RSS
Twitter
Telemarketers Plaguing Bloomberg's Batphone
from the ring-ring dept
Back in June, it was reported that hotlines the Department of Homeland Security had set up for governors around the country were getting hit by telemarketers, who apparently just randomly dialed the numbers. Now, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says the "batphone" in his kitchen at home gets sales calls, too. He says the phone's never been used in an actual emergency, so that every time it rings, it's an insurance sales call. We still wonder why government bodies seem unable to get these numbers on do not call lists (which is a little surprising given how it was such a hot issue for politicians), or why they can't come up with some other solution. Given Bloomberg's comments, it seems like there's a real danger of a boy-who-cried-wolf situation developing here, where people will tend to ignore these hotlines whenever they ring, assuming it's just another sales pitch -- which sort of defeats the point of having the hotlines in the first place.
Reader Comments
(Flattened / Threaded)
Disappointed
If it was Adam West on the other end selling insurance would he be as mad?
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Disappointed (continued)
Oops! Let me finish my real thoughts.
Wouldn't you think that you could give all the hotlines a specific prefix (KL5-XXXX) or a specific area code only for these hotline phones that would be made off limits and hopefully unknown to phone hasslers? Back it up with hefty, hefty fines. Sort of like the do not call list, which worked great with my old number but has not worked at all with my new one.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
They just need to make honeypot phone lines that are strictly off limits on every do not call list. When a given advertiser hits more than X honeypot numbers (to eliminate the chance that it was just an honest mistake), they need to shut those bastards down for good.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re:
This Idea seems a little foolish wasting even more time and resources for everyone "some kind of crazy vigilante approach"..
For secure lines such as this the pin code works great.. We have a system in place like this and if you don't know the pin code the call never gets though all done though computer system
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: Re:
The hope would be to create a filter in which only genuine spammers would get caught. Then you can use legal means to make their business totally unprofitable. This would be a government sting operation. Same as catching drug dealers.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
PIN?
or just a PIN that has to be entered to connect the call
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
But really... umm, why doesn't he just register it on the 'no-call' list? lol
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Seems like the real danger is if someone notes the number and impersonates an official with a fake 'emergency'...
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
I'm not buying this story.
I've been on the national DNC list for a couple of years, companies I deal with know not to call me or sell my info, and I can go a month or more without a single unsolicited phone call.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Ban telemarketing completely
They should just ban telemarketing, and phone solisatations completely. If I was interesed in buying any of the stuff, or donanting to any of the causes I would not do it over the phone like that.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Why are these phones connected to the ordinary phone network in the first place. Since they are for a dedicated purpose shouldn't they have dedicated line or at least dedicated switching so that it is impossible for telemarketers to reach them? This would obviously raise the cost, but that increased cost should have been considered in the cost/benefit analysis of the program.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Doesn't the solution already exist?
Aren't there special area codes that are not accessable from the public telephone network? I believe these are already used to run phones that cannot be dialed by the public - for example, OnStar systems use modified Verizon Wireless cellphones with numbers in one of these ranges. Couldn't these emergency hotlines be set up the same way? The trade-off would be that they could only be called from other similarly "blessed" lines.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
wasting police time
Sure, you said it yourself Carlo, why don't they just go DNC? We have that system here in the UK, (aka OptOut list) and it works fine. I have never recieved a nuicance call since registering my number.
Perhaps there's a legislative gotchya. Maybe the rules say they must serve everyone as an emergency service, including calls from the telephones of spammers, that would make sense. If they blocked any number and failed to respond to an emergency then someone would have their head on the block.
The way out is rather obvious imho. Emergency services have special status. If I call 911 and say "Hi,I rather carelessly seem to have got my arm stuck in an industrial meat mincer and would like an ambulance please... but while we're waiting would you be interested in a great special offer on a selection of pies and pasties..", I'd get nicked for wasting the operators time.
So do them for that.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Re: wasting police time
Arm = Pie
woah - sick! too early for that one ;0)
DNC only works unfortunatly if the company is in the same country - I too am in the UK and have signed up to the lists (for anyone interested its www.tpsonline.org.uk)
Admitedly my sales calls have dropped dramatically since, but I still get calls from Indian call centres and have been told that since these are in another country there is no legal way to stop them
I can see how having an emergency phone which gets sales calls would be annoying as it would lead to people ignoring it, but other than the PIN idea which seems the best one so far, all I can do is second the idea that sales calls to private numbers should be illegal full stop
Sales companies have no right to invade my privacy in this manner and I have no idea what gives them the impression they should have. Just like email SPAM however it will only change if law makers become involved (not likely) or if dufusses stop buying from them (highly unlikely)
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
DCL does not work if the telemarketers are calling
Agree with the previous poster. DCL does not work if the telemarketers are calling from overseas. I am on the DNC list but get lot's of calls made by an auto-dialer with no one on the other end. What works for me is looking up the # on http://800notes.com and ither blocking it or ignoring the caller.
(reply to this comment) (link to this comment)
Add Your Comment