Excellent stuff, thanks so much. [img]smile.gif[/img]

You're always welcome, dear. [img]smile.gif[/img]

Use answering machine. that way you'll know which call to pick up. Which call to ignore. OR use the phones which can list the callers phone number, that way you'll know who is calling. Which mean you don't need to pick up on unindentifitable(sp?) phone numbers.

If you don't recognize the number, don't answer the phone.

Like others have said, register your number with the national Do Not Call registry at
https://www.donotcall.gov/default.aspx
It's free -- there's no fee to register, and it's good for land lines & mobile phones.

If you have any small children in the house, just hand the phone to them & tell them to talk to the nice salesman.

Cerek posted a story (or link) about a comedian who plays with these callers. He got a call for carpet cleaning & asked the guy if he could get blood stains out of carpet, furniture, and curtains.

Or, as soon as you hear the caller start a speech, just hang up...

Arledrian reminded me of a call I took a few months back. I answered the phone, and the person asked for me. I said hold on, he's right here... waited a few seconds, and then came back on in my best southern good ol' boy accent. Had a mighty nice talk fer a few minutes, and then I allowed as how I wasn't going to do that right now...

Oooohhh... I just remembered another option. Roll the Bones (McCoy, that is): I'm sorry... he's dead.

That'll stop a lot of folks in their tracks.

Yeah...what I've been doing the last couple of days is this:

They ask for me using my "old" married name - Stallings - and I say that she "no longer exists", please stop calling. ;) The other day I got an "uhhh...oh" response to that. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

They ask for me using my maiden name and I tell them there is no one here by that name, please quit calling. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

What I hate the MOST? That, when they call, most times they ask for me by my first name only like they are my long-lost friend! grrr! That just burns me up! Don't you DARE be so familiar with me when I don't know you, didn't give you my number, don't want you to call and do NOT want your stooopid product!

;)

Start eating carrots and celery noisily while they're doing their thing. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

I work as a telemarketer.... [img]smile.gif[/img]

You could always slip into whatever RPG character suits your fancy. It's seems to unnerve them when you tell them the Lich-Queen is pounding down your door and wants to drink your blood and reanimate your corpse. Ask them to send help quickly. Banging pots and pans in the background to simulate your battle with her skeleton army is effective too.

My sincere condolences.