Rhymer or Reemer

We recently got ourselves a landline again, since our house is in this black hole (or something) where cell service is sketchy at best. We signed up with Qwest, and before we had even given our new phone number to our friends and family, we were getting calls. Telemarketing calls.

The telemarketers knew our name, so it wasn’t like they were simply trying to get a hold of the previous owners of our number. This really irks me. Is Qwest selling our number? Greg suggested that maybe they put it into some directory. Still, for the telemarketers to have our name and number the VERY next day after the phone line was hooked up seems awfully fishy to me.

I usually cannot stand it when people mispronounce our last name. I hate being called Amber “REEmer” instead of the correct pronunciation of “Rhymer.” However, when it comes to telemarketers, I love when they call up and ask for Greg or Amber REEmer. I am confident that it isn’t someone we know, so I feel comfortable telling them that they have the wrong number. There is no Greg or Amber REEmer at this number.

I wish I could say this tactic was as effective as it is fun to employ, but I would be lying. They know they have the right number. They just bought it off of Qwest yesterday, right? So they backpedal and try pronouncing it again. By this time, I have said, “No, Thank you” twice even though I haven’t heard their spiel yet, and can get rid of all but the most annoyingly persistent.

I have added our new phone number to the National Do Not Call Registry, so hopefully after 31 days the calls will cease.

To all Telemarketers: be it known that I will never donate money or purchase anything over the phone from someone who calls me. If I want to donate money or purchase something, I will call you. (Actually, I will use the internet because I would rather not talk to a live person.) So for the love of Petey, stop calling me!