Well, crap. I just called, and the Privacy Manager isn't available in my area!

Sweet.

It turns out that I have a cool state Attorney General and I didn't even know it. Go Arkansas!

The article you posted leads me to believe that it's the standalone device that won't work with voicemail, because the device activates when your phone goes "off-hook".

You could still record the sound at the beginning of your voicemail message (or so I've heard) and it would work. As long as your human friends don't think your number is disconnected!

Mine's cooler; Indiana's do-not-call list is free!

President Bush is asking telemarketers to keep their ears open for any suspicious background conversations or foreign languages they overhear, and to report to TIPS anything that sounds unusual to them.

Well, I've got better things to do than waste my taxpayer dollars by having friends talk in foreign languages in the background, but if I didn't... that would be some fun to have. :)

I don't think that's necessarily the case.

1--These people might actually believe that they're offering a good service (i.e. Someone at Discover really thinks that me getting another Discover card is going to be the best thing for me since sliced bread). I don't think the sole purpose of telemarketers is to piss me off.

2--Depending on the gullability of said employee, one may be easily tricked into doing stupid telemarketing.

I generally only get pissed at a telemarketer when they call and I'm expecting another call. I haven't stayed on the line with a telemarketer since the call in the previous thread I mentioned. I can generally tell when it's a telemarketer on the phone, and I hang up on them right away.

Of course. They might not actually have a telephone of their own at home. :-)

is that even possible? :)

~james

For several months, I was getting these telemarketing calls that went something like this:

caller: Hello, is Jerry there?

me: Yes, that's me.

caller: Thanks. >Click!<

After about 30 of these, from all different callers, at all times of the day and week, I think I figured out what they were doing: They were mapping out what times I was home to sell to other telemarketers!!!!

That was the last straw, esp. considering I work at home. I got the $4/month service, called "Privacy Director" w/ Southern Bell. Worth every penny. I just wish my wife would agree to get a cell phone so I could ditch the home line.

were getting ready to move to a new area, and im thinking about doing the same thing. service through qwest, while not fantastic, its still about the same price to have a cell for each of us as it is to have a landline. the only thing is that im not terribly sure broadband is available in our area, and dialup is still better than no internet connection.

~james

These are very good points. However, you can not sway my irrational hatred of telemarketers.

Hatred good -- it warms my soul on cold nights..

Wha? Ooo..shiny! &nbsp;&nbsp; ::walks off distractedly::