Note To Self
By Mitch Berg
This sort of thing, alas, is a complete no-no:
According to court documents, Charles W. Papenfus, 43, allegedly told a sales representative during a May 18 telephone call that he would burn down the building and kill the employees and their families. He was indicted for making a terrorist threat, a Class D felony; and he could be sentenced to up to four years in prison if convicted.
Cross “threaten telemarketers” off my to-do list.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:33 am
As far as telemarketeers go, I just ask them what they’re wearing, and after a… short pause, they wish me a nice day and hang up.
July 22nd, 2009 at 10:41 am
Guy looks like Steve Buscemi.
No wonder.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:01 am
“Timmy, do you like movies about gladiators…”
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
What exactly should one say to telemarketers? I have my way, but I am interested in what other do. Beside the “threats that lead to jail time” option, and I don’t know if I could carry off a “creep them out” option.
July 22nd, 2009 at 11:19 am
When I see 1-800 or 1-888 on the caller Id I answer with “Hello, May I have your name and credit card number please?” and I just keep repeating that until they hang up! If they get querulous I explain that “the service they are requesting is not free and may I have your name and credit card number please?”
July 22nd, 2009 at 12:37 pm
Hanging up seems to work well, too.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Hanging up is not nearly as fun as talking with one of Will Ferrell’s character voices, leading them on, using a blatantly fake name, and asking what they are wearing.
Effing hilarious.
Gotta say, though… they called this guy back, the telemarketer apparently escalated the insult-swapping, and the guy was recently put on painkillers that apparently can lead to irritability.
Now, with all that said, that doesn’t quite excuse a lot of tough talkin’ bullshit that suggests he’s going to burn the place down, kill the employees, and then kill the employees’ families.
I found it particularly odd that the report specifically lists the address of the company and the company name… almost as if they were taunting the man to give these folks a visit later on.
The whole story’s got lots of weird shit going on.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Anyone seen Pernicious Peev lately? Perhaps we should wish him well while he serves a few days in the clink.
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:56 pm
I give the telemarketer a minute to make their pitch and then when they take a breath I say “Hey Bob (or Jenny or Akbar) thanks for calling but I’m not interested, please remove my name from your list, thanks.” This is probably the best prank way though…
http://www.entertonement.com/clips/qlztssnyzk–Telemarketer-Calls-Murder-SceneRadio-Telemarketers-The-Bob-Tom-Radio-Show-phone-call-
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:25 pm
Um, anyone heard of the “don’t call list”?
July 22nd, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Kermit
“Do Not Call List” doesn’t protect you from “charities, non-profits and political organizationas”
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:01 pm
I’m on the “don’t call list,” but some of these folks are “charities.” They generally get through.
July 22nd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
We have the Qwest service (I know, that sounds like an oxymoron) that interjects a “You have reached a number that does not accept solicitations. if you are soliciting, please make a note of it and remove this number from your list. Otherwise, press 1 to be connected…”. The tool recognizes regular callers and passes them through, and we can also manually insert approved in-coming callers. This has worked very well, aside from the time my grandmother thought our phone was telling her to hang up and never call back. The only calls that get through are the automated ones, and these are usually about half-way through their spiel by the time the call rings through. As soon as we hear a recording we just hang up. It’s been very peaceful.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:33 pm
These people aren’t making calls for their own enjoyment, they are trying to make an honest living, however annoying it might get for the folks on the receiving end of the calls. Nuisance or not, that deserves being cut a little slack in return.
A simple, ‘no thank you’, and polite ‘good bye’, a ‘please remove this number from your call list’ where appropriate gets done what needs to be done. If you don’t want to take the call, you let it roll over to voice mail / answering machine, and delete it. The don’t call list works for many things, not quite everything; but it sure helps.
The guy making the threats must have had other things going on in his life to push him over the edge; it’s hard to believe that an annoying phone call would do that all by itself.
Badda says:
“Badda Says:
July 22nd, 2009 at 1:08 pm
“Anyone seen Pernicious Peev lately? Perhaps we should wish him well while he serves a few days in the clink. ”
If you miss Pen, he still is posting on the Penigma blog, and recently has been guest writing on other sites as well.
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:40 pm
Try the sex hotline response, the raunchier you are the quicker they hang up.
I need to try the “the service you are requesting is not free; may I have your name and credit card number please?” response. Nice!
July 22nd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
” ‘please remove this number from your call list’ “
That is usually my first reponse, DG, if that doesn’t work, then I say let them have it with both barrels, figurativly speaking, of course.
Peev is guest writing on other blogs and not just his little Penisblog? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
KR wrote:
“Peev is guest writing on other blogs and not just his little Penisblog? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ”
Yes, KR, and the numbers of reader ‘hits’ have been quite good.
As to how small the Pengima blog is, recent posts, which have included a number of yours, have exceeded on occasion 80 comments. I believe that was in response to something I wrote, actually.
I am currently looking at changing the way we count ‘hits’ or readers on Penigma, I can definitely assure you that the number of readers dramatically exceeds the commenters, as I am sure is the case with SitD as well.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:12 pm
For the car warranty and credit card scams, I do the “creep them out” thing, and since they’ve often kindly provided a toll-free number on their postcards, I call them back at a time and place of my choosing.
The goal is not necessarily to get them to hang up, though (mostly because another one will just take their place). Rather, it’s to make them as uncomfortable as possible.
July 22nd, 2009 at 5:14 pm
Why, KR, you show up on Penigma almost daily.
One of my posts on Penigma, which includes comments from you KR, ran to 80 + comments. That wouldn’t seem small; but in any case, I am looking at changing how we register readers / hits; as I am sure is the case here, on SitD, many more people read but do not comment.
Pen is not only writing for other blogs, he has received very favorable comments on his writing from a professional writer/editor/journalist, and produced some very respectable reader numbers.
July 22nd, 2009 at 6:46 pm
I think that maybe you guys are just getting a kick out of talking dirty, LOL, and that it is minimally about any annoyance.
Consider, you guys; I am assuming that you are reserving your sex comments for female callers exclusively, not leading on other men. Those women are someone’s daughters / mothers/ and/or sisters. I imagine you wouldn’t want the women you care about to have to put up with that language. A consideration, the next time the opportunity presents itself.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Pen is not only writing for other blogs, he has received very favorable comments on his writing from a professional writer/editor/journalist
Let me guess, it’s a neighbor.
Sorry, couldn’t resist. After having actually read Peev’s remarks for several years, anyone who has “favorable comments” on his peculiar style is hardly credible.
July 22nd, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Pen is not only writing for other blogs, he has received very favorable comments on his writing from a professional writer/editor/journalist,
I’ll say this for “Pen”, he seems to have improved a bit. Practice makes perfect, and goodness knows he practiced a lot on this blog…
and produced some very respectable reader numbers.
It’s easier for leftyblogs. The competition is so very heavily weighted toward idiots that even moderate competence, logic and intelligence stands out.
By the way, I’ve never figured out what the ratio of commenters to readers is – in talk radio, we figure each caller represents 100 like opinions; I know SITD averages 40-50 comments a day, with about 2,000 visitors, but then on talk radio people can’t call in multiple times a day…
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:33 pm
“I think that maybe you guys are just getting a kick out of talking dirty, LOL, and that it is minimally about any annoyance.
Consider, you guys; I am assuming that you are reserving your sex comments for female callers exclusively, not leading on other men. Those women are someone’s daughters / mothers/ and/or sisters. I imagine you wouldn’t want the women you care about to have to put up with that language. A consideration, the next time the opportunity presents itself.”
Huh, he says “You guys”, as if he means “You guys quit pickin’ on me.” DG got picked on quite a bit, I bet.
“You guys”. Ha!
As for the rest: Yes. Maybe. So?
“You guys”. That’s priceless.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:42 pm
jackscrow says:
“Huh, he says “You guys”, as if he means “You guys quit pickin’ on me.” DG got picked on quite a bit, I bet.”
Actually, jackscrow, I said ‘you guys’ because I am ‘she, not ‘he’.
Something that a number of the commenters here know. It was a detail about my identity that came out some time ago, in a comment that happened to reference performing swine castrations, where I clearly reacted differently than male readers.
And surprisingly, perhaps to you, I am actually very seldom picked on, now or at any other stage of my life, partly I assume because I try to be polite, even towards people with whom I disagree. And the other reason I expect is because I have a wicked wit, and am, in Mitch’s words ‘a pretty smart cookie’ who doesn’t tolerate fools gladly.
You seem to be trying for both categories.
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:46 pm
Mitch says:
“and produced some very respectable reader numbers.
It’s easier for leftyblogs. The competition is so very heavily weighted toward idiots that even moderate competence, logic and intelligence stands out. ”
I have also written for other blogs, Mitch. And my numbers were record high for a new writer’s debut.
Do you really think MY writing is directed towards idiots? Or that I stood out because I have only moderate competence, logic and intelligence?
July 22nd, 2009 at 8:59 pm
Actually, I’m still looking forward to you addressing the turn of events that connect to the Patriot, and the alleged investment fraud. Some are even trying to link it to politics.
I sincerely hope that my mention of it was not the first you or the Patriot had heard. Given the dates on the Strib articles, and who was part of last Saturday’s schedule, I suspect that it may have been.
And unlike those who like to make unflattering generalities about other people, I will make a point of NOT using this scandal to make unkind comments about the right or conservatives, blogs or otherwise.
Not content with what I saw in the ‘MSM’, I did a little perusing of my own today on the subject; you know the kind of digging and research I like to do. Checking the FINRA listings, the SEC, the state Dept. of Commerce, the Commodities licenses, tracking down the federal court filing….and more. Due diligence and fiscal responsibility are such interesting subjects. Definitely some intersting stuff, if you know where to look and how.
Not for dummies. Not BY dummies either.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:01 pm
Er, that wasn’t quite what I said.
Liberal blogging is by and large a wasteland. Not mentioning specific people, pro or con.
July 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 pm
“I think that maybe you guys are just getting a kick out of talking dirty, LOL, and that it is minimally about any annoyance.
You don’t understand. I’ve been on the do-not-call list for several years, now. These men and wymyn work for fraudulent operations pushing credit card and auto warranty scams.
Male or female criminal, you try to rip me off and I’ll make you as uncomfortable as humanly possible.
July 23rd, 2009 at 12:55 am
Mitch, cher ami, what you said was
“The competition is so very heavily weighted toward idiots that even moderate competence, logic and intelligence stands out. ” and
“Er, that wasn’t quite what I said.
Liberal blogging is by and large a wasteland. Not mentioning specific people, pro or con. ”
I have read now, thanks to your ‘evil and seductive’ influence, both right AND left blogs. There is a lot of… shall we say ‘drek’ as a neutral, but still expressive word. But there are also a surprising number of very thoughtful people writing on both ends of the spectrum as well. Quality is not one sided, nor is sanity or intelligence.
Knowing both you and Pen outside of blogging, as friends, whom I like ANd respect. I have observed that you each have, shall we say, an abundance of testosterone. It is always a challenge to navigate male female platonic relationships. I am uncomfortable with this friction that is from events I was not part of. There are times when, to minimize that friction, I briefly wish that you both had ever so slightly less testosterone, LOL. Except that then you wouldn’t be… you; I actually enjoy and appreciate the masculinity, and wouldn’t want to change it.
I wish I could resolve that friction, but it may be beyond my humble diplomatic skills. Being sharp at you certainly doesn’t accomplish that; thank you for not being cross back at me.
Buddhapatriot, not wanting to be ripped off is fair and reasonable. But, respectfully, is using sexuality to make someone uncomfortable better than a more straightforward statement about what the fraudulent operation is doing? I would suggest that it makes sexuality abusive, and it mkes less clear that you are objecting to the attempt to rip you off.
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:00 am
Dog Bone said: “There is a lot of… shall we say ‘drek’ as a neutral, but still expressive word.”
dreck
/drɛk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [drek] Show IPA
Use dreck in a Sentence
–noun Slang.
1. excrement; dung.
2. worthless trash; junk.
Also, drek.
Origin:
1920–25;
July 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
So now we know. Angryclown defines “dreck”.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
Dog:
These people aren’t making calls for their own enjoyment, they are trying to make an honest living, however annoying it might get for the folks on the receiving end of the calls. Nuisance or not, that deserves being cut a little slack in return.
Why does that deserve slack?
Goofing with a guy who unexpectely calls my number (or someone else’s home number) is perfectly acceptable behavior.
July 23rd, 2009 at 1:53 pm
I never get telemarketers anymore, because I no longer have a land line. However, in the past, I wouldn’t say anything, I would just hang up. I think people who take a telemarketing job have to know that people are going to be annoyed or mess with them. It seems to me that most people should know it comes with the job.
The way I see it, we are bombarded with advertising every day, everywhere we go. I’m not going to listen to it on my phone, so I hang up. But some of the tacticts above are hilarious. 🙂
July 23rd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
When I pulled the “what are you wearing” bit in the style of Will Ferrell, the gal on the other end snickered a couple of times. I think she must have had a couple of co-workers listening to “another one of those” calls.
July 23rd, 2009 at 6:23 pm
“Why, KR, you show up on Penigma almost daily.”
Hmmmm, well…
“I might as well face it I’m addicted to…”
You, DG! Ha ha ha ha ha ha (I must admit, you do bring a lot to Penisblog.) He can’t thank you enough. But he loves to try and start a pissing match every time I take him to task. Would you try to console him? He needs help. Seriously.
I will admit that I have a hard time sugar coating the facts, sometimes the truth can be a bitter pill for liberals to swallow.
I did like the backhanded way you called me an insane bastard and treated me like a dog. Woof woof. Or were you just yankin my chain, DG? 😉
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:04 pm
KR, you make me smile every time you come up with one of your musical replies. You have found my vulnerability; you catch me off guard when you are charming. And you CAN certainly be that [which might surprise the regulars here at SitD].
I have NOT called you insane, made a comment about your parentage, or treated you like a dog. I suspect you are yanking my chain, not the other way round.
I also have to give you credit for being the genesis of more than a few of the pieces I have written.
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Geez DG,
Why don’t you just buy an ad on SITD.
It’s gotta be cheaper than the wear and tear on your keyboard hangin out here in the comments.
We take Visa and we promise you a telemarketer will not call you.
PS DG: Whatchya wearin’?
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hey Dog Bone! Once you’ve had a clown, you never go back!
July 24th, 2009 at 10:27 am
Johnny Roosh Says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Geez DG,
Why don’t you just buy an ad on SITD.”
If you notice Johnny D, I address my comments to the same topics as everyone else here, and stay on topic more than some.
The exceptions are when someone makes a derogatory remark about the blog I write for and coadminister. Someone else has to bring it up first; then I respond. The same way that I defend Mitch if someone made a derogatory remark. I defend my friends; it is part of being a friend.
If you don’t want to see me mention Penigma, there is an easy way to avoid it…..don’t initiate it.
You personally should be flattered, because you were the model for my volunterring. I actually suggested to Pen that I write for his blog, much like you do on Mitch’s. AND, I have dedicated things TO SitD, and given credit for ideas where credit is due as well. So, I think SitD is coming out of this with enough of a ‘plus’ without my buying an ad.
“It’s gotta be cheaper than the wear and tear on your keyboard hangin out here in the comments.”
Not at all. I find the topics and the comments quite stimulating. I get some of my best ideas from them. Sometimes I find that i even agree, or at least am more persuaded as a result of what I read. KRod even has me reading a book on Liberal Fascism.
Besides, I want to understand the conservative point of view better, the positions of the Right, and Republicans. Being open to that view is taking me in some interesting directions, and opening some intriguing possibilities for me. For example, from my blogging activities, I was just asked to provide peer review comments for publication in a law review on a pending article re: the strict construction of the constitution and the politics of the right.
I’ve been blogging for less than 60 days, but from the changes on Penigma, the response on the second blog, and things like this, I’m not completely crazy to think that I can be taken seriously as a writer / blogger.
I flattered but also a bit daunted; I made it clear before accepting that I am not an attorney, but they want my comments anyway…I’m REALLY gonna have to be a smart cookie, and do my homework this time. But, it’s a great adventure!
“We take Visa and we promise you a telemarketer will not call you.”
Aw, Roosh, are YOU soliciting me?
“PS DG: Whatchya wearin’? ”
Not leather chaps. I was looking forward to hearing some motorcycle adventures after you put up all the pretty pictures. I have to admit that while those were certainly powerful bikes, once you add a fairing, why not just rent a convertable? At some point, compared to those classic old bikes, driving those seems a lot like driving a sports car, but with an automatic transmission.
I’m sure you are familiar with that old rhyme about the only difference between men and boys, the cost of their pleasures and size of the…toys?
Nice toys! [said with a smile] and cute outfits to go with them.
July 24th, 2009 at 11:18 am
angryclown Says:
July 23rd, 2009 at 8:54 pm
Hey Dog Bone! Once you’ve had a clown, you never go back!
You wouldn’t be making a suggestive reference to big clown shoes, and that old idea about big feet, big other things now would you AC?
Because, being a red head, and having very pale skin, I blush very easily.
July 24th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
You definitely sound hot, Dog Bone. Angryclown also has very pale skin, but that’s the white makeup. Also red hair.
http://snipurl.com/nwpvs
Like what you see baby? I think we might be soulmates.
July 25th, 2009 at 10:57 am
Um, AC, in response to your link, yes, you do amuse me, LOL. But there is something about the expression of the eyes in that link photo that is just a little scary.
Hot? That isn’t because of my comment about Roosh’s leather chaps, is it?