Oh, Joy. I'm in the "000-000-0000" Caller ID Telemarketer Spoofing Crosshairs.

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Several calls a day, caller ID shows "000-000-0000" as the originating number. There is currently legislation in place to outlaw this bullshit, but for now, the Telemarketers can get away with it. I'm on the "Do Not Call" list, so unless I actually pick up the phone and get these pricks to identify themselves, I can't complain. And they know it. And they SUCK ASS.

:grr:

[Midlodemocrat]

1. I get those. First time I got it, it was a little creepy, I have to say.

[Redstone]

2. Who to shoot first? E-mail spammers or telephone spammers? I can't decide.

I loathe both of those groups of scumbuckets with such a visceral hatred, I would absolutely NOT want to ever find myself alone in a room with one of them - there would e blood on the floor, and none of it mine.

I don't know if you own a business like I do, but if you do you know how much worse the phone spam gets as compared with calls to a household. And God help you if you have a sterling credit rating to boot; the fucking Phone Piranhas really go into a feeding frenzy when they see that.

Redstone

[Amerigo Vespucci]

3. I called Captial One yesterday, one of the WORST snail mail spammers...

...and said "I want to opt out." They asked if I wanted to opt out from snail mail, email, phone...I said "EVERYTHING. I do not want you to communicate with me on ANY level." Then they said that if there were "offers already in place," it might take several weeks to stop receiving crap from them.

I do own my own business, a strategic marketing firm specializing in Web Site design, digital photography, and desktop publishing. I salute your willingness to own a business and make it prosper in this economy. It isn't easy, but for me (and I'm sure for you as well), I'm not willing to consider any other option. I worked in Silicon Valley for 30+ years and was one of the 8500 people laid off from Cisco Systems in 2001. When I walked out their back door for the last time I said to myself "NEVER AGAIN," and I've kept that promise.

By the way...for anyone who believes the shit about Cisco being one of the "best companies to work for," it is a back-stabbing meat grinder. If you worked there, you know this. If you didn't, you're buying into the John Chambers P.R. bullshit.

:patriot:

[Redstone]

6. Hey, PM me with the address of your website if you want to, and I'll do the same;

who knows if there might be some opportunities for us to explore together?

Regarding working for someone else: I've worked for myself for well over half of my working life, and I've had my current business for 16 years, though I haven't had an experience as unpleasant as yours a Cisco.

And I just recently figured out the core reason why I could never "have a job" again. It isn't the regimentation with working hours, or even the prospect of having to fly on commercial airliners and be away from my family for business trips.

No, the one thing that makes it worth taking all the risk of owning a business and dealing with the high taxes and health-insurance costs is, for me, one simple thing: I get to decide how much my time is worth, not someone else.

Is that concept a driver for you as well? I'd be interested in your thoughts.

(PS: I don't care about physical junk mail, because it's easy to get rid of (especially because Mrs R screens the mail for me). It's the e-mail and phone spam that infuriates me.)

Redstone

[Amerigo Vespucci]

7. Just did.

:toast:

[Redstone]

8. And replied. We'll talk again.

Redstone

[JVS]

4. So play along long enough to find out who they are

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Agreed.

Then it's "fill in the complaint form" time.

This just started happening a few days ago (and happened again about two minutes ago). I'm not past the pissed off stage yet, which incapacitates rational thought, but I'm getting there.

:toast:

[marzipanni]

9. It seems as though they are trying to call as much as possible before

the robocall law takes effect a year from now :(

http://news.yahoo.com/s/cnet/20080820/tc_cnet/83011357831002109238

Lately I've been pressing "1" to speak to a person, and telling the person to take my number off of their list. I jot down the name of the company their calling for, so I can complain if they don't stop. My last phone bill had some info about this.