Thursday, January 25, 2007

You're Bugging Me


Two things that are really pissing me off lately.

# 1. The bloody hell phone calls from “Unknown Name Unknown Number” and any call from a 1-800 or 1-866 number.

Hey, “Unknown” - how long has Call Display been in existence? How stupid do you think I am? Why would I answer that call from you? If you won’t identify yourself – meh – you are dead to me. And on the off chance you are a “real” person who for some reason does not want to be identified, you may be wondering why no one answers your calls these days. But I suspect such people are a rarity these days, because Unknown Name Unknown Number does not leave a message.

As for the 1-800 and 1-866 numbers – they piss me off in general and really piss me off when they have a long distance ring. I have three kids living away from home and whose calls could be long distance. Thus, I always rush to the phone (unless I’m in the bathroom and even then I panic that I’m missing their call. I’m not always expecting a chatty call from my kids…I also anticipate ones reporting some disaster.)

Short of walking around the house with a portable phone attached to my belt (what belt? I don’t wear a belt) I am vulnerable to these stupid calls.

I’m not even going to discuss the calls that come while you’re at dinner or the ones where you pick up and there’s dead silence. I miss not having my kids around. It was always fun to listen to them make up asinine stories while responding to some of these callers.

(BTW — Canada does not have (yet) a “do-not-call” registry.)

#2. The bloody, bloody hell number of charitable requests we receive in the mail. I am on everyone’s list. I swear. Yesterday’s mail took the cake. (Where does that expression come from? I like it but I don’t understand it.) I received a tax receipt for a donation made in November. Of course, enclosed with the receipt was a request for more money. I am almost used to this. But at the same time we also received yet another letter from the same charity requesting money for their 2007 campaign.

Check your records!! I don’t care if it’s a new year. I just gave! You are alienating your target audience – which happens to be me. I am a sucker for charitable requests (just ask my husband) but I’m reaching the end of my patience here. We give a large hunk of money to the United Way. I’m thinking I should check the charities they support and just up the amount we donate to the United Way. I’m probably already duplicating donations.

I will always support those near-and-dear-to-me organizations – especially the ones who receive no government support. But there are days now that I simply toss (in the recycling pile) the far too frequent requests from others.

Bottom line – if you put me in a bad mood, if you tick me off, you’re going to lose out. Sorry, but it’s happening right now.

(And I don’t want your note cards, labels, etc. Save your money for your worthy cause. These things do not entice me. Yes, it pains me to throw them out but I’ve trained myself to do it.)

Rant over. And I made myself useful. I checked out this site to learn how to deal with these problems.

17 comments:

megan said...

So I guess that now wouldn't be a good time to ask for a loan???? Just kidding. I think you should send your excellent rant to the various charities that piss you off, and remind them that you have an avid following.....have a lovely day, sister dearest

oreneta said...

I have at one time, spent a great deal of energy reducing this, and you can do it. Your post man is also a sinner...there is great wodges of it that he is paid to deliver to every house. I was lucky, mine must have hated the stuff, and when I hung the no flyers/etc sign out he stopped. Maybe you can sweet talk him. They are right about ALWAYS writing that the company MAY not sell your address or phone number....I had a fax for a while. That was a nightmare. I had one company that used to send all the time. I wrote a note asking them to stop, faxed it to them on a Friday after working hours and told the machine to repeat the send until I told it to stop.

I waited a very long days. Count it in days.

Get a second line/cell line and only tell your kids....then unplug the phone at dinner??? Get a new unlisted number, and don't give it out???

The Guy Who Writes This said...

When ever I get anything with a postage paid return envelope I stuff the entire content into the envelope, write remove me from your mailing list on the solicitation and mail it back to them. They have to pay for its return, and I don't have to dispose of their garbage.

Beth said...

megan: A loan? For what? The MVW Foundation?? Don't think so, kiddo.
But, yeah, I could make copies of my "rant" and send them to those charities who are bugging me.

oreneta: I love your fax story. Wish we'd done that. We now keep our fax machine on "Off" unless expecting a fax because we just got rid of a second phone line.
I can't unplug the phone at dinner! What if my kids are calling?

to anyone who is reading this: I have just received my second call of the day from Unknown Name Unknown Number. Next time I'm going to answer and tell them to stop!!

guy: Good tip and I should have thought of it myself. Perhaps I'll stick a copy of my "rant" in the envelope as well.
I like the fact it becomes then their garbage and not mine.

Beth said...

guy: How about those language skills of mine? Just read my response to your comment.

"...becomes then their garbage..."

(cringe)

Angel said...

Give 'em hell!!!!

I hate all that stuff too and when you find an idea that actually works, send it along.

I like the idea about a second line or seperate cell just for kids tho!

Beth said...

beth: This doesn't actually stop nuisance calls but when I (accidentally) pick-up the phone and a stranger's voice asks to speak to Mrs. Elisabeth Stewart I'll say, "I'm sorry, she's not home right now. Can I take a message?"
What are they gonna do? Call me on it? Say, "I know you're her?" Nah.
Childish but satisfying.

Anonymous said...

You must have caller display...so do we for exactly that reason. I am not much of a phone talker anyways but if it's anything 800'ish I have instructed all my kids NOT to pick up.

**grumble grumble**

And charitable organizations only hear from me when I seek THEM out...sure they can advertise but I am not going to be guilted into donating anything.

So there!

Beth said...

trish: Once you "give" - they've got ya. (Well, they've got me.) I'm really going to have to pick and choose - carefully. I have to be tough - like you! ;-)

(BTW - I'm getting "hits" on my blog from people googling "Picton Trial January 25 2007" as a result of you and I commenting back and forth the other day. Ugh. Can't seem to avoid it.)

Anonymous said...

Ohhh **cringe** sorry

I thought about that after I posted it. I shouldn't have been so specific.

Hey how do you find out what search words people are using anyways...?

Beth said...

trish: No apology necessary. Hey, we were just "chatting." Who'd have thought one word word get me on Google?

As for finding the search words, they show up on Site Meter. Don't you use something like that?

Unknown said...

I'm with you. I can't believe how many charitable requests we get in the mail. It's really annoying. Hey, you're nice, now we're going to BUG YOU FOREVER.

Beth said...

dorky dad: Exactly. It's like being punished for a good deed - like being called a "sap" or a "sucker" with every new request.
(Ah, hell...I am a sucker for just about every charity.)

Anonymous said...

As yet another person who bugged you today, I'm sorry to have added to your daily dose. That apparent extrapolation from the specific to the general will get you every time. No offense intended.

Beth said...

dj: Ahh, you didn't really bug me - or offend me. It was kind of fun to do that mini-rant.

Undercover Mother said...

It pains me to see the total waste of that printing that goes right into the rubbish bin. Such a waste.

Junk mailers are the early spammers. We own our server and spammers are an actual, real problem. They really do jam up the works. But whether it be snail mail or email, some people simply just don't get it.

Or, perhaps they get just enough response to make it worthwhile.

Beth said...

mof3: Obviously, they do get some response. But who in the world would reply to something like this (found in my morning junk mail)- "Floundering Users Miscellaneous Bait Sinking Projects.S."

Huh?