*RING*
*RING*
Me: Hello?
Her: I'm yaddayadda and I represent yaddayadda children's cancer yaddayadda lawmaker who will make sure there's affordable medicine yaddayadda if we send you an envelope can we count on a small donation?
Me: Which lawmaker?
Her: We're a national organization...
Me: You said that. Which lawmaker would be getting the money I would donate?
Her: ...
...
...
...
... I'll put your number on the No Call List.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The most I hope for is that the caller hangs up before I do. When she said that, I threw up my hands and yelled, "I won!"
It made my day.
People tell me all the time not to answer a strange number, because even the act of answering the phone means they've won, but I can't afford NOT to answer the phone in case it's about my mother's health (I haven't programmed into my phone the entire glut of numbers associated with her doctors and the ever-growing staff at her facility). Until then, I'm having a hella good time playing with the cold callers.
I had to make an impromptu 6-day trip to Florida last week, so I'm off my machine swap-out schedule. My next post will be sewfull.
(P.S. Not that I expect her to put my number on the list. More fun for me!)
I have calling line id on the landline. I don't pick up, everyone can leave a message. When I can be bothered I google the numbers that have called and add spammers to the blocked list that the phone holds. I rarely hear my mobile ring so callers there get the answering machine message too. It was different when mum was alive and my mother in law was at home but now I have no problems letting a phone ring unanswered.
ReplyDeleteI miss those untethered days!
DeleteI got the "Hello, Grandma?" call at 8:30 this morning. I hollered, "You're a scammer! May you rot in hell!" and hung up. [What I am tempted to do is launch into a story: "Oh, I wish you'd called earlier! Your grandpa's will was read yesterday and because you weren't there your inheritance went to your sister. Sorry that you missed out on $100,000." ]
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the grandma calls! I immediately launch into a variation of 'I don't like it here. You promised I could live with you if I didn't like it here. When can I leave?' and play it to the hilt. The caller never gets a chance to explain why his/her voice sounds different (a common ploy) and generally hangs up long before I've run out of pathos. Feeling horrible, I hope.
DeleteWhen my mom was alive, her assisted living facility used my cell phone. I am no longer so paranoid about having it with me at all times. When the cell rang, and I saw it was the care facility at an unexpected time, I pretty much knew what news they had for me.
ReplyDelete