Hello?

Telemarketers. Ok, I do feel bad for them. From the thick accents comin' out of the phone, they're either calling from another country or they're recent immigrants. Sure, last month a brain surgeon in the old country, this month attached to a phone set trying to communicate with people who usually wind up hanging up on you. Can't be fun, and so much for the better life you were promised.

Nevertheless, from the householder point of view, there I am with my hands in dishwater, the timer on the stove is beeping, the dog is barking to go out, hubby is yelling, "do you know where my orange socks are?" and the phone rings. I grab a towel to stop dishwater from running into my armpit and grab the phone, because at least it forestalls that other stuff for a minute. But alas, it's not the lottery corp. calling to tell me a mistake was made in the last draw and it turns out I've won $10 million!! Heh... it's a telemarketer.. one who's talking so fast and in such a thick accent that I can't even begin to understand why it is they're calling, much less what they're wanting to sell me. Sure, I've got time for this ~ not.

In the last year, I have listened to a few of these callers though... at least the ones I could understand. The others I just said, "no time for this," and hung up. Sorry. That timer is still beeping, the smell of something burning is wafting toward the smoke alarm, the dog is now gnawing on my pant leg, and hubby.... oy.

One I did talk to was TVO. Ok, I sympathize and yes, I supported them in the past, but I've moved on. Nobody can do it all. Well, at least, I can't, unless the lottery corp. really does call with good news. Another was a dept. store with a special offer. I bit, on the assurance I could cancel anytime, which I wound up doing, simply because it turned out there was no way to turn their very special offer to my advantage. Seems it was just a clever way for them to get more of my money. Heh. Imagine that. What a surprise! The third was a well-known telecommunications company offering me a free device to hook up to my computer to get high-speed internet. I could try it out for a couple of months, he said.

Well, that sounded promising, so I said sure. Next thing you know, he's talking about how I have to sign a 3-year contract for this thing or pay for it. Um.... wait... how is that "free?" And how is that being allowed to try it out? Didn't take long to terminate that call. Whadda con.

The net result is that I hang up on telemarketers. Sure, I feel bad for you, but I'm just not going to struggle with your thick accent, or try to fathom how many different ways you're trying to con me and, until the lottery corp. calls with good news, my few disposable dollars are very carefully handed out.. to organizations that don't call on the phone. So forget it. No contract; no credit card number; no thanks. Sorry.