Unwanted solicitors

[Grace]

Ellie, do you have Caller ID?

We got a new cordless phone awhile back - a Panasonic. It has Call Block. You can program in up to 30 phone numbers, along with all those Out-of-area, Unavailable, Private Call calls. It works!! What they hear is a busy signal and a hang up. We hear one ring and then nothing. Our caller ID will show what/who was trying to call.

For all those that get through with a real person, I explain that we never donate to organizations over the phone and I ask them to remove our number from their database. And then I program their number into the Block list.

Door-to-Door, I don't answer them.

[Freedom]

At the door, I may get a neighborhood kid once or twice a year. So that isn't really an issue. Not sure how to address it, haven't thought of it.

The phone, I only get automated ones plus one company that calls to ask, "do you have a smoke detector in your house?" Once I answered yes and they were selling house alarms. I gave them a different name and said I was on the way out so they'd have to ring back. Now anytime I get a phone call for "Martha" I just hang up, lol. After 3 of those that stopped.

I do make a point of telling all of them to take me OFF the list. It's the automated ones you get stuck with. And it was horrid last election time, seems all the candidates had funds for that, even local school committee folk!

[pomtzu]

No Caller ID here. What can I say - I'm cheap and I keep my phone bill to a bare minimum. Seriously tho - I wouldn't even have a land line except that I have to have it for my Rescue Alert. I've thought about cancelling the alert system so I could get rid of the phone, but every time I say something to that affect, my son gives me what-for! With my luck, as soon as I did, I'd need it. Luckily when I fell and broke my hip there were people around - might not be so lucky if (God forbid!), something like that happened again. I suppose I could just leave the answering machine on all the time. If no one leaves a message, then it most likely was an unwanted call anyway. Family knows to call me on my cell if there is no answer on the land phone.

As far as the door pests, I'm going to try putting up a sign and see if they get the message. I think I'll put it on the door and not at the end of the drive. That way they will have the inconvenience of driving up, parking, and then walking up to the house before they see it. I've had some of the religion pushers actually come into the back yard if they see me outside with the pups. I hate to be rude, but some just don't want to take "no" for an answer!

[Medusa]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

[Taz_Zoee]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

That's a great one!!!

I do not get calls, except from our local newspaper and survey things.
We do get people at the door, and if I see them coming (I live in a court, so I can sometimes catch them going to the neighbors houses) I'll shut the door and just not answer it. However, the dogs barking their heads off gives me away. But if I do answer it I'll leave the storm door closed and talk through the screen. I just stick to my guns and say no thanks, and that I don't own the house and my boyfriend isn't home. Or that I have family in the field of whatever they are trying to sell. We don't get an annoying amount of door knockers though, luckily.
The sign should work though. They aren't "supposed" to approach houses with a sign. At least that's what I've heard.

[Medusa]

Actually, I hardly get any solicitors, no phone calls and occasionally a kid will come to sell something for school. I just tell them 'no thanx' and that's it. You might do as you mentioned; put up a No Solicitors sign.

[K9karen]

Ellie, I was just thinking of putting up a No Solicitation sign on my door. If one more person rings my bell selling windows ("we're working in your neighborhood") or religious advise, roofing blah, blah, blah I'm going to scream. This morning I didn't answer the bell and let Mz Logan bark them away. Ugh.

If I get a solicitaion on my land line, I let it go to my cell, then delete it. I have an ages old land line which I've been meaning to disconnect but hang on to it "just in case" (of what I don't know )

That's it. The sign will go up this week. It's annoying and I'm losing my cool.

[Karen]

Karen, Ellie, don't let go of your land line. 911 depends on them. If you have an emergency where you cannot speak, like a heart attack, stroke, or some falls, a cell phone cannot instantly give them an address where you can be found. A land line does. All you need to be able to do is knock it off the hook and hit 911 - and they can find you. With a cell phone a) reception depends on where in the house you are at time, b) if you cannot speak clearly enough for them to understand your address, they have no idea where you are. Yes, eventually they can triangulate the signal using cell towers, but while they are getting that coordinated, and all the companies on board with it, irreparable harm may be happening to your heart, brain or both.

Be safe. Keep the land line, okay?

[pomtzu]

Do what Seinfeld did, Ellie. Tell the caller "I can't talk right now but give me your home phone number and I'll call you back. Oh, you don't want me to call you at home? Well, now you know how I feel!"

That's a good one, Mary. Love it - maybe I'll try it if I don't go the answering machine route.