Shutting Down Telemarketers...the Middle School Way

Frequently, a certain telephone service provider calls me in an effort to persuade me to switch my service back to that company. My experience the first time wasn't all that great, and I'm not interested, but they don't take no for an answer. When I tell them that I'm happy with my current service, they argue with me, and say things like, "Well, I guess if you want to keep paying more, then that's fine. Me, personally, I like to save my money..." I've asked them to stop calling, but they seem to keep forgetting.

This afternoon, my about-to-enter-sixth-grade daughter answered the phone. When a stranger asked for me, she asked who was calling. The caller identified himself by his company. She said, "My mom doesn't have (major telephone company) service."

"I know," he said brightly. "I'm calling to win her back."

And my daughter, who has heard my end of this conversation several times, said, "She doesn't want you back."

After a moment of silence, the caller asked, "Is there a better time when I could call back and talk with an adult?"

And she said, "Not really."

More silence.

"There's no better time when I could call and talk to a grown-up?"

And she said, "No."

He rattled off the customer service number and hung up. I'm sure we haven't heard the last of them, but that's okay--she says she doesn't mind talking to them a bit, and she got off the phone faster than I've ever been able to. Who needs a do-not-call registry when you have an adolescent?