Jason Bryant Blog

I’m visiting my parents house. After going out for lunch, I’ve been home for about a 1/2 hour now and already two robo-calls. One from a credit card company and another from some department store. I cancelled my land line over three years ago and phone solicitation was the main reason I got rid of it. It’s painful being at someone’s house who still has a land line, because half the calls are simply bullshit. Last night my mom took a call from the local newspaper wanting to know if she would subscribe. Mom told them she already got the paper. Don’t they have a list?

I just have my BlackBerry now and would never bother with a land line. Too expensive and too many robo-calls. You know it’s a solicitation when there’s a slight pause after you say hello and the computer either connects you to the call center or the recording starts up. Usually that gives you ample time to hang up. The only calls I get now are from my own bank trying to up-sell me on some insurance for my credit card or crap like that. I finally gave in and got the insurance, but they still phone. Apparently there are different levels of coverage and I was just at the first stage. But there isn’t much that can be done. The bank has to have your phone number. However I wish they would phone only if all my money is suddenly gone, or they are depositing money because I won some contest.

Land lines are important so 911 can trace the call if you can’t speak or are otherwise incapacitated, but that’s about their only advantage. I suppose the quality is better then some cell signals, but only marginally.

But the phone solicitation is a deal breaker. If I want to do business with you, I will call you. Or find your web site. As for trying to sell me some shit over the phone, fuck off.

UPDATE…It’s not just the phone. The doorbell rang a couple of minutes ago, causing the Pomeranian to go ape. Is it the cops? Or the fire department…NO…it’s a couple of young guys with clip boards and badges from some company I’ve never heard of trying to tell me they will install some system (not sure what kind of system) into the house for free and that it’s very important and have I heard of them. No I haven’t. I ask them to leave a brochure and at that point the turn around and walk away. What kind of bullshit scam is this? FUCK OFF, Get off my lawn!

UPDATE 2…So the local paper just called again, asking mom if she wanted to subscribe…again. So she politely told them that someone had phoned two days ago and that we already get the paper. That’s my mom. So polite. Courteous. I would have told them to screw off. Right before the newspaper called there was another robo-call, this time it said “This is your pilot speaking, you’ve won a trip to…”

We have to get back to the days like in the movie “Secondhand Lions” with Michael Cain and Robert Duvall or “Grand Torino” with Clint Eastwood, where you sit on the front step with shotgun and anyone who comes by peddling bullshit had better be able to run fast.