h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday morning I drove out to my father's house to help him with errand and catch a bite of lunch. When I got there, I saw a Subaru in the driveway. My sister drives a Subaru, so I was afraid that my Dad had taken ill and she had been summoned.

But, no, the Subaru belonged to Jack, a friend of my father who had received a phone message that my father had been taken to the emergency room in the hospital. I rushed over to the hospital. When I got there and inquired about my father's condition, then nurse said he was waiting in the emergency room for me to take him home. After that, the day was more or less normal.

Glad the story ended well

Deb

As far as I know, he's till okay now.

Good

Phew! slap his hand for worrying you

I'd like to slap his hand for being polite to the telemarketers on the phone .

argh!

I've just warned my mam today about the latest scams they are doing here

I don't know what it is about advanced age and gullibility.

I'll let you know next monthI'll be a legal pensioner then

Will you be retiring?

I retired in 1986after getting made redundant, my shape/age etc had no chance of employment after, plus I became a single parent same year, of my 2 kids

sorry! NOT same year, 23 year ago

My mother at 95 is polite but quite firm with telemarketers. She tells them it's not worth it at her age.

I wish I could persuade my father to tell them that.

It's good to hear that your Dad is okay.

Telemarketers are a real pain and a lot of the time I can barely understand what they are saying over the phone due to the phone calls coming from abroad. Tips I have heard is to blow whistle over the telephone call, put the phone down and do something else. Legislation has been passed in the UK but it only covers call centres based in the UK. A new law has been passed but it puts the responsibility of the one receiving phone call to ask them take their name off their register (but if you are having problems getting them to understand you and how do you know that they will do it.) You also supposed to find their phone number from your landline phone and also check from your phone company, if your ex-dir3ectory. But if you are ex-directory like I am, it will not stop telemarketing calls.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-31616523

F1926355?thread=5478302

maybe print off for your dad

Whenever there's an increase in the telespam Nd related trouble, an increasr in world terrorism always follows.

Those are great tips, Prof

I read in another thread that you can also try to act like *you* are the telemarketer, *you* made the call and now *you* try to sell something.
This confuses any telemarketer big time and if you succeed in doing it right it can be a lot of fun

But I pity the people, who have to take jobs as telemarketers. It can't be fun p*$$*ng off people for several hours every day.

So I just say "not interested, you're waisting your time" and then I hang up. Not very polite, but I'm saving both their time and mine.

"Not interested" is *exactly* what I say. But I'm not my father. He knows quite well that he can get on a "don't call" list, but he has never taken steps to get on it.

As should I, but I've been procrastinating it for years