>PS - I've heard that the "TeleZapper", a product that generates a brief >tone on answering a call and knocks your number off of those computer >generated auto dialers, really does cut way down on the telemarketers.
It generates the first of a 3 tone "SIT" tone (Status Identification Tone IIRC). Those tones you hear when you call a disconnected number. Because it is just one quick tone, most humans will just be a tad confused and ignore it. Some predictive and power dialers will hear the tone, disconnect the call, and mark the number as disconnected so you won't get a repeat call. However, the catch with it (there's always a catch isn't there). In order for it to do its job, the telemarketer needs to be using some form of a computer dialer. AND that computer dialer needs to stop when it hears the first tone, rather than the full 3 tones (many have a user set option, since different tones mean different things, they can listen for the full 3 to disposition the call accordingly... fortuantly, the top power dialer vendors default their systems to only listen for the first tone). Also, removing the number isn't an automatic function of the dialer, but rather of the person who set up the dialing parameters. If they don't have the system remove the number, it will be tried again and again. Many telemarketers still use humans to do their dialing, humans will not be fooled by the TeleZapper. (Power dialer costs start at around $1000 a seat, so you have to be a fairly large call center, doing some pretty good business to justify the cost of putting them in vs just letting the person in the booth dial the number. Many TeleMarketers, in particular the ones that you REALLY want to get rid of since they will ignore request to not call again, tend to be small, fly by night companies, and are not likely to have power dialers installed) And of course, in order for the TeleZapper to do ANYTHING, it has to physically answer the phone. That means a normal human will have the phone stop ringing, hear a single tone, and then I can only assume it generates a phantom ring from there (it rings your phones, and sends a ring noise down the line to the caller... sounds a lot like a recording of a ring). This usually will not have a person hang up, but they may be a tad confused when you actually answer the call. And of course, if they called from a pay phone, that call is considered complete, so when you don't pick up the phone, and they hang up, they will be even MORE confused when their coin isn't returned. (I have not personally used a TeleZapper, so I can't be sure WHAT it does after it picks up the call... if anyone wants to give one to me, I'd be happy to play with it and see) But on a whole, the TeleZapper isn't such a bad idea. Personally, I would just download the SIT tones from a web site, record them onto my answering machine, and then set it to answer in 2 rings. You get the same effect, but for free. (if anyone wants the tones, I can email them to you off list) -chris <http://www.mythtech.net> ___________________________________________________________________________ To unsubscribe send a mail message with a SUBJECT line of "unsubscribe" to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> or <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
