On Sunday, February 28, 2016 at 1:51:26 PM UTC-6, Don Y wrote:
On 2/28/2016 12:36 PM, wrote:
On Sun, 28 Feb 2016 11:27:50 -0700, Don Y
wrote:

On 2/28/2016 10:33 AM, wrote:
I really expect I will get a check for a few bucks and the lawyers
will make millions but if it happened often enough the phone whores
might start paying attention to the DNC list.
I really wonder how many calls they have to make per sale but it has
to be thousands to one.
I know I see the number pop up on the tv (Dish supports caller ID), I
lift the receiver and drop it.

It would be amusing to design a semi-intelligent "time waster"
that answers the phone in a *toddler's* voice:
"Hellooooooooo?"
"Yada yada yada yada?"
"Um, I saw a dinosawwer on tha tee vee! Yeah, it was big and purple..."
"Yada yada yada yada..."
"Um, and he danced and, um I danced with him! Yeah!"
...
And see how long it takes for the caller to get infuriated and hang up!

It's one thing if you have to make 1000 calls and get voice mail 999.5
of the time -- no "real people" need be involved.

OTOH, some little tike that you're trying to convince to "give the
phone to mommy" would eat up actual "paid" time!

I have a friend who likes to talk to these people when he is stoned
and that is a lot. ;-)
He tries to see how long he can string one along before they get
frustrated and hang up on him. He keeps saying things like. "could you
repeat that, I didn't understand the something part".

That;s why the toddler is so much more entertaining -- you
can't EXPECT "it" to be a rational participant in the
conversation. And, don't want to risk having *it* hang
up on you before you can trick it into giving the phone to
mommy (the toddler "vouches" for you, in a sense).

If I could fake a convincing chinese/swahili/polish/etc.
accent, I'd be tempted to f*ck with their heads ("No speaka
de inglish")

I usually just tell them to perform some unnatural act on themselves
and hang up if I am tricked by the caller ID. Usually I just pick and
drop the phone.

We just don't answer -- ANY calls! Saves the hassle of having
to hear it ring at all!

Why don't you try talking to them as though you're a stroke victim with severe aphasia. I do it sometimes when I need a good laugh. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Stroke Monster