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Saturdays and Sundays are my only reprieve from what has become an absolute nightmare of a situation. For some reason, the robocalls cease on those two days, but for the other five, my phone exists partly for text messaging/social media scrolling, and partly as a place where telemarketing corporations can just tee of on yours truly.
On weekdays, the calls usually begin around 7:30 in the morning, which is right around the time I’ve had my first cup of Cafe Bustelo. Sometimes a robot will tell me that my credit card information has been compromised, but for the most part, the only thing I hear on the other end of the line when I pick these calls up is white noise.
My phone number is the same one I’ve had since I joined the Verizon Wireless network 15 years ago, so the calls usually come from a number in Michigan, most oftentimes in the metro Detroit area. As of late, what I do is ignore the call completely by hitting the power button on my phone. Then, I immediately go to my call log where I scroll to the unknown number, click on it, and then select “Block this Caller.” If I don’t immediately block the number, they call back within the next five minutes.
I rinse and repeat this same routine six or seven times a day, and this has been going on for at least a year now. I don’t even flinch anymore when I see a number calling me that I can’t recognize. I just press the ignore button and head straight for the “Block this Caller” feature. It’s muscle memory at this stage in the game. I’ve put my phone number on the National “Do Not Call” Registry and I’ve downloaded apps which claim to screen calls for validity.
At the beginning of this whole ordeal, I would foolishly stay on the line for several seconds and sometimes even ask to be taken off of their list. That, of course, sends the robot into a whole spiel and also makes it worse. If the computer knows that the number is active, it doesn’t matter what you say, you’re number gets recycled and will get called again at some point.
After a year of dealing with this, I can’t honestly say that I’m annoyed with it anymore because I’m so used to the process of getting a phone call, ignoring it, and then blocking it. Changing my phone number has always been the best option, but I honestly think going through that would be more annoying than just dealing with the robocalls.
Remember in, like, 2009 when people would create Facebook groups to let all of their friends know that they got a new phone number? Most of my friends don’t even have Facebook anymore and even if they did, an invitation to join a group as trivial as one announcing that I got a new phone number (which will just give them more annoying notifications to deal with) is going to fall on deaf ears.
Google “random phone numbers are calling me” and the only thing I can find is a bunch of listicles suggesting that you register your number with the “Do Not Call” Registry and that you should try downloading the aforementioned apps I talked about. I mean, my hands are tied here. I can’t change my phone number. I won’t do it. That would be admitting defeat. Although I guess after a year of telecom companies assaulting my phone with spam calls I think it’s fair to say they’ve beaten me. So let’s go to the bargaining table. I’d settle for a reduced number of calls per day. Six is way too many to deal with, but I could do three a day EASILY. Let’s make a deal here..
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jduda@grandex.co
the correct answer is to never pick up. they know you will pick up the phone so the robot keeps you on the active list
i was a telemarketer for one summer before college once as a way to fund my vices. best day of my life was when my boss gave me a check and said “you don’t have to come back tomorrow. we’re bankrupt. run to the bank and cash your final check before we run out of funds. have a good summer.” my life improved exponentially after that place went out of business.
I literally just got one as I was reading this.
Just wait till your parents start turning 65 and you’re still on their family plan. Yesterday I was told my wife was eligible for Medicare now that she turned 65. I’m 22 and legally single.
“legally single” is now added to all of my dating app bios
Hi, I’m “legally single” Date Mike, nice to meet me.
I’m in the same situation because my dad’s company pays for all of our phones so why change that, right? A majority of my calls are about how millions of Americans over the age of 65 fall while they are alone next year. Could never figure out why the fuck they think I’m 65 but this makes so much more sense now
A typo or 2 in there but you get what I’m saying. I’ve been working 12-14 hour days this week so please excuse. Hopefully my work emails are worded just as poorly
They called me 11 times yesterday….
I got through to a live person once and politely asked to be taken off their list to which I was told, “good fuckin’ luck” before she hung up on me.
well that was just a roller coaster right there
Just got a new work phone to go along with my personal line, and I was stoked at the thought of ditching my old personal numbers and all the telemarketing calls that come with it. Turns out my work phone gets even more, and I have to answer cus like, it’s my job.
That is the worst, my last work phone I had, apparently had a recycled number from a former Uber driver who owed Chase a lot of money on a charged-off credit card, and was in some tax trouble with the IRS. I got texts all times of night asking where I was and if I could pick somebody up by the light post on the corner in front of XYZ Bar, and some great voicemails from debt collectors.
Semi-on topic I got a call today pitching me an IPO and the salesman sounded exactly like Jordan Belfort Wolf of Wall Street in the early penny stock scene.
Yeah but was he promising your returns would create generational fuckin wealth?
He did promise returns in the 30-40% range, but “honestly, Mr. Hambino, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were much, much higher.”
Like Duda, I’ve had the same phone number my whole life? Luckily, there are only a handful of 3-number prefixes after my NoMich area code (what up Will), so it’s easy to tell the spoofers that match their origin number to your area code from the actual legit calls (of which there are like 3 a year). Rare perk of a rural upbringing.
Almost all of mine come from the same area code and three number prefix as my phone
The news is actually picking up on this and it’s getting worse, the FCC has no way of stopping it though since almost all the calls are routes through other countries.
I just stopped answering, if it’s an actual person they can leave a quick voicemail.
If you answer the call and its an actual person, say, “This is an unregistered number owned by the US Government. Do not call this number again.” That specific company won’t call anymore. It worked when they stopped calling my work phone so I did the same on my personal phone.