The Legend of the Robocall Slayer

This just in, “An amendment to the Federal Telemarketing Sales rule has banned most Robocalls” reports MSN.  Well that is a beautiful thing. 

For those who don’t know what a Robocall is, it is a prerecorded solicitation that is programmed to dial random numbers and deliver a message.  If you don’t want to hear the telephone message or sign up for the service/product you can hang up the phone but there is no guarantee that you won’t receive a return call.  If you listen to the entire voice recording you may be given instructions on how to be taken off the call list, usually by pressing a number on your telephone’s keypad.  But this is all for naught now because it is OUTLAWED!

Do I seem somewhat excited about this news?  I hope I’m conveying that emotion.  I   received a number of these recordings via our administrative phone lines on a daily basis.  I would be in the middle of writing a blog and pow the phone rings and it’s my Robocall buddy John trying to sell me health insurance.  Of course it’s a one sided conversation so I hang up and continue writing only to receive a couple more before I enter my signature line to my latest, most interesting blog. 

I recently applied a technique that had my staff rolling on the floor with laughter.  When I would receive a Robocall instead of listening to the entire message and waiting to find out which number on the keypad I needed to press, I would select every number until the recording responded with the message I yearned to hear, “this phone number has been taken off our call list.”  I did it with such determination and enthusiasm that I earned the title, “Robocall Slayer”.

Gail Gamertsfelder
VP/CAO, A Better Connection, Inc.