Turn off the ringer on your phone.

You are joking, aren't you?

The best revenge is to cost them what they value most.  Time.

I start talking to them.

What color underwear do you have on?  I like white.  I don't like Fruit of
the Loom because they pinch me.

Do you have a dog?  I had a dog.  His name was Skippy.  He ran away.  But I
think my father took Skippy out to the farms and let him go.  I miss Skippy.
I want to get a hamster.

Do you go to school?  I go to special school.  Mrs Rogers is my teacher.
She's nice.  She wears pretty dresses.

Wait a minute, someone is knocking at the door .................. then don't
speak.

And I say these things right in the middle of a sentence when they are
making their pitch, or after they have made a lengthy statement.  Then stay
quiet.  Long pauses.  Speak as if you are six years old.

They will take you off the list.  Before I did this, I would have someone
call me saying my insurance was going to lapse.  I didn't have insurance
with that company, and we both knew it.  I'd get indignant and say not to
call again, and next week or month, they would call again.  One of these
conversations, and I never heard from them again.

Your time is valuable.  This takes a little time, but it works to get them
to take you off the list.  I like to ask them, "What is your home number and
when do you have dinner, and I'll call you then."  Sometimes you cannot
insult them enough to get them to quit calling you.  But thoroughly wasting
their time does work.

Steve

Dummy, that means, you're not supposed to call.

I am extremely sympathic with your plight.  My idea
of a great day is when I do not get a call from my
first wife - it's been over 20 years now!

You need call waiting with no voice mail.  Better
yet get a cell phone and only give out the number
to people you want to call you.  My childbride is
the only one who has my cell phone number - and
man she really has my number!

I left home to join the Navy in 1961.  47 years
later, I have yet to read a letter from my mother
- someone else has always read it for me and told
me if there was anything important in it.

I enjoy phone conversations with my brothers and
my sister.  They are erudite, clever, and humorous.

As soon as I find software that will block an
unlimited number of callers and selectively
route callers by whatever criteria I select
(like caller not on my accept list who have
names such as "caller unknown", the name of a
State, or anything else I choose, I am going
to a Vontage type service.

Dick