It just seems pretty simple for me. I tell them firstly that I don't make purchases over the telephone. Then they keep talking and I ask them to remove me from their calling list.

What really irks me is when they hang up when you are in the middle of asking them to remove me from their calling list.  

I got a post card the other day telling me that I had missed a delivery. I waited on hold to find out how to get this package delivered. It was one of those "free" gift type offers. I said, "Oh in that case please remove me from your calling list." The gal must have been really used to that response and she said "but you still want your free gift, right?" I said no and I better hear you typing that I want removed from your calling list.

I'm polite but firm.

My bil says he puts the phone down on the table and walks out to get something from the refrigerator or whatever then comes back and asks them if he can call them back later. When they say they can't receive calls, he says, "oh, you don't want strangers calling you--that's odd."

I'm almost afraid to say it, but so far we haven't received calls on our cell phones from telemarketers....

If they keep call I let ds the one with down syndrome answer.  He will talk and talk over their talk.  They usually hang up, after a few times they quit calling.

Quoted from cindy

If they keep call I let ds the one with down syndrome answer.  He will talk and talk over their talk.  They usually hang up, after a few times they quit calling.

I'm chuckling at what Cindy posted. Those poor poor salespeople just don't stand a chance. hehehehe!

I interrupt them and say, "We are on the do not call list."  That stops them right away.

What do you do about the automated calls that are in Chinese or some other weird oriental sounding language?  

Cindy - I let Matt answer the house phone most of the time.  It's almost always telemarketers or Grandma on the house phone - everyone else calls the cells.  He LOVES to chatter to them.

Quoted from cindy

If they keep call I let ds the one with down syndrome answer.  He will talk and talk over their talk.  They usually hang up, after a few times they quit calling.

I'll need to borrow him!  

It's the politicians who call that really......really.....bother me.    Of course the dirty, rotten, blankety-blanks exempted themselves from the do-not-call list.  That's what bothers me.   I tell them so when it's a real person, however, most of the time it's an automated call.   Other than that, I don't get solicitation calls since I put our numbers on the do-not-call list and told our credit card company to never try to sell us something over the phone.

Quoted Text

and I better hear you typing that I want removed from your calling list.

My dad says, "I tell you what.  You give me YOUR phone number and I'll call you back during YOUR dinner to finish this conversation."