Junk Mail And Junk Phone Calls

I have gotten into the habit of sending any junk mail I receive back to the sender using the postage paid-self addressed envelopes they so kindly provide for this. I of course tear off anything that has my name and address on it first. I have reached the point where I am tempted to duct tape these postage paid-self addressed envelopes onto bricks but fortunately for these companies I never seem to have a brick with me when I go pick up the mail.

If junk mail isn't annoying enough we also have junk phone calls. Those, when we hear the beginning of the spiel, we just hang up on. But there is something more insidious out there now, automatic computer calls. You can tell if you got one of those when you pick up the phone and think no one is there. Sometimes, if you stay on the phone long enough, a person will finally answer. That I hate the most. They dare to call me and then put me on hold so they don't waste their valuable time just in case I'm not home? Those don't even get a polite no thank you from me before I hang up.

Now I've found out that those "no one there" phone calls do more than just call you. They also let telemarketers record what time you are home if you pick up the phone. Then some other night, when the telemarketers have the time to do so, they will call you back at the same time the computer called you before. How is that for some chutzpah? Fortunately for you I have learned of a way to short circuit this. Supposedly if you start punching the pound key quickly six or seven times when you realize no one is there it will confuse the computer causing it to delete your phone number. I have not tried this yet so I am not sure this will work but it is worth a try.