Joining the No Call List

I hate telemarketing calls.

(Is there anyone who doesn't? Very social people, maybe? Or someone who is just really in the mood to talk to anyone?)

When the National Do Not Call Registry was formed, I was thrilled in assuming that it would eliminate the number of times my phone rings and I find someone wanting to discuss car loan refinance options or amazing magazine subscription discounts or some other deal that I'm just not going to want to miss.

But here's the thing. I'm not looking to refinance my car or buy the latest gadget that I've never heard of (as if I would purchase it sight unseen over the phone anyway) or even answer a telephone survey. I learned my lesson the hard way on that last one when I spent a full half an hour on the phone answering a survey once and always regretted having wasted that time.

So now that my phone number has been registered as one to NOT call, why do I continue to receive them? According to the National Do Not Call Registry, "calls from or on behalf of political organizations, charities, and telephone surveyors would still be permitted," which just makes me sigh a big sigh.

If I want to donate to charity, then I'm going to do it on my own terms. And if I cared about politics, then I would follow the news... and, in fact, the huge number of automated calls reminding me about such-and-such great candidate in the weeks leading up to any sort of election drive me even further away from caring. I'll make my own informed decision and vote for whomever I please, thank you very much.

Even with caller ID, I still can't just let the phone ring - it's a habit I can't break. But typically now I hang up as soon as there is that obligatory pause while a telemarketer's computer system kicks in. However, I'm thinking there has to be a better way. I have two certain someones who live here that talk and talk and talk all day long... why not let them have a conversation with someone new?

I think it would help get my point across that I don't want to talk if I handed the phone to Little Sister B to ramble incoherently for a while or to Big Sister E so she could launch into a story about how at school we used these markers that were like markers but they were more like circles and there were paints and then I got some marker on my shirt and then this one boy didn't raise his hand and that's the same boy who wore dinosaur pajamas on pajama day and do you know what we had for snack? Those tortilla things with cheese! You know? Those ones? And I drank some milk and then you know what else? Well...

It seems like a win-win situation all around if I don't have to waste my time gritting my teeth but instead my kids get to chat until they've said everything that they can think of... or until the telemarketer hangs up. Whichever comes first.

Now I'm just waiting for the phone to ring.

Are you plagued with telemarketing calls? How do you like to deal with them?