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From: levy@ttrdc.UUCP (Daniel R. Levy)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Telephone mailing lists
Message-ID: <476@ttrdc.UUCP>
Date: Sat, 12-Oct-85 20:37:56 EDT
Article-I.D.: ttrdc.476
Posted: Sat Oct 12 20:37:56 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Oct-85 04:46:27 EDT
References: <488@scirtp.UUCP>
Distribution: net
Organization: AT&T, Computer Systems Division, Skokie, IL
Lines: 38

In article <488@scirtp.UUCP>, maureen@scirtp.UUCP (Maureen Chew) writes:
>I often get calls between 7:30-8:30 in the evening from people
>trying to sell something.  They try to sell everything from
>funeral plots to light bulbs.  I find that these interruptions
>are very irritating and annoying.  Even before the new
>phone books came out and my name was not listed, I was
>receiving these kinds of calls.
>Does anyone know how one gets on these lists, or possibly how
>to get off them short of having an unlisted number?
>Maureen Chew
>SCI Systems
>{akgua, decvax}!mcnc!rti-sel!scirtp!maureen

Maybe they weren't calling from a list, but just dialing in sequence within
certain area exchange prefixes known to be residential.  You didn't say if
they knew your name, or just asked for the man or lady of the house, or what.
I have gotten such calls at the office when working late into the evening,
taped spiels which start up when the machine on the other end detects a voice.
Your best weapon against this is "sorry, good-bye" (if it was a person), and
hanging up the phone as soon as you know what it is; and there are phone
attachments available (such as at AT&T Phone Centers) that you can use to make
your phone seem like it is off the hook when you don't want to be bothered.
Or if you're itchy about getting important calls anyway, get a telephone (of
course I recommend AT&T phones) that is near where you are in the evening so
at least you don't have to run to catch it.  Have you ever tried asking the
caller how they got hold of your number?  If I was as steamed as you sound
over it, I would.  I have heard of a place you can write to ask that you be
taken off of junk mailing lists, but never anything concerning junk phoning.
Maybe your local phone company division can give suggestions short of going
to an unlisted number (which would not do much good anyhow against sequential
dialing).
-- 
 -------------------------------    Disclaimer:  The views contained herein are
|       dan levy | yvel nad      |  my own and are not at all those of my em-
|         an engihacker @        |  ployer or the administrator of any computer
| at&t computer systems division |  upon which I may hack.
|        skokie, illinois        |
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