Telemarketers

I would put Telemarketers in the same disgusting category that I would put Used Car Salesmen and Lawyers even though you cannot see them face-to-face...  they are still horrible in that they try to sell you something that you don't need, typically do not take "no" for an answer, and have an accent so harsh that you cannot understand them.

In the past, I would answer all these calls by saying, "Duke County Sheriff's Department, how can I help you?"  They would always hang up.  Sometimes, I would ask "to whom would you like to speak?"  And, when they pronounced by name incorrectly, I would say "I am not talking with anyone who cannot pronounced my name correctly...  goodbye," or I would say "He is dead...  would you like to contribute to his burial fund?"

But, sometimes I would listen to their explanations and pretend to be interested...  but, would end up being on the phone with them for 20-30 minutes and if you did not buy something they would call back.  I just did not want to take the time anymore to "toy" with them.

Since we have "Caller ID" as part of our phone/internet/cable package, my wife and I decided that from now on we would just not answer the telephone if the number was from someone we did not recognize.  It took a while but now we only have about 3 or 4 calls a day instead of 15-20.