land line, which is pretty much just used for business, but also our cell numbers. I still get calls on all of them. Answering machine takes care of the land line. If it's a legit call, caller will leave a message. My cell used to be safe and I only gave out that number to people I wanted to have it. But now I get calls on it from all over the country. I even get calls on my cell from my cell number. It's magic!!!

[dogmanan]

I get calls all the time that the number won't show it says restricted and won't show a number.

[Dennis Olson]

Once I switched to VoIP phone service, I have never received sales calls. Almost ten years now.