Do Not Call Me

By: Julia Salazar

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February 11, 2008

My biggest source of aggravation is my home phone. It rings usually in the middle of the day at the most inconvenient time. At least four or five times a day I receive a call from a telemarketer. I can usually spot them as soon as they invoke my last name: �Is Ms. Salazar home?� or �Is Julia Salazar there?� I usually say, �If you are trying to sell me something I am on a no-call list.�

But tele-marketers have become more aggressive and clever. They usually respond with, �This isn�t a sales call. We�re offering you a free—� At that point I cut them off and say I�m not interested and repeat that I�m on a no-call list. Most of the time, it doesn�t make a difference. They don't apologize or hang up, they just keep doing their pitch.

The other day, when I told a telemarketer that I was on a no-call list, she asked me for my address so she could find it in her database and remove me. When I refused to give her my address, she got hostile and told me that she could not remove me off the list until I gave her my address. We went around and around until I hung up on her.

For the last week, a company called Global Exchange has been calling. It�s the typical we�re-not-trying-to-sell-you-anything scenario. They kept claiming that I had won something. Although I insisted I was on a no-call list, they had different people call me back over several days. One salesperson resorted to calling me a word that rhymes with witch. Then she hung up on me. Harassment, plain and simple.

I went to the National Do Not Call Registry and re-listed my phone number on the Do Not Call list. It was so easy. I encourage every person to sign up with the National Do Not Call Registry. Registering your phone number is effective for 5 years. It will be illegal for most telemarketers to call you, and you will be able to file a complaint on the website if a telemarketer does call you. Just make sure you get the company name, phone number and time they called.

I haven't been called since I re-registered. But I keep pen and paper by the phone just in case.

Source

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MoneyPants

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