Help Us Stop Those Annoying Telemarketing Calls

Are you fed up with being interrupted by commercial telephone calls? At my house, it has become every single day, three or four times a day, almost always during a meal or a favorite TV show. Their latest trick (I'm not lying!) is, they have a machine call four or five numbers at once. The first person to answer is routed to the "telemarketer" who starts the speil, and the machine hangs up on the rest! This way, the telemarketer doesn't even waste a second of his time.

I'm sick of it, but what to do?

We could ask our legislators to make unrequested and unwanted telephone calls illegal, as they did with unrequested commercial faxes. But that requires money to "contribute" to legislators, and they would end up raising taxes to pay for a bureaucracy to handle it.

This is what I'm doing. I keep paper and pencil by each phone. When I get one of these calls, I immediately note the day and time. I then ask for the following information, asking that each item be spelled.

• The name of the company being represented.
• The phone number of the company.
• The name, first and last if possible, of the person calling.

I will then post all of the information on the Internet, and will then advertise the site. Prior to the posting, I will call each company and inform them of my intent.

If you are interested in participating in this campaign, just email me. Once they realize that their calls aren't economically profitable, they will stop, without any costly government action.

If you would like a free bumper sticker that reads:

A few hints:

• Explain the procedure to anyone who might be answering your phone.
• Start by asking for the company name and phone number. They usually assume that you are going to call back to buy something. If they are on commission, they will gladly give you a name.
• Record each call carefully as you are talking. We don't want to falsely accuse anyone. Keep paper and pencil handy by each phone.
• Email me with the information so I can post it.
• Request and proudly display your bumper sticker.
• Spread the word. Tell friends about the campaign. You might even consider writing a *Letter to the Editor* of the Crofton News-Crier. You may also Send us a Letter to the Online Editor and we will publish it, too.

Thanks.