Questions on Phone Marketing

Captain Dirty · Mar 30, 2021

When I receive phone call from a number I do not know but suspect it might be a legitimate call I will pick up the receiver but remain silent. Most telemarketers use a voice activation to start their spiel; legitimate callers usually will say Hello after a short silence. If it is a spiel, I will set the handset aside until the incessant beeping indicating an open line cues me to hang up.

By so doing am I helping my fellow man by occupying the marketer or his computer so he cannot bother another? The wear on the marketer or his equipment and the phone charges for that time is probably infinitesimal, but is it a cost?
Does the marketer amend his phone number list, e.g. ""non-working number", bad number, good number, "hey, here's a live one"? I trust the rejection rate is so large that the marketer would not bother to mark a recipient for vindictive treatment; is that correct?

MoKelly · Mar 30, 2021

Captain Dirty said:
When I receive phone call from a number I do not know but suspect it might be a legitimate call I will pick up the receiver but remain silent. Most telemarketers use a voice activation to start their spiel; legitimate callers usually will say Hello after a short silence. If it is a spiel, I will set the handset aside until the incessant beeping indicating an open line cues me to hang up.

By so doing am I helping my fellow man by occupying the marketer or his computer so he cannot bother another? The wear on the marketer or his equipment and the phone charges for that time is probably infinitesimal, but is it a cost?
Does the marketer amend his phone number list, e.g. ""non-working number", bad number, good number, "hey, here's a live one"? I trust the rejection rate is so large that the marketer would not bother to mark a recipient for vindictive treatment; is that correct?

I don’t know the answers but my guess is you are wasting your time. I just hang up.

MoKelly

Industrial Toys · Mar 30, 2021

Capt Dirty. I do EXACTLY the same thing. It always goes click withing ten seconds. A human operator would start going hello, hello.

Slowpoke Slim · Mar 30, 2021

As soon as you pick up the call, your number is placed on an "active phone" list. These lists are compiled by automatic dialers and computer servers. These lists are then sold to other telemarketers as "good phone number" lists. They sell these lists back and forth amongst themselves with thousands of numbers on them.

You are not helping anyone.

Best is if you don't recognize the number, don't even answer it.