tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post2626408557120793861..comments2024-02-11T01:14:21.904-08:00Comments on SURVIVING IN ARGENTINA: How to Answer the PhoneFerFALhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07578136334334588454noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-74718413599575130242009-10-14T13:29:50.439-07:002009-10-14T13:29:50.439-07:00A recurring line in most Louis L'Amour books (...A recurring line in most Louis L'Amour books (westerns) is: Stranger says "I didn't catch your name friend." and the main character replys, "I didn't mention it." or something along those lines.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-20698707814375048662009-10-14T10:13:40.826-07:002009-10-14T10:13:40.826-07:00I always take offense when someone calls and says,...I always take offense when someone calls and says, "may I speak to John, or is Barb there?<br /><br />I always ask ," who's calling please" before divulging any information..<br /><br />I consider it quite rude to not identify who you are when you call someone..<br /><br />I was always brought up to say, "This is Joe, (and state your business), may I speak to Mary please, when calling someone.. <br /><br />When we don't hold others accountable for being rude and unmannerly, we just perpetuate the problem..livefreehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13122724644635703371noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-20278328323106294552009-10-14T07:14:38.944-07:002009-10-14T07:14:38.944-07:00For years I've been using the line that Spanky...For years I've been using the line that Spanky used in the Little Rascals:<br /> <br />Caller: Who is this?<br /><br />Me: I don't know, I can't see you.<br /><br />Finally I can say someone agrees with me that it's the right response.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-41800003600211858272009-10-14T05:19:48.355-07:002009-10-14T05:19:48.355-07:00Anon: In our neighborhood, they simply unbolted t...Anon: In our neighborhood, they simply unbolted the community mailbox from the ground and took the whole thing, post and all. Took us a week to get a new mailbox. No mail. No bills. It was beautiful.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-70269416306698610622009-10-14T05:13:14.160-07:002009-10-14T05:13:14.160-07:00One simple rule: Never give out any information to...One simple rule: Never give out any information to someone who calls (or emails) YOU.<br /><br />The US has a national "do not call" list that prevents sales calls. Everyone should be on this list.Bonesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-38304754677575909172009-10-13T22:57:28.941-07:002009-10-13T22:57:28.941-07:00Hmm, I think the virtual kidnapping thing is bigge...Hmm, I think the virtual kidnapping thing is bigger there because well kidnapping is bigger there. <br /><br />Obviously giving away essential information over the phone is stupid. <br /><br />I answer my phone with "hello" and if someone asks who they are speaking with I give my first name because usually it is just someone trying to verify who they are speaking with so they know if they need to ask for someone else.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09612373437033635765noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-50443581024680519902009-10-13T22:24:36.970-07:002009-10-13T22:24:36.970-07:00Very good, what you said Ferfal, now I don't f...Very good, what you said Ferfal, now I don't feel so bad about giving certain people a hard time when they call me. A number of times I have had to be stern and say, "No, you called me, you tell me first" or something like that, they act as if I'm supposed to obey them or something and I'll bet their tactic works on quite a number of people.<br /><br />It is true too many organizations have too much personal info online, however; this can be limited, especially if a warranty isn't important to you, this is where companies usually get the most info about you, from you.<br /><br />While two years have passed, when I was listed in the US phonebook, only my first initial and full last name were printed. Maybe it's how you setup the account? <br /><br />Also, I regularly get bills sent to my P.O. Box, and it was simple, Legal and easy to do.<br /><br />Since I stopped giving my name and other info out at the point of sale, I very seldom get telemarketing calls. It's not hard to do. For those business that rquire your name and other info, simply don't do business with them.<br /><br />The best thing I have found is to descretely pay in cash, sometimes for fun I use two dollar bills.<br /><br />I avoid doing business with the Feds, it's not, "doing business" anyway, it's something else.<br /><br />~just my observation from here in the USS of A.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8939666320943790100.post-77607670875496157312009-10-13T17:39:01.635-07:002009-10-13T17:39:01.635-07:00Unfortunately, here in the USA the bad guys can ge...Unfortunately, here in the USA the bad guys can get ALL your personal info if they want it, because the agencies who collect the data sell it to anybody or keep it online. <br /><br />I frequently get calls from people addressing me by my first name. All that is in the phone book (since I was required to have a listing by the phone company) is my first and middle initial and my last name. So if you were to look me up in the phone book, and my name was John Donald Jones, you would see "J D Jones" with no address. However, I tend to get calls asking for "John" from people I've never heard of, usually telemarketers. <br /><br />The REALLY scary thing is that once I told a telemarketer where he could put his stupid pitch, and a week later I got two FRN's in the mail at my home address from the company apologizing to me, supposedly. But they knew my full name and knew my home address. From that point on I stopped shredding a lot of stuff, because why should a crook dumpster dive if they can know everything about you from a database? <br /><br />An American has no choice but to give everybody all his info in order to do every day transactions, and the companies sell it to each other and to anybody who asks, there was even one case where a crook simply posed as a businessman, bought names and home addresses, and then robbed the people who lived in ritzy houses! There is simply no way to keep anything secret anymore. <br /><br />The use of home addresses is required by federal laws known as Auto Bandit Laws. During the Great Depression bandits roamed the countryside, mainly robbing banks, and they were able to not have a permanent address, thus frustrating efforts to catch them. So the FDR administration required the use of home addresses at all times, for all federal business. <br /><br />These laws have been expanded so that it is illegal for companies to send bills to post office boxes. You have to go through a whole laundry list of hoops to get most of your mail at a box. These laws are intended to stop criminals, but criminals can use them to find out everything about you, then rob you. <br /><br />One solution I've seen is locked mailboxes. Within the last 20 years the trend for suburban developers is to have a single big metal box with all the mail for the development's residents in individual cubbyhole type boxes, accessible by a single panel at the back. Crooks simply pry off the cover and take everyone's mail.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com