Dorothy J Heydt <
djh...@kithrup.com> wrote:
> <
pete...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dorothy J Heydt wrote:
>>> And then there are the periodic phone callers who ask for my
>>> mother-in-law, who died about fifteen years ago. They want to
>>> know if she wants to sell her timeshare in a resort ... which
>>> she sold about twenty years BEFORE she died, because nobody in
>>> the family was using it. I always politely explain this to the
>>> caller, and she (it's always a she) apologizes and says she'll
>>> take the name off their list. But these people *don't* edit their
>>> lists, and they keep sharing them with one another. I am always
>>> polite with them, but it's a good thing the phone is right by
>>> my bed. If Hal answered those calls, he'd rip them a new one.
>>> Not because they're taking his mother's name in vain; he hates
>>> spammers on general principle and doesn't think they deserve any
>>> basic courtesy.
>> I'm with Hal on this. I want to make them question their life
>> choices.
Likewise. Politeness is wasted on criminals. And if you're on the
federal do not call list, *or* if you asked them not to call you again
(which you did), they are criminals. If rudeness from lots of the
people they call gets them to quit, they should be thankful if the
government ever does decide to crack down on those crooks. It's far
better to be unemployed than to be in prison.
(If you're not on the federal do not call list, why not? It has no
discernable effect, but it gives you the moral high ground.)
And they might crack down, eventually. The spammer Sanford "Spamford"
Wallace ran rampant for decades, but the feds finally got fed up.
Today's he's known as federal prisoner number 16075-111.
Another approach would be to ask them to hold while you see if she's
available. If they're still on the line after ten minutes or so, tell
them, "I'm sorry, she can't come to the phone right now. She's dead."
>> The Indian ones I'll describe in detail how they are 'bringing
>> dishonor' on their family, their father, and their mother. If male
>> (it always is) I'll as how much his sister charges for <redacted>.
Sue Cochran (a friend of mine) suggests asking them (regardless of
their nationality) if their parents know what they do for a living,
and sarcastically adding "they must be so proud."
> If they aren't a recording, I tell them I'm on Social Security and
> don't have a red cent to spare, which is true.
It's none of their business. And if there's some way they can use
that information against you, they'll find it.
--
Keith F. Lynch -
http://keithlynch.net/
Please see
http://keithlynch.net/email.html before emailing me.