how do you deal with random unwanted phone calls

im not sure how its happened, i must of got put on a list some how. but im recieving 5 or 6 phone calls from sales people and companies a day.

its really annoying.

i've started to just answer the call and leave my phone off the hook until they hang up on me. i've also tried speaking in a fake foreign accent. but they still call...

does anyone else get these and have you managed to stop them.

I answer it and tell them they have the wrong number, or let the phone ring.

I ignore them, I ignore a lot of calls, even if it is someone I know. I just hate talking on the phone in general. But unknown numbers are the worst, especially if they leave a message....do they really expect me to call them back? Idiots

I get those once a week and I just say no. If it's a young sounding female I try to converse/joke before the call is over. It's fun!

I don't answer if I don't know the number. If it's important, they can leave a message and I can call them back. I really hate talking on the phone, though.

Had debt collection calls for over a year, even though I'm not, and never have been in debt (I will be soon, student life!). I just ignore the fuckers. Screenin' Calls, bitches.

Usually when they call the number is "super secret FBI James Bond"-like so it just goes "Hidden Number" on my phone. 
And as a rule, I just don't pick up when that happens no matter who might be calling. 
Someone died? Tough, I'll probably hear about it from someone else. I won 1 billion euros? Bummer

I either say something along the lines of "your services are not wanted, remove from the calling list immediately" and hang up, or act compliant by quietly saying "uh-huh" repeatedly to lull them into a false sense of security before screaming as loud as I can and slamming the phone down. Depends on my mood really.

EDIT: I literally got a marketing call 30 seconds after posting that. Thanks guys.

Like this:

hang up

@Mars_Cleric said:

hang up

Same here.

I just hang up on them. Funny thing is, I work for a market research company and hate when people just hang up on me...

@Nightriff said:

I ignore them, I ignore a lot of calls, even if it is someone I know. I just hate talking on the phone in general. But unknown numbers are the worst, especially if they leave a message....do they really expect me to call them back? Idiots

I also hate talking on the phone. I ignore like 75% of calls. If I'm with people and I get a call they look at me like I'm some kind of psychopath when I ignore it. Glad to know there's other like me out there.

Make unintelligible noises down the phone.

I push the Off button.

It's THAT simple. Rude, yes, but I don't want to hear telemarketers or surveyors.

Add your number to a do not call list/no unsolicited calls service.

Politely inform any cold callers they are working for a company that is breaking the law by keeping your number on their call list. If they are being obviously illegal ("Hello, I am calling from Microsoft; please install this software to remove a virus we have tracked to your PC") then politeness can optionally be reduced.

Once the call volume decreases then you can probably give up that spiel and just interrupt them politely during the first sentence with 'sorry, not interested' and hang up. If you can hear the click of a machine dialler/router then you can hang up before you're even connected to an operator.

I relish the opportunity to get them excited about a sale and then shut them down at the last moment.

I only answer calls from people in my contacts or number who I can see are cell phone numbers. Weird numbers I always look up first, and if needed, I will answer if they call again.

Is there no service, list or other consumer aid you could get to help stop the telemarketers etc? We have such a thing here in Sweden as an added consumer aid for those that want it. Not too read up on the specifics but it's essencially a "no thanks in advance" list that they have to check before making the call.

I only have 1 number that continuously calls me and I never pick up. I'm going to call it right now, see what it is and edit this.

"Please call back during our regular business hours" @ 8:30am eastern.

1 719 546 6354 - I think when I've looked it up some people were saying some cable company some were saying collection agency. Who knows.

you ask them to take you off the call list, assuming you live in the US.

its the law.

I don't answer it.

If your in the UK this is a help (helped me)

http://www.tpsonline.org.uk/tps/index.html

I say sexually inappropriate things to them until they hang up or call me a pervert.

I press decline on my phone and let it go to VM for any number I don't recognize. If it's important they'll leave a message. After a few days of this they get the message and stop calling. I keep getting calls from AARP wanting me to join even though I'm only 34.

@ShadowConqueror said:

I don't answer if I don't know the number. If it's important, they can leave a message and I can call them back. I really hate talking on the phone, though.

Exactly this. I also hate talking on the phone.

@ShadowConqueror said:

I don't answer if I don't know the number. If it's important, they can leave a message and I can call them back. I really hate talking on the phone, though.

Exactly this. I also hate talking on the phone.

@falserelic said:

I answer it and tell them they have the wrong number, or let the phone ring.

This really there's no need to be rude, except one time some girl who called me at the wrong time and I replied "he's dead!".

I tell them I'm deaf and mute.

I usually do what my parents always did and interrupt the person on the other end saying I don't take calls like that or am not interested, then hang up. It's a way to get rid of them without being completely rude about it. Recently though, I've also somehow had my number put on a list and when you're getting a bunch of these calls a day it becomes a little more difficult. If there's a human at the other end, at least in the UK, they're legally obliged to delete your details from their system if you tell them to. If that can't be done then just try to start blocking numbers. I've gotten into the habit of letting calls from strange numbers ring.

Don't answer. Sometimes they even pretend to be from your bank and shit with pre-recorded robot voices. I just ignore. If it is someone of actual value they will leave a coherent message.

I only answer phone calls from people who I know their number. If I don't know the number I dont' answer simple as that. If shit is important enough that they need to talk to me they will leave a voice mail.

As far as I'm concerned this is the holy grail:

In Norway you can ask to be removed from the list of numbers telemarketers can call. You might still get people doing statistical research with questions, but they're usually pretty polite and it doesn't happen very often. Also like others here, I never pick up the phone unless I recognize the number. If not I just let it ring, look up who called, and call them back if its a genuine caller.

If you can't block them on your phone, here's what you do:

1. Save their number on your phone as a contact.

2. Edit the ringtone and indicator lights to be silent and off respectively, also make sure it never vibrates for this contact when the phone is set on vibrate.

3. Occasionally glance down at your phone and see that you missed another of the annoying prick's phone calls because there was no way to tell that they were calling you.

4. Laugh uncontrollably.

I let them make their case, while I intensely study them.

@iMort said:

Like this:

That was ridiculously hilarious.

That's assuming I get phone calls in the first place.

I signed up to be put on the US do-not-call list a few years back. If I ever get one of those calls now days, I ask for their name and their company name. When they ask why, I tell them because I'm going to file a complaint at the do-not-call registry. That's usually enough to get them to hang up.
 
Sadly, the registry doesn't stop political phone calls, but I usually threaten them with it anyways. They'd rather hang up than risk getting in trouble.
 
I also had a friend who was getting calls every day on their home phone line just after 6 pm with no one on the other line. The phone company said that it was probably some automated system making the phone calls, but they couldn't figure out from where. They eventually dropped their home phone line (since they were mainly using their cell phones anyways).

I've started getting several of these a day within the last few weeks. They usually call around lunch time and in the evening. I actually have 10 missed calls from the same spam number in the last 6 days.

i'm on do not call list.

when they do call i usually tell them to take them off their list.

you know if you tell them to take you off the list and they still call you can get the company in trouble.

Don't even answer it. Apparently some dude gave away my number as his number so I have debt collectors calling me constantly for some other guy even though I've had my number for like seven years. If I'm in the mood to yell at someone I'll answer it and tell them they have the wrong number.

I rarely even answer my phone unless it's my parents or grandparents or something.