Don’t you just hate telemarketers? You can be on every Do Not Call list in the world and it doesn’t matter to those creeps. They will still bother you. We got our cell phones years ago when we were in Elkhart, Indiana, which is area code 574. At least once a day we get a call from some number with a 574 prefix, and it’s always somebody trying to sell us something. They’re not actually in the 574 area code, they just have software that spoofs it so it makes it seem like you are getting a local call. Of course, we are a long ways from Elkhart, so it’s still not local.
Usually we just ignore calls like that, but sometimes when I’m feeling particularly ornery I will mess with their heads. Such was the case yesterday afternoon when a gentleman called and started out by saying, “Hello, how are you today?” I interrupted him and identified myself as Detective Jackson and demanded to know who he was. He stuttered for a moment and I asked his name again and asked him if he was aware that he had called an active homicide scene. He said no, he was sorry, just ignore the call, and I replied that I wasn’t going to ignore the call. I wanted to know why he was calling this number when there was a dead man here and what his relationship to the victim was. Click! “Hello? Hello?” You can get rid of a telemarketer really fast that way.
I do this kind of thing every once in a while. I’m not above telling someone that I know they are calling my wife and she already told me all about their affair, and I’m coming to get him. Click! I’ve also told telemarketers things like “I have never seen so much blood in my life. It’s on the walls and the ceiling and everywhere.” Click! And yes, I know that it’s probably sexual harassment and I shouldn’t do it, but I have asked a couple of callers what color underwear they are wearing. Click! Everybody’s got to have a hobby. I guess that’s just one of mine.
In yesterday’s blog I warned readers about the dangers of RV slide-out rooms when they have cats. Something else I think needs a reminder this time of year is the fact that when you go boondocking in Arizona and places like that during the winter with pets, you need to be very careful to make sure they don’t become dinner for any of the local predators. I have covered this in the past in at least two different blog posts, Dinner Is Served and It’s Cruelty, Not Love. But every year I hear of somebody who loses a pet to a wild animal looking to score an easy meal.
Speaking of meals, ever since we moved to this area 15 months ago we have talked about stopping at Baci, a nice little Italian restaurant in New Smyrna Beach. We finally did it a few days ago, and now we are regretting those wasted months when we could have been enjoying this nice local eatery. The service was fast and friendly, and the wood fired thin crust pizza was excellent. We will be going back again often.
On Wednesday I ran a blog titled You Can’t Beat Free Books, listing a dozen free e-books from author friends of mine. Here’s another one you should check out. My buddy George Wier is offering Caddo Cold, the seventh book in his excellent Bill Travis mystery series, free this weekend. George is a natural born storyteller and one of my favorite authors. Be sure to get your free copy while you can!
A lot of you do your online shopping by clicking this Amazon link or the Amazon Search box at the top right sidebar of this blog. We appreciate that because when you purchase an item on Amazon any time of the year from one of our links, we earn a small commission, which helps us offset the cost of publishing the blog.
Be sure to enter our latest Free Drawing. This week’s prize is an audiobook of Fly Paper Soup, the first book in my friend Cleve Sylcox’s David Winters mystery series. The story starts with an attorney leaving warm and sunny Florida to go to cold and snowy Missouri to help an old friend whose aunt has been accused of murder. But then he finds out that the woman in question seems to have a history of killing husbands and getting rich from their insurance policies. Buckle your safety belt…you are in for a wild ride! To enter, all you have to do is click on this Free Drawing link or the tab at the top of this page and enter your name (first and last) in the comments section at the bottom of that page (not this one). Only one entry per person per drawing please, and you must enter with your real name. To prevent spam or multiple entries, the names of cartoon or movie characters are not allowed. The winner will be drawn Sunday evening.
Thought For The Day – Why do people text you to say Call Me?
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
I enjoy messing with telemarketers. It’s one of my retirement hobbies. I waste as much of their time as possible, agree to buy everything, and then when it’s time to pay… “Credit card? Oh! They haven’t let me have one of those for years!”
Truth in advertising: George’s ebook is $4.99 and the paperback is $13.95. If you have Kindle Unlimited you can read it for free but you don’t get to keep it.
That is so funny. Hope YOU don’t get arrested for impersonating an officer. 🙂
We use this text message — can you chat — often and the reason is if they are busy or in an area that is hard to hear or talk they just text back with a better time. I thought it was dumb too until started using it !!
You mean to tell me you don’t want the $250,000 FREE with no strings attached to jump start your business or keep it running,, what’s the matter with you
And I suppose you’re probably one of those that turns down you’re almost expired third and final call for your auto warranty which gives you free repair if your vehicle goes in the shop anywhere in the US
But lo and behold I have the answer for you
This is the free part remember free is good
If you’re tired of robot calls make them do the work.
They have free apps that on the first phone ring will give a 10 or 15 seconds pre-recorded message before it switches automatically and rings your phone.
And those recordings can be anywhere from mild to derogatory outrages.
And in some cases, it asked to caller to enter a Single digit number.
To prove that they’re not a robot caller ?
Linda, you have to click the link on Amazon that says All Editions and then click the Kindle link and the price is $00. I just downloaded it.
When the telemarketer call John and offers him a trip to the Bahamas or elsewhere he says he doesn’t think his parole officer will let him go. Click!!
Elkhart, eh? Hubs grew up there.
Heh. I once told a telemarketer that was trying to sell me some sort of photography package for a local studio that I was a vampire that couldn’t be captured on film. Right there with you on the funny answers. Of course in these modern times of caller ID I don’t even pick up the phone unless I recognize the number or am expecting a call. Not as much fun this way, but way less annoyance.
Try the app “hiya”. It will warn you of spoofing calls and block the number.