Today's idiot of the day has been discovered through reading a NYT article titled "Consumers Finding Ways to Zap Telemarketer Calls"
An excerpt, with commentary:
Those in the telemarketing industry say that the criticism they get from consumers is unwarranted. "Telemarketing is annoying — until it's something you need," said Keith Gill, vice president of MarkeTel Systems, a company in Regina, Saskatechewan, that makes equipment for call centers. "We're real people."
"It's called the mall, sir."
"And I can go there and buy anything I want, rather than just sitting here by the phone waiting for the toilet-paper-by-phone salesman to call?"
"That's right, sir."
"Well, why didn't anyone bloody tell me before?!"
Reducing the number of calls comes down to knowing what Mr. Gill calls the magic phrase: "Please put me on your do-not-call list." He acknowledges, however, that his own father bought a TeleZapper, a $40 device that plays a tone that signals that a line has been disconnected. (Most predictive dialing machines drop those calls.)
Had the paper named the next fellow, he would have been selected as co-idiot of the day.
Another manufacturer of telemarketing equipment admits to being irritated by calls that violate consumer protection laws — for example, prerecorded messages or pitches from companies that do not identify themselves at the outset. He compared his role, however, to that of a gun manufacturer. "I don't load the gun, and I don't fire the gun."
Industry under fire? Try comparing yourselves to the Most Hated Industry in the country, which can only operate because of rapidly eroding Constitutional protection that your industry doesn't have. That'll help.