One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Ever get ticked off at those nonsense faxes with offers that simply just use up an expensive ink cartridge?

Well, I am tired of the do not call list not working and complaints to them.
After three days of receiving the same junk fax, and after two replies to them asking to remove me (as these idiots don't have an 800 number to call as they should and instead provide a toll fax number), I now resorted to sending them an entire manual to my stereo system, every page, to include the troubleshooting section and corporate information for contact.

Mind you, I have already previously advised them to remove me on several occasions.

Next, my video camera manual.

After that, anything else I can find that is lengthy, that will use a lot of paper for them and a whole lot of ink, that I may have laying around the house ready to use.

For me, it is no trouble at all to load it on my fax as it won't cost me a dime as my calls are included in my monthly bill and not additional charges.

Any other great ideas out there?

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Glue some pieces of black paper together Carlos so you create a loop and fax that for an hour or two.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

:tpd: +1

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Awesome!

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

:r

also you can get software to receive faxes and save them as pdf.
then only print if you actually need it
(requires a computer to be hooked up and waiting all the time though)

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Print up the discussions from CA on whether or not to keep the celo on, how to season a new humi, what's a great cigar for under 50 cents. They'll either get tired and leave you alone or they sign up here and start bombing you with cigars:r

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Scan that hand written manuscript you wrote on the topic "How to make your lawn 10x greener than all your neighbors, and how many minutes every hour you need to trim it with nose-hair clippers" Thats gotta be a lengthy book.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

I don't know Doug, you are sounding jealous to me.
That manual is actually quite short.
Start of manual: Call Scott's and sign up for their monthly service.
End of manual.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

The biggest ink eater is DOS window screens, send a fax full of those.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

I think some other folks may be doing something similar.
If you now dial their number, the line goes silent for a bit, then dials, then says if you would like to make a call, hang up and dial again.
They must have run out of paper and ink.:r:r:r

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

The outgoing fax # they have on the header probably isn't a real #, Carlos. Does *69 work on faxes?

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Which is the problem with thinking we are inflicting pain on the sender by returning faxes. These faxes typically come not from physical machines but fax software. We have used this type of technology for a long time. Inbound faxes are received and stored as PDF's. With the advent of IP phone technology this type of operation can scale up pretty massively for outbound blitzes with little means of doing much to them in response.

The PDF's do take up space though so virtual faxing to them enough content could chew up their disk space assuming they actually set up to receive and or store the results.

Send pictures of your A$$.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Yeah definately the "F-you Fax" is the top dog. Take about 15-20 black pages and fax away... will eat their ink cartridge up in no time flat.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Pete, it was working fine yesterday when I responded.
I didn't send to the fax number it came from.
I sent it to the business fax number for the one who wants me to contact them to get insurance with them.;)

:r

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Keep us posted as to whether this works for you!

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

If you really want to send a message. Contact them via phone. See how long you can keep them on the line talking. :)

Make it your daily morning wake-up routine over coffee for a few weeks. They might get the message in this way better than most. :)

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Dave,
Some of these outfits are getting very smart to that.
In my case, the only contact number provided is a fax number, for both to respond to the add if interested and to contact them to have my number removed.
While two different numbers, both are faxes.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

I may be mistaken, but can't you call your phone company and have their number blocked from connecting with your line?

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Awesome thinking! I hope it works.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Most of my clients are using software based faxing (Zetafax, etc) vs standard fax machines for incoming faxes. You will be sending them a big pdf and not using any ink.


MCS

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

http://www.junkfax.org/fax/action/getEven.html

Not sure if this part is real or not but found this interesting:

Step #4
If you want to take matters into your own hands and don't mind spending a bunch of hours to do that, you can sue in small claims court. I can tell you that small claims works. For example, I got 16 faxes from First Chartered Investments and after a 15 minute hearing, walked out with 16 judgments for $2,500 each, a total of over $40,000 (see FirstChartered.pdf). Here's how to do it:

How to get $2,500 per junk fax in small claims court

How to get $2,500 per junk fax (California only)
How to sue people (general legal tips)
How to sue in small claims court
Lawsuit tips and tidbits
Collection tips and tidbits

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Kelly,
That is great information but man is it a whole lot to do.

I am going to start by calling my phone company and making sure that line has the same feature as my main house number.
If a call that is unidentified comes in, it puts them through hoops before they can ever connect with me.
Based on what I am seeing, they are sending these faxes from an unidentified number as none is recording on my fax received.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Called my phone company and learned I have a feature that by dialing *77, I can stop any call that tries to come in blocked, that for example use *67 to call me.
Will try that and see how that works before the next step, putting them through call privacy where they have to identify themselves first.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

I agree with Da Klugz, show them a picture of your A$$ and send it over and over again! That is awesome! :tu

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

I used to get about a dozen or so of these per day... Now I just have my all-in-one set to where I have to accept a fax when it rings. Its a pain for the person faxing, but thats the idea :D

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Seems of these guys are "spoofing".
Just went back through my cell log of missed calls and realized that once a day, I get a call from a weird number I don't know. I never answer it. They never leave a message. The number continuously changes. Never the same one.

Made a list of them and called via *67 and seems half are not even real numbers. The other half go to a mail box that is already full.

I bet the faces are being spoofed also.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

This.

ATT was jerking one of my employees around so he called and spent 1.5hrs talking to this one poor guy. Wasn't mean or yelling just overly nice and pleasant wanting to know how this guys life was going and what not. But the end of the phone call the guy was so grateful to get off the phone he offered him an early upgrade on his contract.

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

When I had my fax line I had the call reject features, etc on the line which really cut down on the trash - but every now and then I would still get the occasional persistent trash. So this is what I would do after the first fax to them asking them to stop and they didn't:

Wait until it was late night so I wouldn't need the fax line.
Go to one of my computers that had a fax card installed it.
Open up MS Word
Open largest PDF file that I had, such as the AB Chance Manual or OSHA Manual.
Tell MS Word to print to fax - 200 copies or so.
Select reconnect on fail.
Go to bed with a smirk on my face.


Maybe it did something or not - but I felt better and the faxes normally stopped.

Don't have the fax line anymore. I can fax out if need be but I don't accept faxes from anyone.

Ron

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Great one!

Just found this website for "blocked" calls.
Neat stuff.
Lots of clips of tv news spots about it.
www.trapcall.com

Re: One way to fix fax telemarketers
 

Actually small claims is outstanding. Great detective work. I am dealing with a firm that put something on my credit report. Max claim for small claims is $3,500. If the firm (usually out of state) fails to show, they cannot defend themselves.