Telemarketers.
Here in Canada (Toronto, even), we have something called a "Do Not Call List" whereby we get to sign up on-line on a government sponsored phone list that means that unless we have done business with a company before, they aren't supposed to call you.
But that does not seem to dissuade a lot of companies who routinely utilize call center companies from other countries - say, India - to ask if I want my ducts cleaned. By the way, I am of Indian extraction, though I've never been there, don't speak the language or eat the food unless my wife makes me.
Now, if that was an euphemism, I might be interested, but it's not and it always seems to be men asking anyway.
I don't mind that MY banks (plural) contact me. That's cool. But why am I getting a phone call for services from institutions I don't do business with.
I have call display - and no one really wants to call me here at home - so I know that excluding a long-distance call from Guelph, or a a number from a friend or two, an aunt and brother and father - no one else is going to be calling this house.
Upon answering an unsolicited call, I have tried to find out which company the represent, but get the run around - it's like they know they shouldn't give out that information, even though the call center is selling a company's services.
I've tried pretending I was the police investigating a murder scene - that one only confuses the call center, as they have no idea that what I am doing is a trick and keep going with their sales spiel.
I have picked up the phone and immediately hung it up, only to have them call back again.
Sometimes, I stupidly pick up an unsolicited call, hear the empty silence for one second after I say "Hello", and then hang-up. It's because they have an automatic dialer... so these bastards are too lazy to even call me up themselves... I know that when I hear the sounds of momentary silence after my greeting that it's a telemarketer.
I even get telephone spam at work. At freaking work. We all do. It's a blast of a ships horn telling me that my ship is getting ready to sail and that I should be on a cruise.
I should be, but I don't need unsolicited calls like this at work. It's a recorded message, so I can't even yell at anyone. Does anyone actually ever write down the phone number to go on these cruises?
I mean... if these guys are so desperate to use a recorded dialer to leave messages at a work place, just how reputable a company can the cruise line be? I'm guess it probably uses some sort ff disgraced Italian captain to pilot the boat.
What? Too soon?
Here's what the Canadian National Registry has to say about itself:
'Register My Number
Should you wish to move to Canada and sign up for this - and hopefully it will work better for you than it does for me - click HERE and try your luck.
Still.... do you know what I hate?
Telemarketers.
