Nearly two
decades ago I declined “Caller ID” and opted for “Number Blocking.” You see, I was brought up to believe that
private things should remain private and that included phone numbers. I just couldn’t expose my number for anyone
to see. Suppose I called a business and
they used my number to (gasp!) call me back.
Fast forward
20 years. My initial attempt to avoid
unsolicited calls has turned into the primary reason I get them. Well maybe not the reason I get them, but
definitely the reason I answer them. It turns out caller ID is a useful tool for
distinguishing between callers you know and those you don’t, like, say…
solicitors.
Besides,
solicitors don’t care if you’ve called their business before or not. They don’t even care if you’re on the “Do Not
Call” list that I keep signing up for. Sure
they’ll apologize and hang up, but they’ll call again. One business was so lame; they used their
name, apologized, and then called back each week after promising to remove me
from their list. After the 4th week I threatened harassment
charges. So far it seems to have slowed
them down. But there are some whose
rudeness boarders on the edge of insanity.
And yes, I have tried hanging up on them. One jerk called me back and hung up
repeatedly for almost an hour. I nearly
went crazy listening to: ring, outgoing message, dial-tone, repeat. What did I
do to deserve this home delivery harassment?
I answered my phone. (Sigh)
Did you know
that there are over 1 million registered charities in the USA? I’m on the calling list for 81% of them, and the rest have my phone number. (Ugh.) Most hire
professional fundraising agencies that keep anywhere from 20% to 65% of the money
they raise. Why would I want to PAY people
to interrupt me twice a day AND make me burn my dinner or track
across my freshly washed floor?
And dealing with the professional
fundraiser is a whole other ballgame. Usually I try my acting abilities on them,
giving my own sad story of why I can’t help.
Seems they’re trying out their own acting abilities. This is evident from their poor reading of
the script that is obviously in front of them.
Most could benefit from an improvisational class… or an actual human
conversation. Here’s an excerpt from a
recent phone call.
“I’m sorry, I don’t have any money.”
“Well ma’am,
we’re a non-profit organization and exempt from the ‘do-not-call’ laws.” What!? Does their exemption status magically change
my financial situation? The sad part is
I’ve had this same conversation several times! Even more
maddening are the callers with actual people skills. You know the ones; sweet old man or southern
belle? They get me for at least 15 or 20
bucks every time. (Sheez)
So that
leaves us with automated solicitors. How
is that legal? It has got to be one of the
biggest violations of the “do-not-call” laws yet. I’d like to track down every person who
subscribes to this violation of human sanity rights and call their homes twice
a day. But, there would be no “press 3 to
unsubscribe” button, as if one really exists. No…and my message wouldn’t be wordy, just a
simple old-fashion air horn.
Well, I’m glad I got that off of my
chest. Gotta go switch to caller ID now.
Remember; be kind to each other and thank
you for reading My Rant!
