I just noticed that the Googlebot is working extra fast tonight — it indexed a complaint regarding a telemarketer just minutes after I posted it to the Web. And speaking of telemarketers, let’s explore our options for tracking down the shady ones and stopping their invasive calls.
The Call
Around 9 PM EST tonight, I received an unsolicited call from a telemarketer on my cell phone. To make matters worse, it wasn’t even a live sales pitch — it was a pre-recorded message advertising television service. I managed to get through their phone system and connect to a live operator, who immediately hung up on me. If I was thinking a little quicker I would have fished around for more incriminating information, but unfortunately I wasn’t.
Googlebot at Top Speed
During the course of a little Internet detective work, I posted a message to 800notes.com regarding the call. When I found the site they did not have a listing for the number from which I was called. I posted a new complaint thread, and to my surprise it showed up as the #1 Google search result for that phone number within minutes!
I am not using Google Desktop. I switched over from Firefox to Safari, cleared out my cookies & cache, and did the search again — and found my complaint as the #1 search result. This might not be terribly new behavior for the Googlebot, but it is the first time I noticed it so it’s new to me — and pretty cool.
Dealing with Telemarketers
Back to the telemarketers - my caller ID picked up a phone number, but no name. Putting the phone number into Google gave me an address, and a name that may or may not be related to the telemarketing firm. I e-mailed this information to the Colorado Attorney General (that’s where the call originated)… hopefully his office will be interested in illegal automated cell phone solicitations coming out of his state.
I should have kept the operator on the phone longer when I first received the call and navigated my way through their phone system. Doing so could have yielded a little more incriminating information, or at the very least cost them some lost time. Telemarketing operators are supposed to work as fast as possible, and to quickly identify and hang up on callers that don’t appear to be a potential sale. Time is money, and sales are supposed to be made quickly. Staying on the phone is not worth the firm’s money, so keeping them on the phone is a great way to exact a little retribution… if you have the time.
Having your home phone number on the Do Not Call list is a good idea, but some firms violate the law and either call numbers anyway, or call mobile numbers — which they are not supposed to do.
Your Suggestions
If any readers have advice for dealing with telemarketers, specifically the ones that make these types of calls, feel free to leave a comment on this article. How do you avoid the calls? How do you track down the firms who make the calls, but hide their identities? Where do you report violators?
Finally, keep in mind that some organizations who are conducting surveys, as well as many non-profits, are exempt from some of the laws that prevent other telemarketers from calling you.
